Soller Gambit

The Soller Gambit is the immediate version of ...f6 in the Englund Gambit, played before ...Nc6 and Nf3 have been inserted. Black offers a second pawn to open the f-file and speed up development, aiming for play similar to a reversed Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. The most common reply is to accept with 3. exf6. Black then recaptures with the knight and gains a lead in development, but stays a pawn down. The second most popular move, 3. Nf3, allows 3...Nc6, which transposes to the Soller Gambit proper (2...Nc6 3. Nf3 f6), named after Karl Soller. 3. Bf4, holding e5, is seen less often.

The early timing hands White an additional and stronger option, 3. e4, which returns the pawn for central control. Black cannot take back at once, because 3...fxe5?? runs into 4. Qh5+. After 3. e4 Nc6 4. Bc4 White has a large advantage. Engines rate the starting position as clearly better for White. In online games, however, White scores only modestly better than Black.