The Modern Queen's Gambit Accepted: Taking the Pawn to Target the Centre
The Queen's Gambit Accepted carries a slightly misleading name. Black takes on c4, but the pawn is rarely the point. The real bargain is time and space: White is invited to build a broad centre, and Black's entire strategy is built around challenging it before it becomes too strong.
That paradox, giving up the centre in order to attack it, is the leitmotif of The Modern Queen's Gambit Accepted: A Dynamic Repertoire for Black by GM Mitrabha Guha. After 2...dxc4, Black's typical plan is ...c5 and, at the right moment, ...cxd4. If White recaptures with the e-pawn, the isolated d4-pawn can become a long-term target. If White recaptures with a piece, the position opens up with roughly equal chances.
Why the QGA, and Why This Repertoire
GM Guha regards the Queen's Gambit Accepted as one of the most solid answers to 1.d4. Statistically it ranks as Black's third most common reply to the Queen's Gambit, behind 2...e6 and 2...c6. That makes it well tested, but it is still less mapped out than the main lines of the Slav and Queen's Gambit Declined.
What sets this repertoire apart are two deliberate choices. In the classical 3.Nf3 main line, the author recommends 6...Nc6 instead of the standard 6...a6. The knight develops first and ...a6 comes later, and this changes White's most comfortable setups.
Against the modern 3.e4, the repertoire uses the classical 3...e5 4.Nf3 exd4 5.Bxc4 Nc6 6.O-O Be6. It then adds a fresh twist against 7.Nbd2, the move White players now prefer: 7...Bd6!?
Built Around Current Top-Level Practice
The repertoire is shaped by top-level games. One example is 8.Qb3 after 7.Nbd2 Bd6, which attacks the e6-bishop and threatens a pawn. It was tested in Giri–Harikrishna and gets its own chapter.
In the 3.Nf3 system, 7.Qe2 is seen in the critical Sindarov–Caruana game from the Candidates. The less common 7.a3, played by Yilmaz and Wesley So, is also covered in depth.
The 3.e4 complex receives five full chapters, which shows how seriously the author treats one of White's most ambitious tries. The classical 3.Nf3 main line is also examined branch by branch, up to 8.d5, the critical test of Black's system.
Map of Variations
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4
- 3.e3 and other third-move sidelines → Chapter 1
- 3.e4 e5 4.Nf3 exd4 5.Bxc4 Nc6 6.O-O Be6
- 4.d5 and other sidelines on moves 4–6 → Chapter 2
- 7.Bb5 → Chapter 3
- 7.Nbd2 Bd6!?
- 8.e5 and other eighth-move sidelines → Chapter 4
- 8.Qb3 → Chapter 5
- 8.Bxe6 → Chapter 6
- 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Bxc4 c5 6.O-O Nc6
- 4.Nc3 and other fourth-move sidelines → Chapter 7
- 6.Qe2 and other sixth-move sidelines → Chapter 8
- 7.dxc5 and other seventh-move sidelines → Chapter 9
- 7.a3 → Chapter 10
- 7.Qe2 → Chapter 11
- 7.Nc3 a6
- 8.Bb3 and other sidelines → Chapter 12
- 8.Re1 → Chapter 13
- 8.a3 → Chapter 14
- 8.Qe2 b5 → Chapter 15
- 8.d5 → Chapter 16
Premium Course Features
- 16 Chapters
- 30 test positions
- 5 training positions
- Memory Booster
- To-Go version of every chapter
- Video instruction
- Multilingual PGN availability (English, German, French, Spanish)
Rounding Out Your Answer to 1.d4
For players who meet 1.d4 with ...d5, a natural companion is GM Guha's Complete Repertoire against the London System. It gives Black the same principled approach against White's Bf4 setups: strike at d4 early with ...c5.
Start Playing the QGA Today
If you want a reply to 1.d4 that is solid in structure and clear in its plans, The Modern Queen's Gambit Accepted: A Dynamic Repertoire for Black gives you a complete, up-to-date repertoire built around top-level practice, which you can add to your library today.