The Elephant Gambit (also called the Queen´s Pawn Counter Gambit or Englund Counterattack) is a rarely played chess opening beginning with the moves (in algebraic notation):
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5?!
In this gambit, Black ignores the attack on his e-pawn and immediately tries to wrest the initiative from White. It is generally considered unsound, because if White plays accurately Black does not get sufficient compensation for the sacrificed pawn. A typical line might continue 3.exd5 e4 4.Qe2 Nf6 5.d3 Be7 6.dxe4 and White is a pawn ahead, though his development is not quite as easy as Black´s. A quieter alternative for Black is to continue 3...Bd6 and maintain the strongpoint on e5 while quickly following up with ...Nf6 and ...0-0.
References
- Hooper, David and Kenneth Whyld. "Queen´s Pawn Counter Gambit." Oxford Companion to Chess. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992. 329.
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