D20–D29 Queen pawn games

Queen's Gambit Accepted

Black releases the center by taking c4, then develops quickly and returns the pawn when needed.

Best for

Active defenders who prefer open development and concrete central play.

Study map

Start with one line, then add nearby branches.

0 started · 0 mastered

01Queen's Gambit AcceptedD20 · 2 movesnew02Queen's Gambit Accepted: Accelerated Mannheim VariationD20 · 3 movesnew03Queen's Gambit Accepted: Old VariationD20 · 3 movesnew04Queen's Gambit Accepted: Saduleto VariationD20 · 3 movesnew05Queen's Gambit Accepted: Normal VariationD21 · 3 movesnew

Browse all 51 lines

Open the catalogue only when you need a specific branch.

Classical Defense11 lines
Central Variation7 lines
Old Variation5 lines
Alekhine Defense4 lines
Main line3 lines
Normal Variation3 lines
Classical2 lines
Gunsberg Defense2 lines
Accelerated Mannheim Variation1 lines

Mix the variations

Practice changing book replies after you know at least 2 lines.

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White's plan

  1. 01 Recover c4 without losing time.
  2. 02 Build e4 when Black cannot challenge it.
  3. 03 Use a4 to stop a queenside pawn chain when needed.

Black's plan

  1. 01 Develop before trying to keep c4.
  2. 02 Strike with ...c5 or ...e5.
  3. 03 Return the pawn to complete development.

Position fingerprint

The squares that explain the opening

c4 is temporary material, e4 is White's central prize, and c5 challenges d4.

Keep the position healthy

Practical habits

  • Value development above holding the extra pawn.
  • Prevent White from building e4 for free.