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Queen's Gambit Accepted
The Queen's Gambit Accepted begins after the moves 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4. It is one of Black's main answers to the Queen's Gambit, chosen by players who briefly give up the centre to develop freely and strike back with ...c5 or ...e5.
- For black
- Solid
- Classical
Written by:
The Essentials
- Early moves:
- 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4
- Colour:
- Played by Black
- Style:
- Solid, classical
- Difficulty to learn:
- Moderate to high
- Named after:
- Black accepting the Queen's Gambit, an opening once called the Aleppo Gambit after Philipp Stamma of Aleppo.
- Trivia:
- The final game of the Netflix series The Queen's Gambit is based on Ivanchuk–Wolff from 1993, a Queen's Gambit Accepted picked by Garry Kasparov.
- Variations:
- Classical. Central. Old. Alekhine. Janowski-Larsen.
- Good for:
- BlitzRapidClassical
Best suited for rating
800-2800
Why play the Queen's Gambit Accepted?
Sometimes the way to fight for the centre is to step out of it.
After 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4, Black gives up the d5-pawn's hold on the centre. White usually wins the pawn back with Bxc4, developing a piece at the same time.
Black does not fight to keep it. Unlike the Queen's Gambit Declined or the Slav, which hold d5 with a pawn, the Accepted lets White have more central pawns and then undermines them with ...c5 or ...e5.
White chooses between winning the pawn back calmly and 3. e4, which grabs the whole centre at once.
The Accepted demands preparation and a good sense of timing. The main lines are deeply analysed, and if ...c5 or ...e5 comes too late, White's extra centre pawn starts to dictate the game.
What Black gets is open lines and a sound position, with one plan that returns in most lines: pressure on d4.
Try the Queen's Gambit Accepted yourself!
Why the Queen's Gambit Accepted is good with the:
Two centre pawns - With the d5-pawn gone, White keeps two centre pawns against Black's one, and the extra space makes Black's light-squared bishop harder to develop.
Developing recapture - The c4-pawn usually falls to Bxc4, which brings a bishop into play at the same time.
Flexible setups - White decides early between a calm build-up with 3. Nf3 and a full pawn centre with 3. e4.
Suited for - Players who like a space advantage and want to punish an opponent who drifts into passivity.
Why the Queen's Gambit Accepted is good with the white pieces
Two centre pawns - With the d5-pawn gone, White keeps two centre pawns against Black's one, and the extra space makes Black's light-squared bishop harder to develop.
Developing recapture - The c4-pawn usually falls to Bxc4, which brings a bishop into play at the same time.
Flexible setups - White decides early between a calm build-up with 3. Nf3 and a full pawn centre with 3. e4.
Suited for - Players who like a space advantage and want to punish an opponent who drifts into passivity.
Why the Queen's Gambit Accepted is good with the black pieces
Pressure on d4 - The half-open d-file and the ...c5 and ...e5 breaks give Black natural ways to attack White's d-pawn.
Queenside expansion - After ...a6, the ...b5 advance often gains space with tempo against the c4-bishop and opens the long diagonal for Black's light-squared bishop.
Solid structure - In the main lines, Black's pawns give White no clear targets.
Suited for - Players who enjoy a sturdy setup and are not afraid of reading up on theory.
Strategy
Typical plans, pawn breaks, and key squares.
White's pawn breaks
White aims for e4, d5 and e5 in the centre, uses a4 against ...b5, and has the kingside majority.
Black's pawn breaks
Black strikes with ...c5, expands with ...a6 and ...b5, and has the queenside majority.
Key squares
The centre squares d4, d5, e4 and e5, along with c4 and b5, shape most of the fight.
The isolated d-pawn
Black's knight and bishop head for d5: holding it makes d4 a lasting target, losing it leaves Black cramped.
Traps and tactics
Four traps every Queen's Gambit Accepted player should know.
Themes
Holding the tension
Releasing the tension on d4 too early often frees the opponent's game, so both sides wait as long as they can.
The problem bishop
Black's c8-bishop is the piece most easily left behind, so Black finds it a diagonal before castling.
The d4 question
Every plan in the Accepted turns on White's d4-pawn. Isolated, it gives White active pieces and Black a lasting target.
Eyes on the king
Behind an isolated d-pawn, White's pieces often swing toward Black's king, so trades help Black and quiet the attack.
History
The history of the Queen's Gambit Accepted, from its origins to modern play.
Around 1500
Ancient roots
An undated manuscript kept in Göttingen, written around 1500, already lists 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 among its twelve openings.
1604
Salvio's warning
Alessandro Salvio publishes his treatise in Naples and shows how Black loses a piece by clinging to the c4-pawn with ...b5.
1886
Give it back
In the first world championship match, Wilhelm Steinitz returns the pawn and saddles Johannes Zukertort with an isolated d-pawn, the opening's first modern idea.
1930s
Alekhine's touch
Siegbert Tarrasch calls taking the pawn pointless, but Alexander Alekhine brings new ideas for Black, and the opening reaches the top level.
1990s
Elite approval
At the end of the decade several of the world's best take up the Accepted, Viswanathan Anand among them.
2000
Title fight
Garry Kasparov twice meets Vladimir Kramnik's 1. d4 with the Queen's Gambit Accepted in their world championship match in London.
2020s
Sound and popular
Engines find no flaw in Black's position, and the Accepted stays popular at all levels, from online games to the world's top players.
Model Games
Four games, three wins for Black and one for White.
FAQ
The Queen's Gambit Accepted begins after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4. Black takes the c4-pawn, usually lets White win it back, and uses the time to strike at d4 with ...c5 or ...e5.
It can be, with some care. The plans are easy to understand, but several early traps punish natural-looking moves, and avoiding them takes more study than the calm reputation suggests.
Yes. Engines rate the main lines as equal, and world champions from Steinitz to Kasparov have trusted it with Black. Its winning chances come from patient pressure on d4 rather than early tactics.
Black gives up the centre for a moment to develop quickly, then attacks White's d4-pawn with ...c5. If White ends up with an isolated d-pawn, Black blockades d5 and trades pieces.
The Classical Defence begins 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 c5. Black strikes at d4 at once, and after 6. O-O a6 the main line prepares ...b5 and ...Bb7.
The Central Variation begins 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4. White takes the whole centre at once, and Black answers with ...e5, ...Nf6, ...c5 or ...Nc6 to attack it before it settles.
Both begin 1. d4 d5 2. c4. In the Declined, Black holds d5 with 2... e6, while in the Accepted Black takes on c4 and lets White have more central pawns for a while.
There is no single best line. 3. Nf3 and 3. e3 win the pawn back calmly and lead to the Classical main lines, while 3. e4 suits players who want the whole centre at once.
Wilhelm Steinitz, Alexander Alekhine, Boris Spassky, Garry Kasparov, Viswanathan Anand, Peter Svidler, Levon Aronian, Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, and Magnus Carlsen have all used it.
Choose the Queen's Gambit Declined if you want to keep a pawn on d5 and a compact, solid position. Choose the Accepted if you want open lines and quick piece play in return for giving up the centre for a moment.