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The Rat Defense, English Rat is an irregular
Queen's Pawn Game Queen's Pawn Game broadly refers to any chess opening starting with the move b:Chess Opening Theory/1. d4, 1.d4, which is the second most popular opening move after 1.e4 (King's Pawn Game). Terminology The term "Queen's Pawn Game" is usually us ...
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 initial moves: :1. d4 d6 :2. c4 e5 The position can also arise from an
English Opening The English Opening is a chess opening that begins with the move: :1. c4 A flank opening, it is the fourth most popular and, according to various databases, one of the four most successful of White's twenty possible first moves. White begins t ...
move order 1.c4 d6 2.d4 e5. Another possible move order can be reached via the
Englund Gambit The Englund Gambit is a rarely played chess opening that starts with the moves: :1. d4 e5 Black's idea is to avoid the traditional queen's pawn games and create an with tactical chances, but at the cost of a pawn. The gambit is considered wea ...
: 1. d4 e5 2. c4 d6. The "English Rat" has been played by top players such as Aronian, Anand, Svidler, Rapport, and Smirin. While 3.dxe5 dxe5 4. Qxd8 transposing into an endgame may initially appear to be favourable for white as black king won't be able to castle, the pawn on c4 will be restricting mobility of the white squire bishop so the endgame is comfortable for black to maintain equality.


Gambit lines

* Lisbon Gambit: 1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3. dxe5 Nc6, which usually continues 4. exd6 Bxd6 or (4...Qxd6). * Pounds Gambit: 1. d4 d6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Be6


See also

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List of chess openings This is a list of chess openings, organized by the '' Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings'' () code. In 1966, Chess Informant categorized the chess openings into five broad areas ("A" through "E"), with each of those broken down into one hundred subc ...
Related openings: *
Wade Defence The Wade Defence is a chess opening characterised by the initial moves: :1. d4 d6 :2. Nf3 Bg4 The position can also arise from the move order 1.Nf3 d6 2.d4 Bg4. History The opening is named after British IM Bob Wade (1921–2008), origi ...
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Pirc Defence The Pirc Defence (pronounced ) is a chess opening characterised by the response of Black to 1.e4 with 1...d6 and 2...Nf6, followed by ...g6 and ...Bg7, while allowing White to establish a with pawns on d4 and e4. It is named after the Slovenian ...
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Modern Defence The Modern Defense (also known as the Robatsch Defence after Karl Robatsch) is a hypermodern chess opening in which Black allows White to occupy the with pawns on d4 and e4, then proceeds to attack and undermine this "ideal" center without atte ...
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Englund Gambit The Englund Gambit is a rarely played chess opening that starts with the moves: :1. d4 e5 Black's idea is to avoid the traditional queen's pawn games and create an with tactical chances, but at the cost of a pawn. The gambit is considered wea ...


References

Bibliography * {{Chess Chess openings