Queen's Gambit Accepted

The Queen's Gambit Accepted (QGA) is a chess opening characterised by the moves:

1. d4 d5

2. c4 dxc4

The Queen's Gambit is not considered a true gambit, in contrast to the King's Gambit, because the pawn is either regained, or can only be held unprofitably by Black. Black will allow the pawn to be recaptured, and use the time expended to play against White's centre.

As Black's 2...dxc4 surrenders the centre, White will try to seize space in the centre and use it to launch an attack on the black position. Black's game is not devoid of counterchances, however. If the white centre can be held at bay, Black will try to weaken White's centre pawns to gain an advantage in the ensuing endgame by playing ...c5 and ...cxd4 at some stage, and if White responds with exd4, the result will be an isolated pawn on d4 – which can also lead to a keen middlegame battle. (If White recaptures with a piece at d4 instead, the centre will be liquidated and a fairly even game will usually ensue.)

The Queen's Gambit Accepted is the third most popular option at Black's second move, after 2...e6 (the Queen's Gambit Declined) and 2...c6 (the Slav Defense). In both of these variations, slow and subtle manoeuvres are often necessary to complete development. White will try to exploit an advantage in space and development, while Black will defend the position and aim for queenside counterplay.

The ECO classifies the Queen's Gambit Accepted under codes D20 to D29.