Albin Counter-Gambit Guide

The Albin Counter-Gambit is a chess opening for black that starts with the moves 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5. It’s one of the very few openings that respond to a gambit with a gambit. Even though currently it’s not played a lot at master level, it still is a sound opening and a great weapon for black to fight against the Queen’s Gambit.

Main Ideas in the Albin Counter-Gambit

With the Albin Counter-Gambit, black strikes in the center immediately, and forces white to accept the gambit and give away the d4 square (any other response to the Albin is considered inferior).

In this way, black will gain space with the move d5-d4 and will get attacking chances, although will be a pawn down, which white has the chance to return later to decrease black’s pressure.

Most Played Moves in the Albin Counter-Gambit

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5

The Albin Counter-Gambit has been played.

3.dxe5 d4

White accepts the gambit, and white immediately pushes their pawn to d4.

4.Nf3 Nc6

White threatens to capture the d4 pawn, but black defends with the knight.

5.g3 Nge7

White decides to go for a fianchetto, and black plays the knight to e7 with the idea to re-route it to g6.

6.Bg2 Ng6

Natural development moves from both sides.

7.Bg5 Qd7

Black doesn’t want to lose the d4 pawn and doesn’t want to exchange their dark-squared bishop, so the best option is to move the queen one square up, even though by doing so the light-squared black bishop gets blocked.

8.e6 fxe6

White has decided to give the pawn back in exchange for damaging black’s kingside pawn structure, although both sides are fine at this point.

9.O-O e5

With e5, black supports the d4 pawn even more and opens up the diagonal for the queen and the bishop.

10.Nbd2 h6

Trap in the Albin-Counter-Gambit

White has to be careful not to fall for a very common trap that can happen in the very first moves of the Albin-Counter-Gambit.

After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.e3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 dxe3

If white plays the move 6.Bxb4, then black has a crushing move.

After 6…exf2+, white is forced to play 7.Kxf2, allowing 7…Qxd1.

5.a3

The most solid line in the Albin Counter-Gambit is 4.Nf3 Nc6.

That is why let’s review the three main continuations after that.

We already saw 5.g3 in a previous section, so let’s now focus on 5.a3 and 5.Nbd2.

The move 5.a3 is the second most played move 5 at master level.

The main goal of a3 is to prevent Bb4, which can cause some trouble for white.

After playing a3, white can keep developing pieces.

5.Nbd2

This is another alternative for white.

With 5.Nbd2 white is clearly trying to re-route it to b3 to exert pressure on the black pawn on d4.

Play usually continues with 5…Nge7 6.Nb3 Nf5 7.e4 dxe3

Model Games

Related Chess Courses

Albin Counter-Gambit with IM Milovan Ratkovic

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D08 Sub-variants:

• Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin counter-gambit
  1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5
• Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin counter-gambit, Lasker trap
  1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 d4 4. e3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 dxe3
• Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin counter-gambit
  1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 d4 4. Nf3
• Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin counter-gambit, Alapin variation
  1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 d4 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Nbd2
• Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin counter-gambit, Krenosz variation
  1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 d4 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Nbd2 Bg4 6. h3 Bxf3 7. Nxf3 Bb4+ 8. Bd2 Qe7
• Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin counter-gambit, Janowski variation
  1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 d4 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Nbd2 f6
• Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin counter-gambit, Balogh variation
  1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 d4 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Nbd2 Qe7