Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Rubinstein Variation (8. a4 c5)
1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 e6 4. e3 Nf6 5. Bxc4 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Nc3 a6 8. a4 c5
The Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Rubinstein Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO D27, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 e6 4. e3 Nf6 5. Bxc4 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Nc3 a6 8. a4 c5. It is a line of the Queen's Gambit Accepted. White is to move.
This exact move order didn't appear in our sample of 12.6 million Lichess games: it's a rare line.
Engine evaluation: +0.19 (Stockfish, depth 29; best line 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. Qe2 Nc6 11. e4 e5)
- ECO
- D27
- Moves
- 16 plies
- FEN
rnbq1rk1/1p2bppp/p3pn2/2p5/P1BP4/2N1PN2/1P3PPP/R1BQ1RK1 w - - 0 9- PGN
1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 e6 4. e3 Nf6 5. Bxc4 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Nc3 a6 8. a4 c5
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Master games
3 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 33%, draw 34%, Black 33%). The strongest:
- FM Karsten Schuster (2306) – FM Bernardo Vainzoff Sztokbant (2213) 1/2-1/2 · Titled Tue 7th Feb Late · 2023-02-07
- WFM Mariya Yakimova (2269) – WCM Sabina Rzali (1925) 1-0 · Djerba Women Online 2020 · 2020-06-14
- WIM Lilia Ivonne Fuentes Godoy (2196) – WCM Sabina Rzali (1925) 0-1 · Djerba Women Online 2020 · 2020-06-14
Comes from
Queen's Gambit Accepted: Rosenthal Variation 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 e6
More Queen's Gambit Accepted lines (all)
- Queen's Gambit Accepted (2. c4 dxc4) D20
- Queen's Gambit Accepted: Accelerated Mannheim Variation D20
- Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Alekhine System D20
- Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Greco Variation D20
- Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, McDonnell Defense D20
- Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, McDonnell Defense, Somov Gambit D20
- Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Modern Defense D20
- Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense D20
- Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Rubinstein Defense, Yefimov Gambit D20
- Queen's Gambit Accepted: Linares Variation D20
- Queen's Gambit Accepted: Old Variation D20
- Queen's Gambit Accepted: Old Variation, Billinger Gambit D20
Opening names and moves from the Lichess openings dataset; statistics from the Lichess open database, 2026-09 (CC0), sample of 12.6 million games, bots excluded; evaluations from Lichess cloud analysis (all CC0). Master games from The Week in Chess #920–#1664 by Mark Crowther, used with permission.