Albin Countergambit
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.Nc3!?
Stockfish17 and Dragon1 prefer the main move, 3.dxe5, but the text is Stockfish17's second choice.
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| How should Black respond? |
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3...dxc4!?
This is the most popular move in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database, and is the top choice of the engines.
Frank Marshall is the first in Mega25 to have played 3.Nc3!?, in 1904, and he played it again in 1907. But when he reached the position as Black in 1911 he replied 3...exd4, the idea after 4.Qxd4 being to gambit a pawn with 4...Nc6!? 5.Qxd5 Be6.
The immediate 3...Nc6!? transposes to a position that normally arises from a Chigorin (1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nc3 e5!?), and is probably simply good for White after the mainline 4.cxd5.
4.dxe5!?
The commonest continuation in Mega25 is 4.d5 Nf6 5.e4 c6 6.Bxc4, with an equal position, according to the engines, but they reckon there are improvements for both sides in that short line.
4.e3, transposing to a line of the Queen's Gambit Accepted, is suggested by the engines.
4...Qxd1+ 5.Kxd1!?
The engines fluctuate between the text and preferring to recapture with the knight.
5...Be6 6.a3?!
Presumably worrying about a knight landing on b4, but this is almost certainly the wrong use of a tempo.
6...Bc5 7.e3 Nc6 8.Bd2?!
It is a sign of how desperate White's position is already that the engines cannot decide whether this casual surrender of a pawn is bad or 'just' dubious.
8...Nxe5 9.Kc2?!
However they immediately flash red at this, although their recommended 8.Nf3 leaves Black a pleasant choice between damaging White's pawn-structure with 9...Nxf3, and plopping the queen's knight into d3. In both cases Black remains a pawn up.
9...Nf6 10.h3?!
Again almost certainly a waste of time.
10...Bf5+ 11.Kc1 0-0-0
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| Black has all but completed development, while White is at least four moves away from connecting rooks |
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It is true that Black's extra pawn is doubled and could prove vulnerable, but it is hard to see how White can get at it, and meanwhile it both cramps White's position and a creates a piece outpost at d3.
The engines reckon Black's advantage is worth about a minor piece.
12.Na4?! Be7
Now ...b5 will come with tempo.
13.f3 Rd7 14.g4!?
This is Stockfish17's top choice.
14...Bd3 15.Bxd3 Nxd3+ 16.Kc2 Rhd8 17.Rh2
This is best, according to the engines.
17...b5 18.Nc3 c6 19.Rd1 a5 20.Ra1
The engines suggest 20.g5.
20...Nxb2!? 21.Ne4!? Nxe4 22.fxe4 Bf6 23.Bxa5 Re8 24.g5 Be5 25.Re2 Nd3 26.Rd1 Ra7 0-1
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