Opening family
Semi-Slav Defense Lines and Variations
The Semi-Slav Defense family contains 68 named lines in this opening book, spanning ECO D30 to D49. Use this page as the map, then open individual lines for exact move orders and diagrams.
How to study this family
White
White should use the move order as a checkpoint: finish development, identify the central break, and compare the continuations below before memorizing moves.
Black
Black should ask what White is threatening in the center, then choose development moves that prepare a clean pawn break or a useful exchange.
Start with the shortest line, then branch to the variations that change the pawn structure or tactical target. Memorizing every branch before understanding the family plan is usually wasted work.
Main named lines
- D31 · Semi-Slav Defense: Accelerated Move Order
- D31 · Semi-Slav Defense: Marshall Gambit
- D31 · Semi-Slav Defense: Noteboom Variation
- D43 · Semi-Slav Defense
- D30 · Semi-Slav Defense: Quiet Variation
- D31 · Semi-Slav Defense: Anti-Noteboom, Stonewall Variation, Portisch Gambit
- D31 · Semi-Slav Defense: Gunderam Gambit
- D31 · Semi-Slav Defense: Noteboom Variation, Anti-Noteboom Gambit
- D31 · Semi-Slav Defense: Noteboom Variation, Anti-Noteboom Variation
- D45 · Semi-Slav Defense: Main Line
- D30 · Semi-Slav Defense: Quiet Variation
- D31 · Semi-Slav Defense: Noteboom Variation, Anti-Noteboom Variation, Belyavsky Line
- D45 · Semi-Slav Defense: Accelerated Meran Variation
- D45 · Semi-Slav Defense: Normal Variation
- D31 · Semi-Slav Defense: Marshall Gambit, Forgotten Variation
- D31 · Semi-Slav Defense: Marshall Gambit, Main Line
- D43 · Semi-Slav Defense: Anti-Moscow Gambit
- D44 · Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation
- D45 · Semi-Slav Defense: Rubinstein System
- D45 · Semi-Slav Defense: Stoltz Variation
- D46 · Semi-Slav Defense: Main Line
- D43 · Semi-Slav Defense: Moscow Variation
- D45 · Semi-Slav Defense: Stonewall Defense
- D46 · Semi-Slav Defense: Bogoljubow Variation
Deep theory branches
- 1. 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. Bg5 — Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Rellstab Attack
- 1. 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. Nxd4 — Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Wade Variation, Kaidanov Gambit
- 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 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 — Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Sozin Variation
- 1. 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. Qf3 — Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Stahlberg Variation
- 1. 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 — Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Wade Variation, Larsen Variation
- 1. 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 Ng4 — Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Rabinovich Variation
- 1. 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. e5 cxd4 11. Nxb5 Nxe5 — Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Sozin 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 11. g3 — Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Lilienthal Variation
- 1. 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. Qf3 — Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Szabo Variation
- 1. 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. Qc2 — Semi-Slav Defense: Chigorin Defense
- 1. 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 — Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Blumenfeld 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. exf6 gxh4 10. Ne5 — Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Ekstrom Variation
- 1. 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. dxe5 — Semi-Slav Defense: Stoltz Variation, Center Variation, Mikhalchishin Line
- 1. 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. Qc2 — Semi-Slav Defense: Chigorin Defense
- 1. 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. Bb2 — Semi-Slav Defense: Main Line
- 1. 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 — Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Old Variation