Albin Counter Gambit

The Albin Counter Gambit is an interesting counter attack on the Queen's Gambit. It's possible for White to gain advantage but only through accurate play. A couple of slips is all it takes and Black can take over.

After 2...e5 we reach the position in the diagram and White must tread carefully. White is indeed correct to accept the gambit as it is ultimately less than sound. But it's what happens next that is important.

Black's central pawn will become lodged in White's position as an extremely unwelcome guest. White's handling of the situation then becomes critical. 4.e3 for instance is quite tempting for the uninitiated but beware as this leads quickly to disaster. 4.Nf3 is more solid and brings better things for White. There are two ECO entries devoted to this gambit. You can also upload your own A-C Gambit games right here for others to enjoy.

The Albin Counter Gambit

The AC Gambit was first seen in Milan in 1883 when Cavallotti tried it against Salvioli. But it came to be named after the Romanian master Adolf Albin when he played it 10 years later in New York against Emanuel Lasker.


Albin was unsuccessful against Lasker but it has been used to score wins for Black through confusion. It does not score heavy though with Black winning just 33% of games from it and White winning almost half.


Not many grandmasters use it apart from Alexander Morozevich who has actually managed to do okay with it. Best advice would probably be learn it just for fun and use it sparingly. Here is an analysis of the AC Gambit using Fritz. And take a look at these AC gambit games, one win for White and two for Black.

Benko Gambit

The Albin is one way of dealing with White's advances on the queenside. The idea as you saw is to break up the central partnership between White's pawns on c4 and d4. Then to see what havoc can be caused by the advanced pawn on d4 and sometimes later on d3.


Another possible plan is pull the c-pawn wide with a pawn sac on the outer flanks. The next gambit we are going to look at involves such a ploy.


It gives Black a chance to get a good lead in development. It also forces White into some slightly unnatural maneuvers to avoid becoming passive. It's the Benko Gambit.