Semi-Slav Defense

	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H
8th									8th
7th									7th
6th									6th
5									5
4th									4th
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H

Position after 4.… e7 – e6

	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H
8th									8th
7th									7th
6th									6th
5									5
4th									4th
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H

Merano system after 8. Bc4 – d3

	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H
8th									8th
7th									7th
6th									6th
5									5
4th									4th
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H

Merano system after 15.Bd3xb5 as in two games of the 2008 World Cup

	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H
8th									8th
7th									7th
6th									6th
5									5
4th									4th
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H

Botvinnik system after 10.Bh4xg5

The Semi-Slav Defense is a chess opening . It is one of the closed games and is a sub-variant of the Queen's Gambit . In the opening system of the ECO-Codes it is classified with 3.… c6 under D31, and with 4.… c6 under D43 to D49.

The semi-Slavic defense is characterized by early c7 – c6 and e7 – e6, it usually begins with the following moves ( see also: chess notation ):

1. d2-d4 d7-d5

2. c2-c4 c7-c6

3. Ng1-f3 Ng8-f6

4. Nb1-c3 e7-e6

Also possible: 1. d2 – d4 d7 – d5 2. c2 – c4 e7 – e6 3. Ng1 – f3 Ng8 – f6 4. Nb1 – c3 c7 – c6 or 1. d2 – d4 d7 – d5 2. c2 – c4 e7 – e6 3.Ng1 – f3 c7 – c6 (triangular formation)

variants

• The following systems are introduced with 5. e2 – e3 :
  • The Merano system 5.… Nb8 – d7 6. Bf1 – d3 d5xc4 was introduced in Merano in 1924 by Akiba Rubinstein against Ernst Grünfeld . After 7. Bd3xc4 b7 – b5 8. Bc4 – d3 ( Capablancas 8. Bc4 – e2 and Kortschnois 8. Bc4 – b3 had no influence.) The characteristic position for the Merano system emerges.
    • Rubinstein played the 8th… a7 – a6, which he had made classic, to allow c6 – c5 to follow. After the sharp continuation 9. e3 – e4 c6 – c5 10. e4 – e5 c5xd4 11. Nc3xb5 a6xb5 12. e5xf6 g7xf6 13. 0–0 Qd8 – b6 14. Qd1 – e2 Bc8 – b7 15. Bd3xb5 Viswanathan Anand was able to fight in the world championship In 2008 he won two black victories against Vladimir Kramnik . Today, the Reynolds attack created by 10. d4 – d5 , which is intended on 10.… e6xd5 11. e4 – e5 followed by 12. Bc1 – g5 along with Nc3xd5, is mostly preferred.
    • In the 13th game of the revenge match in 1958, Botvinnik used the Lundin variant 8.… b5 – b4 to move c6 – c5 without the preparation a7 – a6.
    • The modern 8 ... Bc8 – b7 is named after Robert Graham Wade . 9. e3 – e4 b5 – b4 10. Nc3 – a4 c6 – c5 11. e4 – e5 Nf6 – d5 was used intensively by Bent Larsen without fear of losing castling after 12.Na4xc5 Nd7xc5 13. d4xc5 Bf8xc5 14. Bd3 – b5 + Ke8 – e7 to have.
  • White can evade these long and sharp variants with the anti-Meraner variant 5.… Nb8 – d7 6. Qd1 – c2 . Black then encounters White's advance in the center e3 – e4 or White long castling after Bc1 – d2 with the preparation of the counterattack in the center e6 – e5, starting with 6.… Bf8 – d6 . The two native Latvians Alexei Schirow and Alexander Shabalov popularized the sharp pawn sacrifice 7. g2 – g4. Other ways of playing are 7. Bf1 – d3 (or 7. Bf1 – e2), which after 7.… 0–0 8. 0–0 d5xc4 9. Bd3xc4 (or 9. Be2xc4) changes into position types similar to the Merano system, and the quieter moves 7. b2 – b3 and 7. Bc1 – d2.
  • In the 2012 World Championship match, Anand turned the silent move 5.… a7 – a6 !? against Boris Gelfand . The game can change into the Tschebanenko variant, which is introduced by 4.… a7 – a6 (instead of 4.… e7 – e6), as well as into the Merano system or the anti-Merano version. Gelfand reacted in two games with 6. b2 – b3, in one game with 6. Qd1 – c2. Gelfand finally won with 6. c4 – c5.
• After 5. Bc1 – g5 Black has the following options:
  • The Botvinnik system 5.… d5xc4 : This line is one of the most complicated in opening theory. After 6. e2 – e4 b7 – b5 7. e4 – e5 h7 – h6 8. Bg5 – h4 g7 – g5 White sacrifices a piece with 9. Nf3xg5 - first played by Szigeti against Michlo in the 1931 Hungarian championship - for a short time. After further follow- 9 ... h6xg5 10. Lh4xg5 wins White figure because of the bondage back. The other plays are now analyzed well beyond the twentieth move, tactically shaped and often result in uneven material distribution and heterogeneous castling . Botvinnik first played this variant in the Moscow championship in 1944. Two years earlier it was used in several games by the German chess master Klaus Junge .
  • 5. ... h7-h6 what to 6. Lg5xf6 to Moscow Variation after 6 Bg5-h4 leads to the Anti-Moscow Gambit.
  • 5.… Nb8 – d7 after 6. e2 – e3 Qd8 – a5 reaches the Cambridge Springs variant of the Queen's Gambit rejected by changing the move .
• After 5. c4xd5 , after 5.… c6xd5 the exchange variant of the Slavic Defense arises , after 5.… e6xd5 the exchange variant of the Rejected Queen's Gambit .
• Less common lines are the fianchetto variant 5. g2 – g3 and the queen moves 5. Qd1 – b3 , 5. Qd1 – c2 and 5. Qd1 – d3 . The latter was popularized by David Navara in recent years.

The sequence of moves 1. d2 – d4 d7 – d5 2. c2 – c4 c7 – c6 3. Nb1 – c3 e7 – e6 is called a triangle system, it also leads to the semi-Slavic defense and usually goes into one of the above by changing moves Variants above, but the following variants are also made possible by the delay of ... Ng8 – f6:

• The Noteboom variant : 4. Ng1 – f3 d5xc4 5. a2 – a4 Bf8 – b4 6. e2 – e3 b7 – b5 7. Bc1 – d2
• 4. Ng1 – f3 (or 4. e2 – e3) f7 – f5 leads to the Stonewall system of the Dutch Defense
• The Marshall Gambit or Slavonic Gambit 4. e2 – e4 d5xe4 5. Nc3xe4 Bf8 – b4 + 6. Bc1 – d2 Qd8xd4 7. Bd2xb4 Qd4xe4 + 8. Bf1 – e2 or 8. Ng1 – e2 wants to take advantage of the weakness of the black squares.

literature

• David Vigorito: Play the Semi-Slav . Quality Chess, Glasgow 2008, ISBN 978-91-85779-01-7 .