Englund Gambit · A40

Mosquito Gambit

1. d4 e5 2. dxe5 Qh4

White is up material out of the opening - Black is banking on activity to show for it. White's pawn on f2 is pinned against the king.

The first 4 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. dxe5 Takes the pawn on e5, toward the centre and opens the d-file for the queen.
• 2... Qh4 Develops with a pin: the pawn on f2 is stuck shielding the king. Theory calls this the Mosquito Gambit.

Create a free account to train this line — every note in it is already on this page; an account puts it on a board, with the plan and a drill that walks it.