Englund Gambit Declined · A40

Reversed French

1. d4 e5 2. e3

In the centre, White holds d4 while Black holds e5.

The first 3 moves, explained

• 1. d4 Stakes a claim in the centre, controlling e5, and frees the bishop and queen.
• 1... e5 Stakes a claim in the centre, controlling d4, and frees the bishop and queen. The pawn is genuinely on offer - this is the Englund Gambit. Fair warning: engines rate this gambit as objectively dubious; it is a practical weapon, not a promise of equality.
• 2. e3 Supports the centre, adding control of d4. Theory calls this the Reversed French.

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