The Blumenfeld Countergambit is a
chess opening
A chess opening or simply an opening is the initial stage of a chess game. It usually consists of established theory; the other phases are the middlegame and the endgame. Many opening sequences have standard names such as the "Sicilian Defens ...
characterised by the moves 3...e6 4.Nf3 b5 in the
Benoni Defense arising after:
:1.
d4 Nf6
:2.
c4 c5
:3.
d5 e6
:4.
Nf3 b5
or alternatively:
:1.
d4 Nf6
:2.
c4 e6
:3.
Nf3 c5
:4.
d5 b5
In fact, as many as 30 different move orders are possible. The ''
Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings'' sorts the Blumenfeld Countergambit under code E10 (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3).
General considerations
Black sacrifices a pawn to establish an imposing centre with pawns on c5, d5 and e6. The natural development of the bishops to b7 and d6, combined with the
half-open f-file for a rook, tend to facilitate Black's play on the kingside. White, on the other hand, will typically look to counter in the centre by playing e4 at some point, while their additional queenside pawn also offers them some initiative on that side of the board.
Origin
The opening is named after the Russian master
Benjamin Blumenfeld
Benjamin Blumenfeld (24 May 1884, Vilkaviškis – 5 March 1947, Moscow) was a Russian chess master.
He was born in Vilkaviškis, in the Suwałki Governorate of the Russian Empire (present-day Lithuania). In 1905/06 he tied for second/third wit ...
, and was later played by
World Champion Alexander Alekhine.
The opening position can also be reached via the
Benko Gambit (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.Nf3 e6). Possible continuations are 5.dxe6 (Kan–Goldenov, 1946), 5.Bg5 (Vaganian–K. Grigorian, 1971), 5.e4, or 5.a4 (Rubinstein–Spielmann, 1922),
with 5.Bg5 being most frequently seen when this gambit is employed.
See also
*
List of chess openings
*
List of chess openings named after people
References
Further reading
*
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{{Authority control
Chess openings