As Black

Albin Countergambit

The Albin Countergambit is a chess opening for Black that starts with 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5.

Against the Queen's Gambit, Black strikes back at once with ...e5: the pawn that reaches d4 is a real thorn for White.

Reviewed on November 6, 2026 · Prepared by Josep Serrano Ballestero

Basic · Elo 400 – 600

Train this level

  1. Deadly mate · 6.Bxb4

    1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.e3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 dxe3 6.Bxb4 exf2+ 7.Ke2 fxg1=N+ 8.Rxg1 Bg4+ 9.Ke1 Qxd1+ 10.Kf2 Qd4+ 11.Kg3 Qe3+ 12.Kxg4 h5+ 13.Kf5 g6#

  2. Deadly mate · 7.b3

    1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.Nc3 exd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Qxd5 Be6 6.Qxd8+ Rxd8 7.b3 Nb4 8.Rb1 Nc2#

  3. Deadly mate · 7.Nf3

    1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.Nc3 exd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Qxd5 Be6 6.Qxd8+ Rxd8 7.Nf3 Nb4 8.Rb1 Nc2#

  4. Opponent's mistake · 7.e3

    1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.Nc3 exd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Qxd5 Be6 6.Qxd8+ Rxd8 7.e3 Nb4 8.Rb1 Nc2+ 9.Ke2 Bxc4+ 10.Kf3 Bxf1

  5. Opponent's mistake · 5.Nb4

    1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.Nc3 exd4 4.Nxd5 c6 5.Nb4 Bxb4+

  6. Opponent's mistake · 7.e4

    1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.Nc3 exd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Qxd5 Be6 6.Qxd8+ Rxd8 7.e4 Nb4 8.Rb1 Nc2+ 9.Ke2 Bxc4+ 10.Kf3 Bxf1

  7. 5...dxe3 6.fxe3

    1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.e3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 dxe3 6.fxe3 Qh4+

  8. Albin Countergambit, Normal Line · 4...Nc6 5.e3

    1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.e3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 dxe3 7.fxe3 Bxd2+ 8.Nbxd2 Qe7

  9. 4...Nc6 5.Qxd5

    1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.Nc3 exd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Qxd5 Be6 6.Qxd8+ Rxd8

  10. Albin Countergambit, Normal Line · 4...Nc6 5.Bg5

    1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Bg5 Be7 6.Bxe7 Ngxe7

  11. 4...Nc6 5.Qe3+

    1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.Nc3 exd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Qe3+ Be7 6.Nxd5 Be6

  12. 3...exd4 4.Nxd5

    1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.Nc3 exd4 4.Nxd5 c6 5.Nf4 Nf6 6.Nf3 c5

Intermediate · Elo 800 – 1000

Train this level

  1. Opponent's mistake · 6.Bxb4

    1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.e3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 dxe3 6.Bxb4 exf2+ 7.Ke2 fxg1=N+

  2. Albin Countergambit, Normal Line · 9...Nxb4 10.a3

    1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.e3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 dxe3 7.Bxb4 exf2+ 8.Ke2 Qxd1+ 9.Kxd1 Nxb4 10.a3 Nc6

  3. Albin Countergambit, Normal Line · 9...Nxb4 10.Nc3

    1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.e3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 dxe3 7.Bxb4 exf2+ 8.Ke2 Qxd1+ 9.Kxd1 Nxb4 10.Nc3 Bg4

  4. 5...dxe3 6.fxe3

    1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.e3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 dxe3 6.fxe3 Qh4+ 7.g3 Qe4

  5. Albin Countergambit, Normal Line · 4...Nc6 5.Bg5

    1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Bg5 Be7 6.Bxe7 Ngxe7 7.e3 Bg4

  6. Albin Countergambit, Normal Line · 6...dxe3 7.fxe3

    1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.e3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 dxe3 7.fxe3 Bxd2+ 8.Nbxd2 Qe7 9.Be2 Nxe5 10.O-O Ng4

  7. 3...exd4 4.Qxd4

    1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.Nc3 exd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Qd1 d4 6.Nd5 Be6 7.e4 dxe3

  8. Albin Countergambit, Normal Line · 4...Nc6 5.a3

    1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.a3 Nge7 6.e3 Bg4 7.Be2 dxe3

  9. 3...exd4 4.Nxd5

    1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.Nc3 exd4 4.Nxd5 c6 5.Nf4 Nf6 6.Nf3 c5 7.e3 Nc6

Frequently asked questions

Is the Albin Countergambit good for beginners?

Yes. On OpeningCraft you learn it in these levels: Basic (Elo 400 – 600), Intermediate (Elo 800 – 1000). It suits players who like attacks, gambits and open positions.

What traps are there in the Albin Countergambit?

OpeningCraft teaches 7 traps and opponent mistakes in this opening, for example: Deadly mate (6.Bxb4); Deadly mate (7.b3); Deadly mate (7.Nf3).

How many lines of the Albin Countergambit do you need to learn?

OpeningCraft teaches 21, in blocks of 5. They come from real Lichess games at each rating band, and the traps and opponent mistakes most common at your level come first.

Related openings