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Slav Defense

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Bulletproof structure meets active piece play. Solid and dangerous.

One of Black's most reliable defenses to the Queen's Gambit. The key idea: c6 supports d5 while keeping the light-squared bishop free to develop to f5 — unlike the Queen's Gambit Declined where e6 traps it.

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  • ◆c6 supports d5 without blocking the c8 bishop
  • ◆The bishop develops to f5 BEFORE playing e6
  • ◆dxc4 grabs the pawn in the main line, with Bf5 to follow
  • ◆The Semi-Slav (c6 + e6) maximizes solidity at the cost of the bishop
  • ◆a4 prevents b5 in the main line
  • ◆The Exchange Slav leads to a minority attack structure

“Let us master this.”

Played by
Vladimir Kramnik,Viswanathan Anand,Veselin Topalov,Fabiano Caruana

Learning Path

8 lessons

Master Games

2 games