After this move there are many divergences, some depending on what White does and others on Black’s choices. The majority of chess writers, starting with Jaenisch (1843), seemed to be of the opinion that holding the centre with 2…e6 was the best defence. Theorists in the nineteenth century discussed the best way to meet the gambit. The Queen’s Gambit is one of the oldest openings, first mentioned in the Göttingen manuscript of 1490, then later the subject of analyses by Salvio and Greco in the early seventeenth century. There is also a stark difference from the King’s Gambit in that the white king’s safety is not compromised by the pawn advances on the left hand side of the board.

However the “gambit” in the opening’s name is rather a misnomer as Black cannot really hold on to the pawn.

The offer of a pawn with 2 c4 is what gives the opening its edge, as the c-pawn attacks Black’s central strongpoint. The Queen’s Gambit takes the game to a strategic battle where the tactical clashes are delayed until the middlegame. The character of the game differs greatly from that of king pawn openings, which often quickly result in open clashes. The Queen’s Gambit (1 d4 d5 2 c4) is the keystone to an offensive plan by White on the left hand side of the board. The next few moves are all about exerting pressure on the centre of the board.’īelow we take a closer look at both the Queen’s Gambit Declined and the Queen’s Gambit Accepted – extracted from the show’s protagonist Beth Harmon’s favourite book Modern Chess Openings. Therefore, the most popular and solid reply is 2 … e6 (The Queen’s Gambit Declined). But some players feel uncomfortable allowing their opponents an obvious advantage in space. Marsh explains that ‘after 2 … dxc4 (the Queens Gambit Accepted) White can either rush to occupy the centre with his pawns – 3 e4 – or develop more methodically and occupy a little later.’ He also points out that ‘there is nothing wrong with playing the Black side of the Queen’s Gambit Accepted. The move can either be accepted by Black taking the pawn (dxc4) or declined. Or as Sean Marsh puts it in Batsford’s Chess Bible ‘White is offering a temporary pawn sacrifice to try to tempt Black into giving up the centre.’ The Queen’s Gambit (1 d4 d5 2 c4) is an opening strategy by White to try and occupy the centre of the board. In this blog post, we explain the opening move that inspired the name of the book and TV series. Online chess playing site reported a five-fold increase of daily sign-ups to the site following the show’s release and Washington Post wrote that ‘The pandemic sparked an interest in chess. If the Queen’s Gambit TV-series has got you inspired to play chess, you’re not alone.

How to play queen's gambit accepted