The Englund Gambit starts with 1. : you give up a pawn, then go after it on e5 with your knight and queen. On Lichess, across 592,052 games rated 900–1700 (September 2026), your opponent scores 50.4%, close to even. Among online players rated over 2200 that rises to 53.9%, and with best play the position is 1.27 pawns in your opponent's favor.
Lichess games from September 2026 (30,577,162 rated 900 to 1700) and 31,791 over-the-board games rated 2300+ from the last 12 months. Data updated: October 14, 2026.
16 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
After 1. , 62 in 100 opponents at your level take with 2.; above 2200 it's 74. The real gap is in the declines: 11 in 100 opponents at your level push 2., while strong players do it only 3 times in 100. Against the capture, 40 in 100 players at your level answer ; among strong players, 55. After 3. , the most common reply is 4.: 39 in 100 opponents at your level pick it, against 28 among strong players, who go for 4. almost as often (26 in 100).
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 62.3% | 50.9% | 74.5% | no data | |
| 10.7% | 51.1% | 2.7% | no data | |
| 6.1% | 50.8% | 3.0% | no data | |
| 5.2% | 49.8% | 6.3% | no data | |
| 4.9% | 48.6% | 7.3% | no data | |
| 3.9% | 50.5% | 2.0% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39.5% | 50.0% | 54.9% | no data | |
| 26.7% | 48.8% | 33.1% | no data | |
| 15.9% | 51.0% | 1.4% | no data | |
| 8.3% | 53.8% | 6.6% | no data | |
| 4.5% | 51.2% | 0.7% | no data | |
| 2.2% | 55.8% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 2.0% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 68.4% | 50.1% | 86.6% | no data | |
| 11.6% | 47.4% | 5.8% | no data | |
| 9.4% | 50.6% | 2.4% | no data | |
| 3.4% | 53.9% | 0.9% | no data | |
| 2.2% | 49.0% | 0.8% | no data | |
| 1.8% | 53.8% | 3.3% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63.7% | 48.0% | 59.1% | no data | |
| 10.2% | 51.9% | 17.9% | no data | |
| 9.7% | 53.5% | 5.5% | no data | |
| 5.4% | 55.7% | 8.3% | no data | |
| 2.8% | 54.3% | 3.8% | no data | |
| 2.6% | 57.7% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 3.7% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39.4% | 40.6% | 27.8% | no data | |
| 19.0% | 54.6% | 26.3% | no data | |
| 12.1% | 50.0% | 13.7% | no data | |
| 8.8% | 52.1% | no data | no data | |
| 7.0% | 53.2% | 13.7% | no data | |
| 4.1% | 56.9% | 4.9% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 5.2% | no data |
The strong players' line is 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. . Everything revolves around the pawn on e5, the one your opponent grabbed on move two. You attack it with pieces so your opponent has to tie pieces down defending it, and once they are tied down, your queen goes after the pawn on b2.
hits e5 and develops a piece. 3. defends it. adds a second attacker: knight and queen against a single defender. 4. brings in a second defender, and this is where the gambit's idea kicks in. The fourth rank is empty from b4 to f4, because the d4 pawn has gone to e5. gives check and attacks both the bishop on f4 and the pawn on b2. Your opponent blocks with 5., which also hits your queen, and wins the pawn back with a threat: your queen attacks the undefended rook on a1 and the knight on b1. And with the bishop gone from f4, e5 is down to one defender again, the knight on f3, against your knight on c6 and your queen on b2.
Move order matters. If you bring the queen out with before the knight, your opponent answers 3. and 4., hitting your queen and c7. And the check on b4 only wins something after 4.: the bishop on f4 is what gives your queen two targets at once.
