Chess Openings Lab
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Englund Gambit: Soller Gambit Deferred

The Soller Gambit Deferred is 1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 f6, where Black first develops the queen's knight and then strikes e5 with the f-pawn. It is a dubious try: ...f6 weakens the e8-h5 diagonal and the e6 square, and White can open lines with e4.

Moves
1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 f6
ECO
A40
Engine
+1.70 · a large advantage for White (Stockfish 17.1, depth 20)
Played
762 games in our lichess sample
White scores
57.1%

Key ideas for both sides

White

  • Play e4 and Bc4 to aim at g8 and e6, then Ng5 to exploit Black's weakened light squares.
  • Against ...g5 ideas after Bf4, retreat to g3 and use Nd4 to trade on c6 and break Black's pawns.
  • exf6 Nxf6 with g3 and Bg2 is a calmer choice that keeps the extra pawn and a sound king.

Black

  • Recapture with ...fxe5 and use the half-open f-file and extra central pawn for activity.
  • Develop ...Nf6, ...Bc5 and ...d5 to fight for control of the center and the light squares.
  • After exf6 Nxf6, use ...d5, ...Bg4 and ...Qd7 to prepare queenside castling.

Plans and pawn structure

White's main plan is to open the position with e4 and Bc4, aiming at the light squares around Black's king. The ...f6 push leaves e6 and g6 weak, and Ng5 can exploit that. If White takes exf6, Black develops quickly with ...d5 and ...Bg4 but stays a pawn down. The Bf4 line invites ...g5 and ...g4, which can end with Nxc6 and broken black pawns on the queenside.

What the engine plays from here

Stockfish 17.1 at depth 20 rates the position +1.70: a large advantage for White. Its three top choices for White:

  1. +1.70 4.e4 fxe5 5.Bc4 Nf6 6.Ng5 Bc5
  2. +1.36 4.Bf4 g5 5.Bg3 g4 6.Nd4 fxe5
  3. +1.22 4.exf6 Nxf6 5.g3 d5 6.Bg2 Bg4

Pawns, from White's side.

How it scores on lichess

762 rated lichess games reached this position; White scored 57.1%.

under 120055.9%
1200–159959.8%
1600–199955.9%
2000 and up52.4%

Light: White wins. Grey: draws. Dark: Black wins. About the sample.

How to play against it

For White: play e4 and Bc4 to target the light squares opened by ...f6. Don't settle for a passive setup; open lines while Black's king is still in the center. Watch for ...Bc5 hitting f2 and be ready to castle quickly once the bishop is out.

Questions

What are the moves of the Englund Gambit: Soller Gambit Deferred?

The Englund Gambit: Soller Gambit Deferred starts 1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 f6. Its ECO code is A40.

Is the Englund Gambit: Soller Gambit Deferred good for Black?

Stockfish 17.1 rates the position +1.70 at depth 20, which is a large advantage for White. In 762 lichess games from our sample, White scored 57.1%. Risky for Black; White should be better by opening lines toward the weakened kingside.

What is the main idea of the Englund Gambit: Soller Gambit Deferred?

Black attacks e5 with ...f6, weakening the light squares around the king. White exploits them with e4, Bc4 and Ng5.

What should White play next?

The engine's first choice is e4, with Bf4 and exf6 close behind. e4 opens the diagonal for the f1 bishop and targets the weakened light squares.

Updated October 2026. Sources and method.