Albin Counter-Gambit

ECO D08-D09beginner

The Albin Counter-Gambit, 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5!? 3.dxe5 d4, answers the Queen's Gambit with a gambit of its own: the advanced d4 pawn cramps White's queenside development and supports vicious attacking schemes, including the famous Lasker Trap where premature e3 loses to ...Bb4+ and an underpromotion. Morozevich's modern treatment (...Nge7 heading for g6) restored its respectability — White's safest path is the g3 fianchetto, conceding that the d4 wedge is here to stay.

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Main line

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Diagram shows the position after 6 half-moves of the main line. On SpeakChess you can drill this line move by move — the trainer plays the other side and corrects you instantly, then spaced repetition schedules each variation so you review it right before you would forget it.

Move by move

The first 12 moves of the main line, explained one at a time. Every move of every variation is annotated like this inside the trainer — this page shows the opening moves so you can judge the explanations before signing up.

White advances the pawn to d4, staking a claim right in the center and opening lines for the queen and bishop to develop later.
Black fights back in the center by pushing the pawn to d5, matching White's central pawn and keeping things equal right from the start.
White pushes the c-pawn to c4, pressuring the black pawn on d5 and expanding in the center. This is the Queen's Gambit — a very popular opening idea.
Black surprises White by shooting the pawn all the way to e5! This bold counter-attack is the Albin Countergambit — Black gives up a pawn to create active play.
White captures the pawn on e5 with the d-pawn. Now White has an extra pawn in the center, but Black gets some exciting activity in return.
Black pushes the pawn forward to d4, advancing deep into White's territory. This pawn becomes a real thorn in White's side as the game continues.
The knight hops to f3, a great central square. It guards against the advanced d4 pawn and helps White develop smoothly toward castling.
Black brings the knight out to c6, developing a piece and adding pressure to the strong d4 pawn. Both sides are racing to get their pieces active.
White nudges the pawn to a3, stopping Black's bishop from coming to b4 and pinning the knight. A small but useful move that keeps things safe.
Black places the knight on e7 rather than f6. This keeps the d-pawn supported and gives Black flexibility to swing the knight somewhere useful next.
White pushes the b-pawn to b4, gaining space on the queenside and trying to stop Black from playing a5 to support the advanced d4 pawn.
The knight retreats to g6 from e7, stepping away from the queenside action. From g6 the knight eyes the e5 pawn and can jump forward if the chance comes.

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Win rates by rating

Results from real online games, measured after the line shown in each row. Most opening sites show one aggregate number — how an opening scores depends heavily on who is playing it.

Rating	Games	White wins	Draws	Black wins	Position after
400-600	49	65.3%	2%	32.7%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5
600-800	163	57.1%	2.5%	40.5%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6
800-1000	102	62.7%	2%	35.3%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.a3
1000-1200	36	55.6%	2.8%	41.7%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.a3
1200-1400	74	48.6%	2.7%	48.6%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.a3 Nge7 6.b4 Ng6
1400-1600	329	48.6%	4%	47.4%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.a3 Nge7 6.b4 Ng6
1600-1800	71	46.5%	5.6%	47.9%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.a3 Nge7 6.b4 Ng6
1800-2000	106	56.6%	8.5%	34.9%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.a3 Nge7 6.b4 Ng6
2000-2200	151	52.3%	5.3%	42.4%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.a3 Nge7 6.b4 Ng6
2200-2400	82	41.5%	13.4%	45.1%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.a3 Nge7 6.b4 Ng6

Most played continuations (1400-1600 rating)

After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.a3 Nge7 6.b4 Ng6:

Bb2 — played 61.4% of the time (White wins 57.4%, draws 4.5%, Black wins 38.1%)
b5 — played 20.1% of the time (White wins 36.4%, draws 3%, Black wins 60.6%)
Bg5 — played 10.3% of the time (White wins 38.2%, draws 2.9%, Black wins 58.8%)

Frequently asked questions

What is the Lasker Trap?

After 3.dxe5 d4 4.e3?? Bb4+ 5.Bd2 dxe3! White is already lost: 6.Bxb4 exf2+ 7.Ke2 fxg1=N+! — the underpromotion wins the queen — is the most famous trap in gambit literature. The e3 break must be prepared, never played immediately.

Is the Albin playable above club level?

Morozevich proved it at 2700 level with the ...Nge7-g6 regrouping pressuring e5. White retains the cleaner game with the 4.Nf3 and 5.g3 main line, but must respect the d4 pawn and Black's initiative — 'unsound' is the wrong word for a gambit this venomous; 'high-maintenance for both sides' is accurate.