Rat Defense: English Rat, Pounds Gambit is a chess opening with the ECO code A41, part of the Rat Defense family. It goes 1. d4 d6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Be6. White opens with 1. d4 (the queen's pawn) and Black answers 1... d6. After 6 moves it is White to move. After the last move White is a pawn ahead in material. The lesson on the board explains every move of the line and lets you play it yourself; it is free.
The moves
1. d4 – White plays the pawn to d4
1... d6 – Black plays the pawn to d6
2. c4 – White plays the pawn to c4
2... e5 – Black plays the pawn to e5
3. dxe5 – White captures on e5 with the d-pawn
3... Be6 – Black plays the bishop to e6
About the Rat Defense
An offbeat line where Black plays ...d6 and ...e5 early against 1.d4 (the English Rat). Black aims for a quick ...e5 central fight.
If White takes dxe5 dxe5, queens come off and the game is equal.
Black can later fianchetto with ...g6 and ...Bg7 like a King's Indian.
If White pushes d5, Black gets a closed game with ...f5 ideas.
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