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Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit (D08)
1 d4 d5 2 c4 e5

Number of games in database: 337
Years covered: 1893 to 2009
Overall record:
   White wins 47.2%
   Black wins 33.8%
   Draws 19.0%

Popularity graph, by decade

Explore this opening  |  Search for sacrifices in this opening.
PRACTITIONERS
With the White Pieces With the Black Pieces
Frank James Marshall  15 games
David Janowski  6 games
NN  5 games
Frank James Marshall  14 games
Savielly Tartakower  7 games
Emanuel Lasker  7 games
NOTABLE GAMES [what is this?]
White Wins Black Wins
H Wagner vs W Schoenmann, 1919
Lasker vs Alekhine, 1914
Spassky vs V Mikenas, 1959
A Karu vs Keres, 1931
Dodge vs J R Houghteling, 1904
I Sokolov vs Morozevich, 2005
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 page 1 of 14; games 1-25 of 337  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves Year Event/LocaleOpening
1. Lasker vs Albin 1-031 1893 New YorkD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
2. Marshall vs W Napier 1-052 1898 ch city mD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
3. W Napier vs Marshall 0-123 1898 ch city mD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
4. Tarrasch vs H Caro 1-066 1898 ViennaD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
5. Janowski vs Marshall 0-139 1899 New YorkD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
6. Janowski vs Marshall 1-038 1899 New YorkD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
7. S Johnston vs Marshall 0-139 1899 ChicagoD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
8. A Schwarz vs Albin 0-140 1899 Kolisch mem 9900D08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
9. Blumenfeld / Boyarkow / Falk vs Lasker 0-119 1899 Moscow consD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
10. Burn vs Schlechter 0-149 1900 MunichD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
11. Burn vs W Cohn 1-028 1900 MunichD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
12. Burn vs Halprin 1-027 1900 Munich (Germany)D08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
13. Janowski vs Maroczy 0-135 1900 MunichD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
14. Lasker vs Maroczy 0-124 1900 --.-- off ---D08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
15. A Hodges vs Marshall 1-067 1900 hexD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
16. D G Baird vs Marshall 1-056 1900 hexD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
17. Showalter vs H Wolf 0-133 1900 MunichD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
18. Showalter vs W Cohn 0-131 1900 MunichD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
19. W Cohn vs H Wolf ½-½16 1900 MunichD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
20. D G Baird vs Lipschutz 0-138 1900 New YorkD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
21. NN vs Lasker 0-124 1900 GER tour simD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
22. Alapin vs Marshall 1-060 1901 Monte CarloD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
23. Marshall vs Mieses 0-136 1901 Monte CarloD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
24. Marshall vs W Napier  1-038 1902 HanoverD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
25. Marshall vs W Cohn 1-072 1902 HanoverD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
 page 1 of 14; games 1-25 of 337  PGN Download
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Secrets of Opening Surprises

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 4 OF 4 ·  Later Kibitzing >
Jan-04-06   Averageguy: <Sneaky> My point is that in the given position it is simply a French Advance reversed but with an extra tempo. Knowing how black scores relatively well in the French Advance I assumed that playing it up a tempo must be good. The opening explorer stats agree with me, just check the percentages after 3.e5 in the French Advance and 4...e4 in the Winawer Countergambit.
Jan-11-06   schnarre: <Sneaky> Hmmnnn....I never found ..c6 necessary, but if it works better for you then by all means roll with it!
Jan-12-06   Benonione: Yes, sneaky, that idea of you made me wonder. First of all it's easy to reclaim the pawn in the Winawer, so you don't really have to look for compensation with black. (1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 e5 4.dxe5 d4 5.Ne4 Qa5+.) I do think white is more likely to play 3.Nf3 here. In the Albin black can still reach the gambit with a strange move order. (1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 and black must play 2...Nc6. After 3.c4 e5 4.dxe5 d4 the Albin is reached, though 4...Bb4+ 5.Bd2 dxc4 is also a possibillity. So, do you ever play a Meran or a Slav after 3.Nf3? Or do you have more gambits up your sleeve? (Sneaky)

Jan-20-06   schnarre: <Benonione> Usually, after 2. Nf3 I'll shift to a reversed Torre with 2...Nf6, 3...Bg4.
May-06-06   WTHarvey: Here are 10 traps and zaps in the Albin Counter Gambit: http://www.wtharvey.com/d08.html What's the best move?
Sep-03-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  Phony Benoni: Here's one for those of you who enjoy Albiny:

