Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...c5/2. Nf3/2...e5

Sorry, but JalalaVeryBad.

—Anish Giri^[1]

In the Jalalabad variation, Black responds to e4 with both e5 and c5 (in either the move order 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 c5? or 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e5?). This gives up Black's central e-pawn. This is not considered sound.

After 3. Nxe5, Black can play 3...Nc6, offering to trade knights and take the game in a Stafford gambit-style direction, or 3...Qe7 looking to recover the pawn.

3...Nc6 offers to trade knights. 4. Nxc6 dxc6 and the position resembles a Stafford gambit where Black is down a tempo, having played c5 instead of Nf6. There is no immediately threat to e4 and the position is a lot less precarious for White.

3...Qe7 and Black looks to recover the pawn after 4. Nf3 Qxe4+ 5. Be2. Unfortunately White can hold onto the pawn with 4. d4 cxd4 5. Qxd4 (protecting knight and e pawn) Nc6 6. Nxc6 dxc6 +-.

3...d6?! to kick the knight seems very weakening while Black's king is still in the centre.

Sam Sloan explains he invented the opening while incarcerated for six weeks in Jalalabad prison in Afghanistan. He played it in a Marshall Chess Club tournament in 1978, where he defeated Jans Pamiljens with the 3...Qe7 continuation in a game that was published in Chess Life. Writing around 2002, Sloan recalled he had played it at other times in the late 70s, but that he thought his ex-wife had taken his score sheets. Of the opening, he said, "I still think that the Jalalabad Defense is playable."^[2]

It received some online revival as an unorthodox gambit line online in 2020.^[1]

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• Roma_Invicta. Jalalabad study - Lichess.org