← Openings
Englund Gambit: Hartlaub-Charlick Gambit
d4 e5 dxe5 d6White-led opening. The named position is usually reached after d4 e5 2. dxe5 d6 and tends to produce flexible practical play.
Theory 46
Games 83K
Family Englund Gambit
Opening Profile
Sharpness62
Solidity44
Counterplay54
BeginnerPlayable, but easier once the basic tactical and structural themes of the opening family already make sense.
ClubReliable club opening once you know the first branching points and the main middlegame plan.
AdvancedMore of a practical repertoire branch than a lifetime theory project, but still worth knowing well.
White-led opening. The named position is usually reached after d4 e5 2. dxe5 d6 and tends to produce flexible practical play.
Variations
White's Plans
Convert the first-move initiative into either central space or cleaner piece activity before the position settles.
Track the c- and e-pawn breaks closely because they usually decide whether White gets a squeeze or just equal tension.
Improve the worst-placed piece first so the opening edge turns into a usable middlegame advantage.
Black's Plans
Challenge White's structure before the first-move edge becomes a free space advantage.
Equalize development cleanly and only then release the tension with the freeing pawn break.
Accept a little structural risk if it buys piece activity and practical initiative.
Win Rate Across All Games
57.8% White5.8% Draw36.4% Black
83K
Games
46
Theory Depth
4
Main Line Ply
Typical Structures
Typical structure depends heavily on whether the central tension resolves early or stays fluid for several moves.
Use the sample line and transpositions to identify which pawn break really defines the family in practice.
Key Motifs
Initiative-for-material themes where open files matter more than the extra pawn count.
Queen's-pawn structures where the right central break matters more than immediate tactics.
Balanced middlegames where transpositions and move-order nuance matter more than memorized traps.
Key Lines
Englund GambitNamed continuation in the same opening family.
d4 e5Englund Gambit: Mosquito GambitNamed continuation in the same opening family.
d4 e5 dxe5 Qh4Englund Gambit: Soller GambitNamed continuation in the same opening family.
d4 e5 dxe5 f6What Usually Goes Wrong
If the central break never lands on time, the position can become strategically unpleasant very quickly.
The named entry arrives early, so opponents may reach the same structure from a different move order.
Move Order & Transpositions
Known as the Hartlaub-Charlick Gambit branch inside the Englund Gambit family.
This named entry appears early, so many practical games continue by transposition after the listed move order.
This page combines catalog reference data with ChessRef study notes rather than a fully expanded guide.
How to Prepare
Memorize the first 4 ply and the first branching decision, not just the catalog name.
Review the related openings and transpositions so alternate move orders do not hide the same structure from you.
Collect a few of your own games in the line and annotate the middlegame plans before adding more theory.
It stops fitting if you want White to force the game immediately instead of building the edge step by step.
See This In Your Games
Jump directly into your Chess.com dashboard with this opening focused.