Opening family
Slav Defense Lines and Variations
The Slav Defense family contains 52 named lines in this opening book, spanning ECO D10 to D19. 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
- D10 · Slav Defense
- D10 · Slav Defense
- D10 · Slav Defense: Diemer Gambit
- D10 · Slav Defense: Exchange Variation
- D11 · Slav Defense: Modern Line
- D10 · Slav Defense
- D10 · Slav Defense: Winawer Countergambit
- D10 · Slav Defense: Slav Gambit, Alekhine Attack
- D10 · Slav Defense: Winawer Countergambit, Anti-Winawer Gambit
- D11 · Slav Defense: Bonet Gambit
- D11 · Slav Defense: Breyer Variation
- D11 · Slav Defense: Quiet Variation
- D15 · Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation
- D11 · Slav Defense: Quiet Variation, Pin Defense
- D12 · Slav Defense: Quiet Variation, Schallopp Defense
- D13 · Slav Defense: Exchange Variation
- D15 · Slav Defense: Chebanenko Variation
- D15 · Slav Defense: Schlechter Variation
- D15 · Slav Defense: Süchting Variation
- D15 · Slav Defense: Two Knights Attack
- D10 · Slav Defense: Exchange Variation, Boor Attack
- D15 · Slav Defense: Alekhine Variation
- D15 · Slav Defense: Chebanenko Variation, Advance System
- D15 · Slav Defense: Geller Gambit
Deep theory branches
- 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Qc7 8. g3 e5 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Bf4 Nfd7 11. Bg2 g5 — Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Carlsbad Variation, Morozevich Variation
- 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. O-O O-O 9. Qe2 Ne4 10. g4 — Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Dutch Variation, Sämisch Variation
- 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. O-O O-O 9. Qe2 — Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Classical System, Main Line
- 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. cxd5 cxd5 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bf4 Bf5 7. e3 e6 8. Qb3 Bb4 — Slav Defense: Exchange Variation, Trifunovic Variation
- 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Qc7 8. g3 e5 — Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Carlsbad Variation
- 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. Qb3 Qc8 7. Bd2 e6 8. Na3 — Slav Defense: Quiet Variation, Landau Variation
- 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 e6 7. f3 Bb4 8. e4 — Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Wiesbaden Variation, Sharp Line
- 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. O-O — Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Dutch Variation
- 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. Nc3 e6 7. Ne5 Nfd7 — Slav Defense: Quiet Variation, Amsterdam Variation
- 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Na6 7. e4 — Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Krause Attack, Fazekas Gambit
- 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Bf4 Bf5 — Slav Defense: Exchange Variation, Symmetrical Line
- 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 e6 — Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Wiesbaden Variation
- 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 Na6 — Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Lasker Variation
- 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Bg4 5. Bg2 e6 6. O-O — Slav Defense: Modern Line
- 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 c6 4. Bg2 Bg4 5. O-O Nbd7 6. c4 — Slav Defense: Modern Line
- 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. Nc3 — Slav Defense: Exchange Variation, Schallopp Variation