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Accepting the Queen's Gambit

Accepting the Queen's Gambit

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I've seen many players eagerly taking after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 and it makes sense. Black doesn't keep the extra pawn, but he gets more active play than is usual in the Queen's Gambit.

The problem is that I don't know how to continue after the gambit is accepted. I'm considering both e3 and e4 but have no clear preference in style. Thus, I wanted to play the move considered best. I looked through databases but both have almost the same performance. Please give me some feedback about these moves. I really need your help.

  • 8
  • a
  • 7
  • b
  • 6
  • c
  • 5
  • d
  • 4
  • e
  • 3
  • f
  • 2
  • g
  • 1
  • h

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Originally posted by exigentsky
I've seen many players eagerly taking after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 and it makes sense. Black doesn't keep the extra pawn, but he gets more active play than is usual in the Queen's Gambit.

The problem is that I don't know how to continue after the gambit is accepted. I'm considering both e3 and e4 but have no clear preference in style. Thus, I wanted to play t ...[text shortened]... y need your help.

[fen]rnbqkbnr/ppp1pppp/8/8/2pP4/8/PP2PPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq c6 0 3[/fen]
I play e4. It's aggressive and lets me dominate the center.

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Both are playable. And even the naively looking Qa4+ is. But why not 3.Nf3 and let your opponent spend thinking time about the alternatives?

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if you really want to leave your openent calculating (especially in OTB) then I like Qa4+, followed by Qxc4 and then g3. Because black has moved his d pawn off of this white line, the h1-a8 diagnorl is ripe for the pickings.....and that bishop will be a beast when it comes to starting an attack on either the stuck b7 pawn or the c file.

BTW-this is the catalan and it has TONS of transpositions from the QGA, QGD, Slave, and English

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good point.

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Originally posted by c guy1
BTW-this is the catalan
Not quite. In the Catalan, Black will have a pawn on e6 limiting the scope of his light squared bishop but this is not the case after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dc 3.Qa4+ c6 (for example) 4.Qxc4 Be6

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Originally posted by exigentsky
I've seen many players eagerly taking after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 and it makes sense. Black doesn't keep the extra pawn, but he gets more active play than is usual in the Queen's Gambit.

The problem is that I don't know how to continue after the gambit is accepted. I'm considering both e3 and e4 but have no clear preference in style. Thus, I wanted to play t ...[text shortened]... y need your help.

[fen]rnbqkbnr/ppp1pppp/8/8/2pP4/8/PP2PPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq c6 0 3[/fen]
3.e3 is the safest, 3.e4 is the most agressive, 3.Nf3 is the most popular.

All three moves are playable

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Thanks for all the replies!

Is there any consensus on which move is best?

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With a move this early in the game, there almost never is a consensus. Which one is better, 1. e4 or 1. d4!? 😀 Since you don't have a preference, find one! I 100% prefer 3. e4! It's sharper and more interesting. I would encourage you to buy Chris Ward's ridiculously good book, "Play the Queen's Gambit" and check out the 3. e4 lines for yourself. Sooooo goood.

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Originally posted by exigentsky
Thanks for all the replies!

Is there any consensus on which move is best?
Not which is the best.. but I think 3. Nf3 is the most common.

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Not many GrandMasters will play 3.e3 because e5 can be annoying. If you want to play e3 you should prepare it with 3.Nf3 imo.

3.e4 can be met by e5 again. Which is known to be drawish.

The play for the win lines at the moment seem to be

1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5.Bxc4 c5 6.0-0 a6 and now White has a choice between
7.Bb3
7.Qe2
7.a4

All have been played by the strongest players in the world and all are difficult for Black to meet.

Tal on Acid

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