When I am in a QGA state of mind, against 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 I play 2...c5!?. Note that for the moment this is a Reversed Queen's Gambit.

1. 3.dxc5 e6 4.e4 is a type of French.
2. 3.c3 cxd4 4.cxd4 is an Exchange Slav.
3. 3.e3 cxd4 4.exd4 is an Exchange Caro-Kann.
4. 3.g3 cxd4 is a problematic (for white) Reversed Gruenfeld.
5. 3.c4! is sharp and challenging, when:

• 3...dxc4 is a QGA after all; admittedly not necessarily the one black was aiming for.
• 3...cxd4 is a Symmetrical Defense to the Queen's Gambit.
• 3...Nf6 is an English Opening.
• 3...e6 is a Tarrasch Defense, probably tending towards the "old" main line stuff.

I rather like options 1-4 from Black's point of view. Option 5 I am less happy about. Formerly I played 3...e6. Later I prepared 3...dxc4 but have not had a chance to play it. Recently I have been looking at 3...cxd4 in Bezgodov's book. Given that black has four reasonable responses, 3.c4 is not exactly low-theory. That probably explains why so far nobody below 2300 has had the temerity to play 3.c4 against me.

After 2...c5, I don't know of any way for white to obtain a Catalan style position.

Hello Everyone,

I seem to have rather poor results against the QGA simply because I don`t see it often, and thus find myself struggling to remember some of the sharp variations when it actually does appear in a game. I like the positions after 3.e4 (as recommended by Schandorff), though from a practical perspective, why give Black the option to play 2...dxc4 if I don`t have to?

My repertoire against 1...d5 is based on Schandorff`s book, though instead of the QGD exchange variation, I play the Catalan, using a mixture of Bologan and Avrukh. Thus, after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 I always play 3.Nf3 anyways, so perhaps switching to a 2.Nf3 move order is not such a problem...

Black has stuff like 2.Bg4 and 2.Nd7, with the idea of taking on c4 and playing Nb6 to hold the pawn, but I really cannot imagine these lines actually posing a threat to White and they are unlikely to even occur in an OTB game.

My concern, however, is the following line, which was recently pointed out to me: 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 dxc4 when if I go for a Catalan with 4.g3 Black can play 4...Nc6, meeting 5.Bg2 with e5 followed by a good game (I am going purely by memory here, so correct me if I am wrong). Thus maybe White has to go for a quieter line of the QGA anyways with 4.e3, which is probably less work than allowing all of Black's replies to the QGA after 3.e4 (as well as the Albin),though I am not sure if it appeals to me...

What are your thoughts on this move order? Is it worth it from a practical point of view?

Cheers!