Traps, Tricks & Mistakes: Englund Trap

The Englund trap appears in the Englund Gambit, which is an irregular opening beginning with the sequence of moves 1. d4 e5.

Black early gives up the e pawn as a bait. If White intends to keep it, then he/she risks suffering a sudden attack.

Black tries to disorient White inducing him/her to play natural moves and, at the same time, preparing a quick attack over the queenside.

The critical moment in this trap is after Black’s fifth move. Instead of being greedy and trying to trap Black’s queen with 6.Bc3, White does it better moving the knight 6.Nc3.