e4 is better, "best by test."

Neither d4 nor e4 is really "better", they just tend to lead to different kinds of games.

Nuntar, I agree. Both are very sound moves.

The Queen Gambit Accepted is one of the easiest ways for Black to equalize. Black usually gives the pawn back with ...e5, and White's center is no longer so strong. Fisher relied on the QGA in his 1992 rematch with Spassky and a lot of Grandmasters play it.

I'm surprised at the claim that "Black usually gives the pawn back with ...e5", since I thought White usually regained the pawn on c4?

Yes, I was ready for this... I could have actually tried to plan this out in conditional moves, so my reply was at the ready (:

Named for Frank Marshall (1877-1944). Considered weak.

It's best to take the pawn.

Is not. Nf3 is a book move.

Sure would like to see twobking (3 Nf3) and henizkat (3 cxd5) play a set -- and resolve that question.

Black should now play 3... dxc4, 3... c6 or 3... e6, transposing into one of the main QG variations.

Black should not block the c-pawn in a queen pawn opening.

This is still the correct move, and for the same reasons as one move previously. Whichever way Black captures, White can attack the capturing piece with gain of tempo.

A mistake. The knight should return to f6.

Also good is 6. a3 Na6 7. Bxa6 ruining Black's pawn structure and preparing castling while Black has still barely started to develop.

Black's idea is 7. dxc6 Bxf3 8. Qxf3?? Nc2+. Of course White should avoid this by 8. gxf3; the fragmented pawn structure is a price worth paying for being a piece up.

7. dxc6 is better. Now black can save his knight.

As before, 9. gxf3 was necessary.

Now white should play 9. Bb5+ and try to attack the knights with the queen after black protects himself from the check.

Actually, 9. Bb5+ would have given me nightmares... I didn't see the possibility when I made the move and the fact I sacrificed my white bishop early would have caused me great suffering as I would've busted my pawn structure on the Queen side.

Not a bad move, as Black could be expected to play 10... Nxc1 (the player ahead on material seeks exchanges) and the h1 rook would then be free to come out, whereas if White plays 10. Kf1 getting the rook out is harder. But 10. Kd1 achieves the same thing without blocking the bishop.

I think 10. Kd1 is better. It leaves open the diagonal for black bishop.

If I had this to do over again, I would've gone 10. Nc4+ hoping for 11. Kd1 Nxf2+ OR Nxc1... Advancing that pawn to bring the bishop into the game was not as important as I thought it was, though I know what I wanted to do.

Black need not exchange immediately, since the bishop is not going anywhere. (But not 10... Nxc4?? which loses the other knight.)