Caissa Codex
D29

Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line

Chess diagram: Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line after 8…Bb7

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Statistics from Lichess

10,618 games: White 46.9% / Draw 7.6% / Black 45.5%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
7,6457,645
1,0551,055
1,0261,026
746746
5858
3131
2020
1515

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026

Engine evaluation

0.00 The position is about equal

Best play: 9. a4 b4 10. Rd1 Nbd7 11. Bd2 Qc7 12. Be1 Be7 13. Nbd2 O-O

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

Overview

Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line (ECO D29, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a gambit in the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. O-O a6 7. Qe2 b5 8. Bb3 Bb7 (8 moves).

In 10,618 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.9%, Black 45.5% and 7.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 9. Rd1, in 72% of those games.

It continues into one named variation, Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Smyslov Variation.

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How to play against the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line

9. a4 scores best for White: 51.3%, with White winning 47.9% and Black 45.3% of 1,055 games. The most played, 9. Rd1, scores 51.0% in 7,645 games, and 9. dxc5 scores lowest: 49.6%. Stockfish's first choice is also 9. a4.

Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings

Variations (1)

Other lines from the same position

Instead of 8. Bb3 Bb7, the position after Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System also goes on to:

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System, Main Line (D29)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-accepted-classical-defense-alekhine-system-main-line

https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-gambit-accepted-classical-defense-alekhine-system-main-line