Queen's Gambit Accepted Trap
The Queen's Gambit Accepted trap: holding the c4 pawn with 3...b5? loses a piece after a4, axb5 and Qf3. A favourite mistake at club level.
The Queen's Gambit is not a real gambit, because Black cannot keep the pawn. This trap is the proof. It is a very common reply at club level, and still played by strong players; the table below has the numbers.
How the Queen's Gambit Accepted Trap works
Click a card to see it on the board, then play the punishment yourself.
How often does it work?
Counted in real rated Lichess games, not estimated.
| Rating | Reached the position | Played 3...b5? | Fall rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1200–1400 | 2,986 games | 736 | 25% |
| 1500–1700 | 2,941 games | 589 | 20% |
| 1900–2100 | 1,378 games | 127 | 9% |
Sample: up to 1,000,000 rated Lichess games per rating band (May 2024), same move order only.
How to avoid the Queen's Gambit Accepted Trap
What Black should play instead.
Other versions of the trap
The same idea from a different move order.
Now spot it in a real game
Knowing a trap by name is not the same as seeing it at the board. Solve positions from real games until the pattern fires by itself.
Queen's Gambit Accepted Trap
Getting there…3...b5 defends c4, and 4.a4! attacks the defender. If Black supports it with 4...c6, then 5.axb5 cxb5 6.Qf3! attacks the rook on a8 along the long diagonal, and saving it costs a piece. Giving the pawn back in time leaves Black a little worse; trying to keep it loses.