[Event "Olympiad"]
[Site "Warsaw"]
[Date "1935.08.22"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "9"]
[Result "0-1"]
[White "Erdelyi, Stepan"]
[Black "Nielsen, Julius"]
[ECO "D08"]
[WhiteElo ""]
[BlackElo ""]
[PlyCount "34"]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Nbd2 Be6 6.a3 Nge7 7.g3 Qd7 8.Bg2 Ng6 9.Qc2 0–0–0 10.b4 Ncxe5 11.0–0 d3 12.exd3 Nxd3 13.Bb2 Bh3 14.Bd4 Ndf4 15.Be3 Bxg2 16.Bxf4 Nxf4 17.gxf4 Bxf3 0–1

Sep-26-06   Akavall: What do Albin players play in case of 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3? Is there a way to spice things up?
Sep-27-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  An Englishman: Good Evening: <Akavall>, I can help you with that. Reuben Fine once had to face Weaver Adams in a tournament game, and wanted to avoid the Albin, which Adams liked. So he played 1.Nf3. Adams played the odd 1...Nc6. Fine tried 2.c4, and Adams replied 2...e5. Fine was fond of the English, so he played 3.d4?! (3.Nc3!) and Adams hit back with 3...d5. Lo and behold, the Albin.

So after 1.d4,d5; 2.Nf3, try 2...Nc6 and hope for 3.c4,e5. Of course, you will have to prepare a response to 4.Nxe5, not to mention 3.Bf4, and I happen to believe the Albin is unsound anyway...

Sep-27-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  ganstaman: <An Englishman> I could be wrong, given how little I know about this opening, but I'd imagine that by playing 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nc6, you will too often be playing against a Colle System with you knight misplaced in front of your c-pawn. Maybe it's not so bad, but I don't think it can be best or 'spicy' enough for those that play the Albin.

At this moment, though, I can offer no better advice. Maybe the Colle won't even work against that. Or maybe you'll see 3. c4 and get into a Chigorin QGD...

Sep-27-06   MaxxLange: I don't think you can really stop White from playing a bland position with d4, Nf3, etc. if that is what they really want.
Sep-27-06   Akavall: <An Englishman><So after 1.d4,d5; 2.Nf3, try 2...Nc6 and hope for 3.c4,e5. Of course, you will have to prepare a response to 4.Nxe5, not to mention 3.Bf4, and I happen to believe the Albin is unsound anyway...>

Thanks a lot! This exactly the type of thing I was looking for. As far as 3. Bf4 goes, it does look rather dull, but white doesn't have more than a normal white edge in that line, does it?

Apr-11-07   Silverstrike: How should black play after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.e3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 dxe3 6.fxe3 ? I've met this a few times and I've never known how to respond.
Apr-11-07   centercounter: <Silverstrike: How should black play after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.e3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 dxe3 6.fxe3 ? I've met this a few times and I've never known how to respond.>

There's no deathblow, but Qh4-e4 forces the regaining of the Pawn (e5) and leaves White with an isolated e3 and some remaining initiative.

Alternatively Nc6/Nf3/Bg4 transposes into another good line for Black with similar themes.

Apr-11-07   centercounter: Actually, Black doesn't have to look for counterplay in the Winawer because he gets the Pawn back, but White gets a pleasant position, more so than he should hope for in normal openings due to chasing the Queen.
Apr-12-07   Silverstrike: <centercounter> Thanks. :) Do you know if 6.Bc5 works? I played this yesterday against the top player in my club (1981) and got thoroughly steamrollered. Thanks again.
May-09-07   GreenCastle: <Silverstrike> 4.e3 is a weak move. Try Spassky's 4.e4. Yes, it gives Black a passed pawn, but there are a lot of good points to the move. 4.e4 scores 60% for White in the database.
Aug-31-07   Darth Lasker: A)<Sneaky> Winawer:

<Just to clarify: We're talking about 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 e5!? 4.e3 and then ...e4 is strongly recommended>

It means you are playing against French with tempo loss. It can't be good, moreover the similar line in French with reverse colors (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6) is questionable even for white.

B) <Sneaky> Albin:

<(1) Don't be tempted to try to cling to your pawn by playing ...c5. Black's compensation here is active piece-play, not a strong pawn center.>

Right.

<(2) You can develop your Queen's bishop to either e6 (striking at c4) or g4 (undermining support of e5). However, when attacking c4 be warned that White may actually let you have the pawn, then make you lose time with Nbd2.>

That is not clear. Some people think bishop stays better on f5 attacking c2. I personally prefer Bg4, i explain it thereinafter.

<(3) Every Albin player MUST know the following line by heart: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4. e3? Bb4+! 5. Bd2 dxe3! 6. Bxb4 exf2+ 7.Ke2 fxg1=N+!! and White can safely resign. =) Bet you never saw a pawn promote to a knight on the 7th move before, eh??>

Yes, right, but black player must also know the side line 6.Qa4+ Nc6 7.Bxb4 Qh4!

