Rat Defense, English Rat
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| Moves | 1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ECO | A41 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parent | Queen's Pawn Game | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Rat Defense, English Rat[1][2] is an irregular Queen's Pawn Game chess opening characterized by the initial moves:
The position can also arise from an English Opening move order 1.c4 d6 2.d4 e5. Another possible move order can be reached via the Englund Gambit: 1.d4 e5 2.c4 d6.
The English Rat has been played by top players such as Levon Aronian, Anand Viswanathan, Peter Svidler, Richárd Rapport, and Ilia Smirin.
Assessment
While 3.dxe5 dxe5 4.Qxd8, transposing into an endgame, may initially appear to be favorable for White as Black's king won't be able to castle, the pawn on c4 will restrict the mobility of the white-squared bishop, so the endgame is comfortable for Black to maintain equality.
Gambit lines
- Lisbon Gambit: 3.dxe5 Nc6, which usually continues 4.exd6 Bxd6 (or 4...Qxd6).[3][4]
- Pounds Gambit: 3.dxe5 Be6.[5]
See also
Related openings:
References
Bibliography
- Yrjölä, Jouni; Tella, Jussi (2001). An Explosive Chess Opening Repertoire for Black. Gambit Publications Ltd. ISBN 1-901983-501.