Semi-Slav Defense
You play Black · 36 variations
Mixed practice
The machine picks a different variation every time.
Take a quiz
10 positions: find the next theory move in each. No take-backs, no hints.
Main variations · 24
- Meran Variation, Rellstab AttackD491. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 9. e4 c5 10. e5 cxd4 11. Nxb5 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 axb5 13. O-O Qd5 14. Qe2 Ba6 15. Bg515 moves
- Meran Variation, Stahlberg VariationD491. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 9. e4 c5 10. e5 cxd4 11. Nxb5 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 axb5 13. Qf313 moves
- Meran Variation, Wade Variation, Kaidanov GambitD471. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. e4 b4 10. Na4 c5 11. e5 Nd5 12. O-O cxd4 13. Nxd413 moves
- Meran Variation, Rabinovich VariationD491. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 9. e4 c5 10. e5 cxd4 11. Nxb5 Ng411 moves
- Meran Variation, Reynolds' VariationD481. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 9. e4 c5 10. d510 moves
- Meran Variation, Pirc VariationD481. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. e3 Nf6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 9. e4 b49 moves
- Meran Variation, Lundin VariationD471. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 b48 moves
- Botvinnik Variation, Lilienthal VariationD441. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Nxg5 hxg5 10. Bxg5 Nbd7 11. g311 moves
- Botvinnik Variation, Szabo VariationD441. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Nxg5 hxg5 10. Bxg5 Nbd7 11. Qf311 moves
- Botvinnik Variation, Ekstrom VariationD441. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. exf6 gxh4 10. Ne510 moves
- Botvinnik Variation, Alatortsev SystemD441. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Nxg5 Nd59 moves
- Hastings VariationD431. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. Qb37 moves
- Anti-Moscow GambitD431. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh46 moves
- Chigorin DefenseD461. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. b3 O-O 8. Bb2 Re8 9. Bd39 moves
- Chigorin DefenseD461. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. b3 O-O 8. Bb2 Qe7 9. Bd39 moves
- Stoltz Variation, Center Variation, Mikhalchishin LineD451. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. e4 dxe4 8. Nxe4 Nxe4 9. Qxe4 e5 10. dxe510 moves
- Stoltz Variation, Shabalov AttackD451. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. g47 moves
- Main LineD461. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 b6 7. b3 Bb7 8. Bd3 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Bb210 moves
- Normal VariationD451. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. b3 Bd6 7. Bb2 O-O 8. Be28 moves
- Marshall Gambit, Tolush VariationD311. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. e4 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Qxd4 7. Bxb4 Qxe4+ 8. Be2 c5 9. Bxc5 Qxg29 moves
- Marshall Gambit, Forgotten VariationD311. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. e4 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Bb4+ 6. Nc36 moves
- Noteboom Variation, Abrahams VariationD311. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. a4 Bb4 6. e3 Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 b5 8. axb5 cxb58 moves
- Noteboom Variation, Anti-Noteboom Variation, Belyavsky LineD311. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. Bg5 f65 moves
- Noteboom Variation, Anti-Noteboom GambitD311. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. g35 moves
Other variations · 12
- Chigorin DefenseD461. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bd6 9. O-O Bb7 10. a3 O-O 11. Qc211 moves
- Chigorin DefenseD461. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 e6 4. e3 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bd6 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Nbd7 9. O-O O-O 10. Qc210 moves
- Chigorin DefenseD461. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. b3 Bd6 7. Bb2 O-O 8. Bd38 moves
- Chigorin DefenseD461. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. Qc27 moves
- Accelerated Meran VariationD451. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 a65 moves
- Anti-Noteboom, Stonewall Variation, Portisch GambitD311. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. e3 f5 5. g45 moves
- Bogoljubow VariationD461. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 Be76 moves
- Gunderam GambitD311. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. e4 dxe4 5. f35 moves
- Quiet VariationD301. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nbd2 Nbd75 moves
- Romih VariationD461. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 Bb46 moves
- Rubinstein SystemD451. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Ne56 moves
- Stonewall DefenseD451. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Ne4 6. Bd3 f56 moves
What is the Semi-Slav Defense?
The Semi-Slav Defense arises after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6. Black combines the Slav pawn on c6 with the Queen's Gambit Declined pawn on e6, forming a very solid triangle around d5, and keeps the option of taking on c4 and expanding with ...b5. Although the structure looks quiet, the Semi-Slav contains some of the sharpest and most deeply analysed lines in all of 1.d4 theory, and it is a mainstream defence at the highest level.
Main ideas and plans
Against the calmer e3, the main answer is the Meran Variation, 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3. You gain space on the queenside, put your bishop on b7 and free your game with the ...c5 break, often prepared by ...a6; when White pushes e4 and e5 the play becomes concrete and tactical. If White chooses the Stoltz Variation with Qc2 instead of Bd3, you usually develop with ...Bd6 and must be ready for the aggressive Shabalov Attack with g4.
The sharpest test is Bg5. In the Botvinnik Variation, 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Nxg5 hxg5 10.Bxg5 Nbd7, both sides sacrifice and the game turns into a forcing tactical race that demands deep preparation. The alternative is ...h6, the Moscow approach: if White takes on f6 you get the bishop pair in a solid position, and if he retreats with Bh4 you can enter the Anti-Moscow Gambit with ...dxc4, ...g5 and ...b5, which is also very sharp. White also has the Marshall Gambit through the move order 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 e6 4.e4 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Bb4+, offering a pawn for open lines, while the Noteboom Variation is a related way for Black to grab c4 and hold it with ...b5.
Who is it for?
The Semi-Slav suits ambitious players who like concrete calculation and will invest serious study time, because the Botvinnik, Anti-Moscow and Meran lines are deeply theoretical and a single forgotten move can lose quickly. Club players can make it more manageable by meeting Bg5 with ...Nbd7 or ...Be7, which leads to Queen's Gambit Declined territory, and by concentrating on the Meran structure. The first things to learn are the role of the ...c5 break in the Meran and how to meet the quieter e3 and Qc2 systems that most opponents actually play.