<(4) You may want to fianchetto your King's Bishop.>

No. Black king's bishop is waiting for right time first to check white king (Bb4+) and then comes to c5. If white plays a3, then you support it with a5.

<(5) You may want to castle long.>

NO! If white has g3 and Bg2, you get into serious trouble: your queenside fortress may be destroyed very quickly. In this case various side castling is favorable for white, because his attack is faster here.

<(6) As with all gambits, don't be in a big hurry to regain your material.>

I have seen many games where black played Be6(g4), Qd7, Bh3, O-O-O, Nge7, Ng6, Nxe5 and lost, because white mightily attacked on the queenside. This method is simply too slow.

...

So i think the right way is:
(after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.de d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.g3) 5. - Bg4 6.Bg2 f6! 7.ef Nxf6. Then Bc5 and kingside castling. Black has good compensation with attacking the points e2, f2 and f3 with his bishops, rooks f8, e8 (after Rae8) and knights, possible threat d4-d3 with next Nd4 or Ne5, etc. Black queen comes finally to d7 (threating Bh3) or e7 (increasing pressure on e2).

Feb-18-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Knight13: All I can say is... That this opening is CRAZY!
Dec-10-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  parisattack: I played the Albin against 1. d4 when I first started to play chess - Center Counter against 1. e4 and Bird as White. I had good success with Albin but then lost the junior championship game with it and never played it again. The 3. ...dc: line is I think better than it looks. As long as black hasn't committed the 'c' pawn to c5 the king displacement after the exchange of queens is no big deal. The Symmetrical Defense is also worth exploring...
Dec-11-08   CapablancaFan: I just got finished playing this game on instantchess.com and by the end of it, lets just say I was all too happy to take a draw. I was initially a pawn to the good, but couldn't hold on to it. The Albin deserves a better reputation.

White: CapablancaFan

Black:NN

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.a3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.e3 Nxe5 7.exd4 Nxf3+ 8.gxf3 Qe7+ 9.Be3 Bf5 10.Bd3 Bh3 11.Nc3 Nf6 12.Rg1 O-O-O 13.d5 c6 14.Qa4 cxd5 15.cxd5 a6 16.O-O-O Nxd5 17.Nxd5 Rxd5 18.Qc4+ Qc7 19.Qxc7+ Kxc7 20.Be4 Rxd1+ 21.Kxd1 Be6 22.Bf4+ Kb6 23.Be3+ Kc7 24.Bf4+ Kb6 25.Be3+ Kc7 1/2-1/2

Jun-18-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  furrer: What do you think about the 4. a3 variation, covered in Avrukh's new book?
Jul-17-09   FeArMySkiLLz: There seems be some people who think the Albin is unsound. I have been reading the comments by other users namely An Englishman (by the way your idea to transpose to the Albin after 2.Nf3 is quite nice), as well as other users who express doubt in this rather unconventional opening. Well, first of all, Alexander Morozevich has been smashing people with this gambit in a number of tournaments. I took another look at this gambit on chessgames and found that its employed by people rated 2300+!!; and they are winning with it! Sure there are few games on here that deal with the Albin but if you look Albin games up under 2007,8, or 9, you will see very strong players employing this gambit. I have also tried this gambit extensively on my computer and found out that black will eventually equalize, even in lines where he sacrifices the pawn with f6. I have also noticed that games tend to be over in less 35 moves typically when black wins. This is pretty outstanding considering white is rated above 2200+! All in all, the Albin is far, far from unsound guys. I have employed this gambit with tremendous success. My opponents appear dumbfounded when I play 2..e5 and they end up playing something inferior anyway. They are expecting to overwhelm you with their theoretical QGA, or QGD, that they have a severe, contorted look of horror on their face when I trott out 2...e5. When you play this, you are leading your opponents into YOUR territory to positions you understand BETTER. This is where the true advantage of the Albin lay. Practical play shows that eventually white will lose this so called "advantage" he gets if black knows what he is doing. Also white has to be rather accurately to contain black's initiative. I hope this has cleared up any doubts. The Albin deserves to be more than an offbeat oddity.
Sep-13-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  kdogphs: I ended up playing this opening in the New England Open last weekend but the interesting part was this:

1) d4 d5 2)c4 e5 3) Nc3 exd4 4)Nxd5?!

According to the database 4) Nxd5 has never been played and I wonder why, it seems like it's a solid move since the Knight is protected by the pawn on c4. I ended up drawing the game as it ended in a perpetual check situation. Just thought I'd add this tidbit.

Oct-23-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  SirChrislov: This defence is all right with me, along with the Budapest they're my main wepons vs. 1.d4
Oct-23-09   AnalyzeThis: I agree, it's a perfectly reasonable weapon, especially if it's a surprise.
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