At your level this line works. After , 4. is your opponents' most common reply, and with it they score only 41 points in 100. After , 60 in 100 opponents at your level play 5., compared with 96 in 100 among strong players. The cost shows up higher up: among online players rated over 2200, your opponent scores 54 in 100 in this opening.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 5,456 | 74.5% | |
| 4,051 | 54.9% | |
| 2,208 | 86.6% | |
| 1,953 | 59.1% | |
| 1,144 | 27.8% | |
| 341 | 100.0% | |
| 333 | 96.4% | |
| 383 | 100.0% |
If your opponent meets 1. with 2., is an inaccuracy. 3. kicks your knight and gains space; after 4. 5., the pawn threatens h5 to kick it again, and you have to stop it with . Best is : with it you score 48 points in 100; with , 45.
13 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.8 pawns of advantage. It scores 44.6%; scores 48.2%.
Against 2., is a mistake. After 3. 4. 5., the bishop eyes f7 and g8 down the diagonal your f-pawn opened, and while it sits there you can't castle kingside. hits the knight on f3, but you score 39 points in 100, against 48 with .
3 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 38.5%; scores 48.2%.
Against 2., is a mistake, though at your level it rarely gets punished. 3. hits the knight; grabs the pawn, but 4. attacks it again, and after 5. your opponent is developing while your knight has already moved three times. You score 47 points in 100, against 48 with .
3 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 46.5%; scores 48.2%.
Against 2., is a mistake that drops a pawn: 3. takes yours on e5. After 4. 5., the knight hits c7 and d4, and defends d4. You score 43 points in 100, against 48 with .
3 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.8 pawns of advantage. It scores 43.3%; scores 48.2%.
Against 2., is only an inaccuracy. After 3. 4. 5. , your opponent keeps the e4 pawn in the center, and your bishop on e7 is boxed in by the d6 pawn and the knight on f6. You score 46 points in 100, about the same as with (48).
8 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.6 pawns of advantage. It scores 46.0%; scores 48.2%.
After 2., brings the queen out before the knight and is an inaccuracy. 3. 4. hits your queen and c7, and you have to retreat with ; after 5. you've lost two tempi. At your level it almost never gets punished: you score 49 points in 100, against 50 with .
5 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.6 pawns of advantage. It scores 48.8%; scores 50.0%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 170,622 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 105,542 |
| Not castled | 75,965 | |
| 72,300 | ||
| Not castled | 53,026 | |
| 44,068 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Not castled | Not castled | 1 |
| 1 |
1. 2. · 161,882 amateur games
With 2. your opponent declines the pawn and grabs space; they score 51 in 100.
1. 2. · 94,705 amateur games
offers a second pawn to open lines for your bishops; your opponent scores 49 in 100.
1. 2. 3. · 67,241 amateur games · 2 over the board
hits e5 with the queen and prepares ; your opponent scores 48 in 100.
1. 2. · 27,605 amateur games
offers another pawn to open the f-file; your opponent scores 54 in 100.
1. 2. 3. · 12,302 amateur games
aims your bishop at f2 instead of adding pressure on e5; your opponent scores 53 in 100.
1. 2. 3. · 7,508 amateur games
After 3., hits e5 with a pawn; your opponent scores 55 in 100.
1. 2. 3. 4. · 5,149 amateur games
4. defends e5 with the queen and eyes f7; your opponent scores 53 in 100.
1. 2. 3. · A40
2,599 amateur games · White's score: 51.0%
1. 2. · A40
1,646 amateur games · White's score: 62.9%
With best play it's dubious: after 2. you're a pawn down and the position is 1.27 pawns in your opponent's favor. In practice, from 900 to 1700 your opponent scores 50 in 100. Among online players over 2200 that rises to 54, and after , 96 in 100 of them find 5.. At your level, only 60 do.
The most common decline at your level is 2.: 11 in 100 opponents play it after 1. , against only 3 among players rated over 2200. The d5 pawn gains space and your e5 pawn stays in the center without being traded. There's no gambit left to play, and your opponent scores 51 in 100, close to even.
After 1. 2., hit the e5 pawn with and, after 3., with . If your opponent defends with 4., attacks the bishop and the b2 pawn at once. After 5., wins the pawn back and threatens the rook on a1. Against 4., opponents rated 900–1700 score only 41 points in 100.