The Elephant Gambit, alternatively known as the Queen’s Pawn Countergambit or Englund Counterattack, is an infrequently utilized chess opening that commences with the following sequence of moves:
1. e4 e5 2. ♘f3 d5!?
If you play the Latvian Gambit, you won’t be in a worse situation with this one. With its roots tracing back to the 19th century, this bold strategy has intermittently resurfaced as an unexpected weapon. White is immediately thrust into a confrontation, catching adherents of the deliberate, dominating pressure of the Ruy López off guard and leaving them unsettled by this early offensive.
Allow me to showcase three games from our database in which Black employed this gambit and emerged victorious. In most cases, White’s blunders were the catalyst for these triumphs. However, such is the allure of playing volatile openings: our opponents, attempting to penalize us for selecting what they perceive as a feeble line, frequently succumb to even graver errors, ultimately succumbing to the psychological warfare and suffering defeat.