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Englund Gambit 1 d4 e5 [A40]
We start this month's update with Alonso Rosell, A - Arslanov, S:
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If this move really was sound then we would certainly see a lot more of it in chess events, but it does have some bite, especially against unprepared opponents.
My aim in this update is to present the current state of this variation and the best ways to proceed for both sides.
Sticking with the theme of the outrageous idea of playing 1...e5 we now look at a very rare but interesting idea, played quite often by the 'bullet' legend Andrew Tang.
Rather than playing ...d6 Andrew seems to prefer ...d5!? Black is effectively aiming for a reversed Blackmar-Diemer type of gambit position.
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The move ...d5 gains space in the centre and avoids some of the issues that we saw Black encounter after ...d6 Bg5, see Nihal, S - Tang, A. Maybe the safest option for White is to just play exd6 and then follow up with the strong idea of Nc3-b5! as we saw in the previous game.
Finally (for 1...e5?!) in Lazavik, D - Dardha, D we take a look at Black's most popular approach, which relies on an attractive trick that White sometimes falls into at lower levels.
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Saying that I am really not a fan of the way that Black plays in this game, as if White avoids the trick then Black's position stinks.
The Fajarowicz Gambit 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e5 3 dxe5 Ne4 [A51]
We now move onto the next crazy gambit that I wanted to cover, the Fajarowicz Gambit, this is another rather dubious gambit but yet again it can be quite dangerous if White is unsure about how to respond.
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In this update I am just going to cover what we could call the 'Noro variation', named after Yaacov Norowitz. Yaacov is a dangerous player who uses this variation with deadly effect.
The idea is to play ...d6 quickly (like in our previous games in this month's update), and aim for accelerated development after exd6 ...Bxd6:
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This is something I often try in Blitz and it seems to be a pretty good way to play the Fajarowicz gambit, see Mizzi, J - Norowitz, Y.
Piddubna, B - Norowitz, Y is another model game from our hero Yaacov, Black develops in an affective way and puts White under pressure quickly.
Let's now look at a key idea from White. White should be aiming to chase the Knight away from e4 as quickly as can be, to do that he needs to concentrate on playing Qc2! and after ...Nc5, b2-b4!
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See Naroditsky, D - Norowitz, Y.
The last game we look at in the 'Noro' variation shows a drastic way that Black can avoid b4. Black simple plays ...a5:
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This did quite excite me at first site but it is also very slow and can hardly be a serious way to keep the variation alive for Black. See Kocharin, T - Postny, E.
Albin counter gambit 5 a3 [D08]
And to round this month's update off we take a look at some critical variations in the Albin counter gambit. A gambit that is certainly a lot of fun to play but maybe not entirely sound. In Rustemov, A - Weishaeutel, M we reach the following standard position:
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Material is equal, but White's has more pressure. For a start the Knight on c4 is an issue for Black.
Till next month, Simon.
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