English Opening: Anglo-Scandinavian Defense, Löhn Gambit: what should White play?

In the Löhn Gambit of the English Opening: Anglo-Scandinavian Defense, White's most reliable and heavily favored continuation is e3. Chosen in 66.9% of the 95,714 recorded games, this move reinforces the central pawn on d4, opens a diagonal for the light-squared bishop, and yields an engine evaluation of +0.21 while securing a 53.7% score for White.

Reinforcing the Center with e3

By playing e3, White establishes a solid pawn structure before committing the queenside knight. Because the dark-squared bishop has already been activated to f4, closing the pawn chain with e3 comes with no spatial penalty for that piece. In the illustrative continuation e3 Bd6 Bxd6 Qxd6 Nc3 Nf6, White smoothly trades the bishops and subsequently develops the queenside knight to c3, retaining a modest opening edge.

Natural Knight Developments

White also frequently opts for direct piece development rather than immediate pawn support. The natural development Nf3 is the second most common choice, appearing in 19.0% of recorded games (18K recorded) with an evaluation of +0.15 and a 53.1% score, often leading to lines such as Nf3 Bd6 Bg3 Nce7 e3 c6. Alternatively, Nc3 is chosen in 9.3% of encounters, carrying an engine evaluation of +0.23 and a 53.5% score; it frequently transposes into the primary setup after Nc3 Bd6 Bxd6 Qxd6 e3 Nf6.

Peripheral Prophylactic Options

Quiet flank moves are occasionally tested as well. The waiting move a3 features in 4.3% of games (4.1K recorded), scoring 56.8% with an evaluation of +0.09 and continuing along a3 Bd6 Bxd6 Qxd6 Nc3 Nce7. Meanwhile, h3 is seen in just 0.6% of games (529 recorded), evaluating at +0.11 and scoring 51.9% via h3 Bd6 Bxd6 Qxd6 Nc3 Nf6.