Accelerated Mannheim Variation

The Accelerated Mannheim Variation, 3. Qa4+, is the most direct way to recover the pawn in the Queen's Gambit Accepted. The check along the fourth rank also strikes the pawn on c4, so once Black has dealt with it White can capture with the queen. This rules out any attempt by Black to keep the extra pawn, such as the ...b5 lines that arise after other third moves, and places the queen actively on c4, a deployment reminiscent of some Catalan positions. The drawback is the loss of time. A queen developed this early can be chased by Black's minor pieces, and the line is seldom played.

The most common reply is 3...Bd7, which blocks with a developing move. The engine's first choice is 3...c6, followed by 3...Nd7 and 3...Nc6. Of the frequent answers, only 3...Nc6 gives Black a slightly better score than White in online games, while 3...Bd7 and 3...c6 leave White marginally ahead. The engine judges the position roughly level, and overall results favor White only by a small margin.