Queen's Gambit Accepted - e3 or e4?

As a person who's played 1.e4 for most of their time playing (decent) chess, I'm starting to think maybe I should switch over to 1.d4. I've been studying the Queen's Gambit as white, mainly with the free chessable courses. However, there is a slight problem - One of the courses recommends 3.e3, while another recommends 3.e4.

I looked around and noticed that a lot of people prefer e3. However, what I don't understand is, why wouldn't you just push e4, take the extra space, and also open your DSB? Then after 3...e5 4. Nf3 exd4 5.Bxc4, it's a good position for white. Idk if it's realistic to win back the pawn or not, but the position still has lots of potential.

With e3 though, you win back the pawn, but the DSB is blocked in.

On a side note, I am not a gambit player, so if you can convince me that you can't win back the pawn after e4, then I'll understand lol.

It all comes down to your playing style. I don't know much about the QGA but seems like e3 is the more solid approach, while e4 is more aggressive but also a little bit risky because the center can come under attack.

That's true. I'm not really a risky player, I guess. The only thing is, how do you develop that pesky bishop? I'm the kind of player, where if I'm not able to develop a piece early in the opening I have trouble later on lol. 

I think you could try to play b3-Bb2 to fianchetto the bishop or Bd2 to control some of the dark squares on the queenside. In some lines the d4 pawn might also get traded so you can recapture with the e-pawn to open up the DSB.

Probably those lame people who like slow boring positional chess like that e3 nonsense.  JMHO

Yeah its probably a way to slow the game down and try to hope your opponent makes a mistake sooner than you do or something like that.  Botnavik style

I play the 3. e4 variation by repertoire myself, but 3. e3 is also strong and it is simply preference and the amount of study you have into it. Here is the main difference with 3. e3 versus 3. e4

Neither from my point of view is 3) Nf3 to avoid 3)...e5.

Otherwise the chess.com lesson advises 3) e4 and doesn't seem to be bothered by the potential Queens exchange after the variation with 3...e5

Which queen's exchange do you refer to? The above is fairly mainline-ish, with plenty of deviations till that point, of course in some lines an exchange of queens can happen ( ie some lines after 7.Bb5!? ) but in general 3. e4 e5 is not a queenless middlegame line

Nf3 > e4 > e3

Both lines are good, in your shoes I'd start with e3 as it's the quickest to learn ( and later see about e4).

e4 is the best and most principled technically as it highlights the purpose of playing the Queen's Gambit (c4) which is to deflect the d5 pawn from covering e4. Keep in mind that although the e3 variation has a trap behind it, it still isn't a good idea for black to hold onto the pawn in the e4 variation either.

In fact after 1) d4 d5 2) c4 dxc4 3) e4 e5 4) Nf3 exd4 here I was only considering 5) Qxd4 because 5. Bxc4 I prefer Black or I'm not comfortable with White because of the pawn pass d4

I play 3. e4 myself, but there are many reasons to play it or not play it. I wouldn't go as far as to say 3. e4 is "more principled" than 3. e3 though. Furthermore, the black center pawn is decoyed away from the center on the ...dxc4 capture regardless if white responds with e3 or e4 next.

As for 3. Nf3 others have mentioned: that is also a playable move, but that does nothing to address white's e-pawn. Will the Nf3 line transpose into 3. e4 or 3. e4? This is what you've chosen. If it never transposes, then it is something different and not necessarily still a Queen's Gambit Accepted opening variation.

I see, I haven't studied the Qxd4 line but it seems inconsistent with the spirit of 3. e4. If you don't like the Bxc4 line, which is the mainline, it makes sense thay you don't play 3. e4 altogether, both 2. e3 and 2. Nf3 are fine.

Oh I learned something here!  Nice thread.

Stockfish 11 says e4 actually gives black an advantage, but that's stockfish 11 so idk. Stockfish 11 also says e3 is best move.

It will come out later, via one of four possible methods:

e3-e4 (opens the c1-h6 diagonal)

Bd2

Bb2

or

Ba3

Black is going to play ...c5 at some point (to attack white's d4 central pawn), which will allow the a1 diagonal to open up. So Bb2 is a common maneuver, in these kinds of positions.

Example line:

I would say it's more principled in the sense that it occupies the centre with 2 pawns which is considered to be a main goal of the opening and a type of advantage. In any opening where black doesn't prevent white from occupying the centre with 2 pawns then it's generally the main move.

• French: 1. e4 e6 2. d4
• Caro-Kann: 1. e4 c6 2. d4
• Pirc: 1. e4 d6 2. d4
• King's Indian: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4

It's decoyed regardless but as a result of it being deflected from the centre, white is able to play e4. Whether black plays QGD, Slav or QGA, white can play e3 either way.

I might stick with e3 as I'm not a risky player, and I never do well by playing gambits (which is probably the case with e4 as you're not guaranteed to win back the pawn but while in e3 you probably will)

I've already learned quite a lot of lines with both, including the one that @ssctk posted with e4. But I've also learned a lot with e3. I'm currently still playing e4 (because if my opponent plays, say for example, benoni, KID, dutch, etc., I would have no idea what to do). 

I still can't decide tho lol. Maybe I'll find someone to play with and try them both out.