Tree path 5 levels Queen's Pawn Game › Queen's Gambit › Queen's Gambit Accepted › Saduleto Variation › Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense
- Chess Codex
- Queen's Pawn Game D00
- Queen's Gambit D06
- Queen's Gambit Accepted D20
- Saduleto Variation D20
- Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense D20 you are here
Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense
Overview
Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense is a sacrificial opening line filed under ECO D20 in the Closed & Semi-Closed Games group. The defining idea is the early concession of material to seize the initiative and unbalance the position.
The Closed & Semi-Closed Games group covers closed and semi-closed games — 1.d4 systems characterised by long strategic manoeuvring rather than early tactics.
It begins with 6 plies and takes 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 c5 to reach the canonical position.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from Queen's Gambit Accepted: Saduleto Variation, part of the broader Queen's Pawn Game system.
2 named variations grow from this line, including Yefimov Gambit, Queen's Gambit Accepted: Linares Variation.
Use the board to walk through every move, check how the position has scored on Lichess, or take it head-to-head against Stockfish.
- ECO code
- D20
- Group
- Closed & Semi-Closed Games (D)
- Plies
- 6
- Direct variations
- 2
This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.
Statistics from Lichess
200,498 games · White 52.9% / Draw 5.2% / Black 41.9%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| d5 | 144,003 | |
| Nf3 | 31,576 | |
| Bxc4 | 18,859 | |
| dxc5 | 2,666 | |
| Qa4+ | 1,548 | |
| Be3 | 1,113 | |
| Nc3 | 521 | |
| a4 | 36 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 01:29:46
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Submissions are reviewed before publishing.