Albin Counter Gambit – The School of Tactics

Albin Counter Gambit might be one of the best schools of tactics – if you explore it, you can combine the opening study with the practical aim to become better in tactics.

Here is one game with annotations, which hopefully give some insight to the possibilities of this opening.

Reguera–Leontxo, Spain 1983

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5

This is best and by far the most common move, but there are alternatives 3.e3, 3.Nc3, 3.cxd5. None of them is critical for Black, if he knows little theory: one blitzgame of mine went 3.Nc3 exd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Qxd5 Be6! 6.Qxd8? (6.Qb5) Rxd8 7.e3 Nb4 with winning advantage for Black.

3...d4

This is Black's best bet: this advanced pawn takes space and stops White's natural Knight development Nc3, but the pawn is also isolated and White can attack it: one logical plan is Nf3, Nbd2, a3, b4, Bb2 and Nb3.

4.Nf3

This is the most common and also White's best; playable alternatives are 4.a3 and 4.e4. However, there are still a few people, who might fall in the trap with the "obvious" 4.e3?, which is punished with 4...Bb4+! 5.Bd2 dxe3 6.Bxb4? exf2+ 7.Ke2 fxg1N+! (not 7...fxg1Q?, when White can escape with 8.Qxd8+! Kxd8 9.Rxg1) 8.Rxg1 Bg4+.

I have won three blitzgames this way, quite a few times I faced also the following sequence: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.e3? Bb4 5.Bd2 dxe3 6.fxe3! Qh4+ 7.g3 Qe4 8.Nf3?!, when 8...Qxe3+ or 8...Bg4 9.Be2 Qxe3 10.Bxb4 Bxf3 gives Black his pawn back with better game. Remember the check Bb4+, it is Black's secret weapon against those who like to play the "obvious" e3 too soon.

4...Nc6

Again best for Black; dubious is 4...c5?! 5.e3 Nc6 6.exd4 cxd4 7.Bd3 and White has clear advantage. Also 4...Bb4+ has been tried, but White seems to get upper hand after 5.Bd2 Nc6 6.Bxb4 Nxb4 7.Qa4+ (Lamford).

5.g3

This is a good and very common move here. Other good tries for White are 5.Nbd2 and 5.a3. Again it would be a mistake to play the "obvious" 5.e3?! Bb4+! (that check again!); for example 6.Bd2 dxe3 7.fxe3 Bxd2+ 8.Qxd2 Qe7 9.Bd3 Nxe5 10.Nxe5 Qxe5 11.O-O Nf6 12.Nc3 Ng4 13.g3 O-O and White's e-pawn is weak. White has tried here also 5.Bf4, 5.Bg5, 5.Qb3 and 5.b3. They are all playable, but none of them poses Black any real problems.

5...Bg4

Old main line, although 5...Bf5 and 5...Nge7 are nowadays considered more interesting. I think that also 5...f6!? in true gambit style is worth a try.

6.Bg2 Qd7 7.O-O O-O-O

Opposite castling is usual in Albin, and this means, that in order to win you must attack at kingside faster than your opponent at the queenside. Draws are very rare in these positions!

8.Qb3 h5?!

Standard way of attacking in these positions, but not best in this position, according to theory Black should explore here 8...Qf5!? 9.Rd1 Nge7 with the idea of Ng6 and Bc5.

9.Nbd2?!

Much better was 9.h4, which was played in the game Birnboim–Veinger, Munich 1987. After ten more moves White was a clear piece ahead, but it was not so easy to play over the board – and it was Black, who won the game!

9...h4!

In Albin it is very normal to sacrifice the h-pawn in this way and open the h-line, in some positions Black sacrifices also the Rook at h4, if there is white Knight – exchange sacrifice opens more lines against White king and eliminates one defender from the way.

10.Nxh4 Bxe2 11.Re1 d3!

Again one thematic move of Albin.

12.Nhf3 Qf5 13.Qb5?

Desperately trying to hang in his e-pawn, but this just loses time.

13...a6 14.Qa4 Nxe5 15.Nxe5

15...Qxf2+!!

Brilliant! And White resigned, because 16.Kxf2 Bc5 is mate and 16.Kh1 Qxe1+ is not appealing.

When I studied games with this opening, I found that many b players have been willing to take Albin Counter Gambit. At the early 20th century Albin was quite popular opening and played by many masters – even the great Lasker did play Albin in some occasions. You can learn lot of basic tactics and piece play with this opening. Of course, you must be willing to take risk of losing – but that very same risk you have in every chess game.

However, there are lot of people, who play 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 and no more Albin. So what to do? Play solid and standardized Queen's Gambit Declined anyway? Maybe not. I think that there is one system, which has some of the same spirit as Albin, and it is Chigorin Defence 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nc6!? That could be used as a second system for the prospective Albin player.

For further reading:

• Goeller, Michael: The Albin Counter Gambit: Morozevich–Mengarini Variation.
• Henris, Luc: Albin Counter Gambit. Chessbase 2004 (recommended).
• Lamford, Paul: Albin Counter-Gambit. Batsford 1983 (if you can find a used copy).