Queen's Gambit Accepted

The idea

Black takes the pawn on c4. Black isn't planning to keep it: giving up the center for a moment buys time to develop and to hit back at d4 with ...c5.

White gets the pawn back, usually with the bishop from f1, and in return for the tempo that costs, Black gets free development and no weaknesses.

Plans for White

Develop with Nf3 and e3, then recapture with Bxc4. Many players also choose the direct 3.e4, taking the whole center straight away.

Either way, the goal is a lead in development and a strong center. White's most dangerous ideas come when Black is slow to castle.

Plans for Black

Develop with ...Nf6 and ...e6, and attack White's center with ...c5 once the bishop is ready to come out. Often ...a6 and ...b5 follow, gaining space on the queenside and putting the bishop on b7.

Hand the pawn back without a fight. Black's chances lie in fast, harmonious development, not in the extra pawn.

Watch out for

The main danger for Black is greed. After 3.e3, holding the pawn with 3...b5? fails: 4.a4 c6 5.axb5 cxb5?? opens the long diagonal, and 6.Qf3 hits the rook on a8. If Black blocks with 6...Nc6, 7.Qxc6+ wins the knight.

For White, the mistake is chasing the pawn at any cost. Regaining it with the queen early, or with moves like a4 and b3, wastes time Black uses to develop.

History

The opening appears in chess literature as early as the 15th century. Its first modern ideas came from the 1886 world championship match between Wilhelm Steinitz and Johannes Zukertort, and Alexander Alekhine added more. It lost popularity after World War II, when the Indian Defenses took over, and came back in the late 1990s, when several elite players took it up. Today it is considered fully sound.