Englund Gambit — Win

Saturday, October 3, 2026 · vs Nolevoi · View game on lichess ↗

When the position gets sharp and scary, like that stretch around moves 28-29, force yourself to pause and scan for captures before moving — both of those blunders were played in under 15 seconds, and a few extra seconds checking 'what can I just take' would've ended the game cleanly instead of giving black new chances.

• ›After a long 46-second think, you went with knight to g5 here, but the engine just wanted the simple pawn push to g5, which keeps things tidy without sending a piece on an adventure. Your move let black's pieces get a bit more active than they should've, swinging the eval by two points. Lucky break though — black immediately handed it right back with queen takes e2 the very next move, so this one washed out.
• ›This was your longest think of the whole game, 74 seconds, and it still didn't find queen to e4, which would've kept you firmly on top. Bishop takes g4 let black's position breathe again and the eval dropped a full three points. Again though, black gave the favor right back a couple moves later with queen to h3, so the damage didn't stick.
• ›This is the real scary one — king to f1 was the simple, boring move that just tucks your king away and kills the attack. Instead queen to f2 ignored the danger entirely, and with black's pieces crashing in, the eval swung almost five points against you in a flash. Played in just 15 seconds, this felt like a snap decision rather than a calculated one.
• ›And then immediately after, king to g2 — when king takes rook on h1 was sitting right there and basically ends the game on the spot. Another quick one, 8 seconds, so there wasn't much calculation happening at all. Two blunders in a row like this is the kind of thing that only slowing down fixes, not more opening prep.