Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...c5/2. c3/2...d5/3. exd5/3...Nf6

Anti-Alapin gambit B22 Alapin Sicilian → 2...d5 → 3. exd5 3...Nf6 · Anti-Alapin gambit "Death to the 2. c3 Sicilian!" proclaimed Lakdawala & Hansen, in their 2022 book on this line.The Anti-Alapin Gambit Lakdawala Cyrus CarstenChess 2022 978-87-93812-37-6 Bayonne, New Jersey Hansen Carsten Black does not recapture the pawn immediately, but first develops their knight. This resembles the Tal gambit after 2. f4!? d5 3. exd5 Nf6. Decline the gambit 4. d4 offers back the pawn to Black. Black could retake 4...Qxd5, as in the Barman variation, 3...Qxd5, but this move order allows them to capture with the knight instead, 4...Nxd5. This avoids transposing into more familiar Alapin positions. White has fewer ways to gain tempo on the knight than the queen, and after 5. Nf3 cxd4 6. cxd4 the knight is already blockading the isolated pawn. Because after 4. d4 Nxd5 5. Nf3 cxd4, White also has the option of 6. Nxd4, the alternative move order 4...cxd4, aiming for 5. cxd4 Nxd5, is sometimes seen. Hold on to the pawn By not retaking the pawn immediately, Black gives White the chance to defend it. In this sense it is a gambit: White can defend the d5 pawn with 4. c4. Then, Black can play 4...e6 (threatens to take twice on d5 to recover the material) 5. exd6 Bxd6. Though White is up a pawn in material, Black has sufficient compensation in the form of activity. Black has two pieces developed and is ready to develop their king's bishop, while White has nothing developed. The game is about even. (White can't really avoid exd6 in this line. If 5. Qe2? to pin the pawn, then after ...Bd6 and ...O-O White is left with the same choice, and now their queen is mis-placed too). 4. Bb5+ first is a slight improvement. This seems more natural because it gets the bishop to an active square before blocking it with c4, and gets White closer to castling. If Black should trade off their light-square bishop (4...Bd7 5. Bxd7+ Qxd7), then without the bishop to recapture, Black's ...e6 idea is less potent: 6. c4 e6 7. Qe2! Bd6 8. dxe6 Qxe6 9. Qxe6+ fxe6 +. Blocking the check with the knight is more common: 4...Nbd7 5. c4 a6 6. Bxd7 Bxd7 (6...Qxd7 is the recommendation of Lakdawala & Hansen) and Black still has this idea of ...e6 dxe6 Bxe6. 7. d4! is a useful inclusion, where 7...e6 8. dxe6 Bxe6 9. d5! Bf5 +, or 7...cxd4 8. Qxd4. Black does not have ...Nc6 to chase the queen, and this adds a defender to d5, so 8...e6 and White doesn't even have to take the pawn. 4. Qa5+! is a way of hanging on to the pawn without losing the bishop pair. After 4...Nbd7 5. c4, if Black plays 5...e6 they must recapture with their f-pawn instead of their bishop. (The engine idea is the startling pawn sacrifice 5...b5! 6. Qxb5 Rb8 7. Qa4. Black can then play 7...Rb6 8. Nf3 e6 and recapture with the rook, 9. dxe6 Rxe6+). If 4...Bd7 instead, 5. Qb3 (attacks the b7 pawn) Qb6. If White tries to secure the pawn with 6. c4 now, the c-pawn hangs at the end of 6...e6 7. Qxb6 (to prevent ...Qxe6) axb6 8. dxe6 Bxe6 and Black has equalised. 6. Bc4! is a better way to defend the pawn. 6...e6? 7. dxe6 Bxe6 8. Bxe6 Qxe6+ 9. Qxe6+ fxe6 ++, White is up a pawn in the endgame. Black can try for 6...Na6 followed by ...Nc7 to win back the pawn instead. History 3...Nf6 was recorded in the British Championship in 1959, however the game continued 4. d4 Qxd5, transposing into the Barman variation.Milner-Barry v Littlewood, 1959. Chessgames.com Lakdawala & Hansen attribute some of the popularity of the line to it having been played by Magnus Carlsen in the Chessable Masters tournament in 2022.Grandelius v Carlsen, 2022. Chessgames.com A recent high-level appearance was at the 2023 World Blitz Championship, in a game between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Arjun Erigaisi.Nepomniachtchi v Erigaisi, 2023. Chessgames.com Theory table References See also