English Chess Forum

Short answer: No, it's not a bad opening. In fact I think you'd do quite well with it if you learn it properly. As somebody who's played the QG for over 10 years I think I've faced the QGA maybe 6-7 times. For this reason alone the white player is unlikely to be so up on his theory as he would vs the QGD options.

Saying that though, it comes down to taste. I've never enjoyed the resulting positions as black. Thought about a slav? or semi-slav? it's a bit more solid and you have lots of choices as to how you want to steer the game.

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The FullPonty
Nidum Chess Club

I have played the QGA on a regular basis since the mid-80s, and it has served me well.

Two main problems:

1) Some White players will try to blow it off the board with aggressive lines such as the following:

3e4;
3Nf3 Nf6 4Nc3 followed by an early e4;
"main line" variations (ie White plays e3 & Bxc4, Black counters with c5) where White tries an early pawn sac with e4!?

You need to know a bit of theory to cope with these lines!

2) Going to the other extreme, I have found lower rated players often play an early dxc5 in the "main line", swap off queens and go quite shamelessly for the draw. Since they usually play so passively, it is normally possible to win nonetheless - but the resulting positions may not be to everybody's taste........

With the above in mind, happy QGA'ing!

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"Set up your attacks so that when the fire is out, it isn't out!" (H N Pillsbury)

The QGA is totally viable and yet to be refuted. Black temporarily gives up a stake in the centre but hits (or should at least!) back pretty quickly with c5 and active pieces.

White will try and establish a nice centre with a quick or delayed e4. As with most QP openings White will attempt to play e4 and e5 and mate Black with once the Knight has been driven from f6.

If White plays the obvious and principled 3.e4 then Black can easily play 3..e5

A game of chess is the result!

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The other aspect to this point is that if you do not like NF6 type openings then it kind of shows you the type of game you prefer (open/closed/attacking/passive positions/etc)

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http://www.brentwoodchessclub.org/
Brentwood Chess Club

QGA can't be a bad opening. One practical problem at club level, however, is that you need to be careful not to be move ordered by folk who don't play c2-c4 on move 2.

Not that this is necessarily insurmountable. It's just something you don't necessarily have to think about with other set-ups.

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http://www.streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com

"Of all the stupid questions so far, This one is particularly annoying, and irrelevant and when I meet you, I propose to write it down on cardboard and nail it to your face."
- Jerry Sadowitz

i get mullered on several pints of bitter but prefer lager. Whatever opening you go for know your self.

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http://www.brentwoodchessclub.org/
Brentwood Chess Club

I found Rizzitano's book (How to Beat 1.d4, pub. Gambit) quite helpful. I play 1.d4 as white and need to know what I might face from black.

Although I'm not very good, my play has been influenced by the book "The System" by Hans Berliner. He was correspondence world champion in about 1966 and one of the original chess computer programmers. If anyone really has time to analyse a situation then surely it is a correspondence player.

He claims to have fully worked out responses by white to QGA, QGD, Kings Indian, Benko, and Benoni which maintain white's opening advantage. However, he admits not having fully worked out responses by white to Slav, Semi -Slav, and Nimzo-Indian.

This has made me decide to play the Semi-Slav against 1. d4, as if he doesn't know for sure what to do how can ordinary players?

That said, leading Grandmasters use QGA so it can't be bad.

You can only have been playing it for 4 days!

I think this is supposed to be a good book - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Queens-Gambit-Accepted-Current-Practice/dp/9548782332/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1300959772&sr=8-2

I've got their book on the Grünfeld and it's phenomenal. Sakaev is a 2600+ GM who puts his heart and soul into the material. The English is a bit clumsy but that's irrelevant.

What opening advantage? White has an initiative by virtue of being the first to move, but that's all. Doesn't matter what White does; if Black always answers correctly then the only possible result is a draw!

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"The chess-board is the world ..... the player on the other side is hidden from us ..... he never overlooks a mistake, or makes the smallest allowance for ignorance."
(He doesn't let you resign and start again, either.)

Get hold of How to beat 1. d4 by James Rizzitano http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1904600336/ref=oss_product I've been studying it on and off for about a month, the analysis of the QGA (which is Rizzitano's recommendation against the QG) is really top notch, plus you get a get a good working knowledge of any other Queens pawn systems where after 1...d5 white omits 2.c4 The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit stuff is great - you can take the pawn with a big smile.

I think the QGA will be my main weapon next season - Apart from a brief flirtation with the Dutch, I've played 1...Nf6 for the last 2 years, usually going into a Benoni, with mixed results, but I've grown tired of the cramped positions I get, and I've never got on with the KID.

I’ve seen a lot of 120 and below players respond 3.e3 to the QGA - either just not knowing what to do and/or hoping for the famous piece winning trap if black goes 3… b5 - but against 3.e3 black can just go 3…e5 with a wonderful game immediately.

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"When you see a good move, look for a better one!" - Lasker

If you are fairly sure someone is going to play QG against you, try the Budapest gambit.

It mucks up whites normal plans and nearly always you can win the pawn back.

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Regards,

Peter.

http://dollyknot.com/nonlinear/Abstract.html

and if White plays 2. Nf3 and then 3. c4 how would this work?

Many people play the QG via a 1. d4 2. Nf3 3. c4 move order to avoid the various e5 tries although this won't stop the hardened Englund Gambit fan!

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Chess Images: http://johnupham.smugmug.com/Chess
IT Manager for the British Chess Magazine: http://www.britishchessmagazine.co.uk
Twitter: @jeupham
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