- ECO code
- D21
- Moves
- 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3
- Family
- Queen's Gambit Accepted
- To move
- Black
- Master games
- 662
- Average game length
- 39 moves
- Years covered
- 1889–2026
Queen's Gambit Accepted: Normal Variation is the opening filed under ECO code D21, reached after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3. It belongs to the Queen's Gambit Accepted family and is known as the Normal Variation; in the resulting position it is Black to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 662 games on this line — the 171st most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1889 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 208 games. An average game here lasts 39 moves.
White wins 27% of those games, 53% end in a draw, and Black wins 20%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores worse here by 8 percentage points. Draws are more common here than usual, by 18 points.
From this position the most popular move is 3...Nf6, played in 488 games, followed by 3...a6 (100) and 3...e6 (51). 3...Nf6 leads into Queen's Gambit Accepted. After 3...Nf6 White scores 28% and Black 21%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Mamedyarov,S (32 games); on the Black side, Smyslov, Vassily (28).
3 named variations branch off this position and have their own page here, among them Queen's Gambit Accepted; Queen's Gambit Accepted: Normal Variation (D25); Queen's Gambit Accepted: Normal Variation, Traditional System.
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Results in master games
- White 27% (178)
- Draws 53% (353)
- Black 20% (131)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3...Nf6 | 488 | 28/51/21 | Queen's Gambit Accepted |
| 3...a6 | 100 | 20/60/20 | — |
| 3...e6 | 51 | 24/58/18 | — |
| 3...c5 | 18 | 39/55/6 | — |
| 3...Bg4 | 3 | 100/0/0 | — |
| 3...c6 | 1 | 100/0/0 | — |
| 3...Nd7 | 1 | 0/100/0 | — |
Variations from this position
- Queen's Gambit Accepted · 3...Nf6 · 488 games
- Normal Variation (D25) · 3...Nf6 4.e3 · 435 games
- Traditional System · 3...Nf6 4.e3 e6 · 320 games
How the position is reached
- Queen's Pawn Game · 1.d4 · 45,810 games
- Queen's Pawn Game · 1.d4 d5 · 11,560 games
- Queen's Gambit · 1.d4 d5 2.c4 · 8,858 games
- Queen's Gambit Accepted · 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 · 1,226 games
Played most often by
As White
- Mamedyarov,S 32
- Kramnik,V 24
- Spassky, Boris V 21
As Black
- Smyslov, Vassily 28
- Karjakin,Sergey 23
- Petrosian, Tigran V 22
Games per decade
- 1880s 3
- 1890s 7
- 1900s 8
- 1920s 3
- 1930s 33
- 1940s 15
- 1950s 37
- 1960s 73
- 1970s 27
- 1980s 27
- 1990s 63
- 2000s 106
- 2010s 52
- 2020s 208
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xi,Qi | Mamedyarov,S | 0-1 | 2026 | FIDE World Bl Team Pool D |
| Yu Yangyi | So,W | 1-0 | 2026 | Chess.com Open PlayIn2 KO |
| Firouzja,Alireza | Nakamura,Hi | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | SpeedChess Final 2025 |
| Anand,V | Ibarra Jerez,JC | 1-0 | 2026 | FIDE World Bl Team Pool A |
| Suleymanli,Aydin | Mamedyarov,S | 0-1 | 2026 | FIDE World Bl Team Pool D |
| Ibrahimli,Murad | Mamedyarov,S | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | 80th ch-AZE 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Normal Variation?
It is the opening with ECO code D21, reached after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3. It belongs to the Queen's Gambit Accepted family.
Is the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Normal Variation good for White or for Black?
In 662 master games on this line White wins 27%, 53% are drawn and Black wins 20%. The collection average is White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28% — so this line is no worse than usual for White than the field as a whole.
What is the main continuation of the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Normal Variation?
3...Nf6 — played in 488 of the master games on this line, which leads into Queen's Gambit Accepted.
Which grandmasters play the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Normal Variation?
On the White side Mamedyarov,S (32), Kramnik,V (24), Spassky, Boris V (21); on the Black side Smyslov, Vassily (28), Karjakin,Sergey (23), Petrosian, Tigran V (22).
Every number on this page is computed from Katuranga's master game collection; names and ECO codes follow the lichess opening book (CC0).
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