For Black· 6 chapters· Free

Slav Defense Repertoire

A sturdy answer to the Queen's Gambit: a solid center, easy development and a plan against every main White try.

Train this repertoire free
Slav Defense: position after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5
After 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5

Chapters

Each chapter shows its main line move by move, with the coach's comments.

  1. Three Knights Variation (4.Nf3): position after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. O-O O-O 9. Qe2 Bg6 10. Ne5 Nbd7 11. Nxg6 hxg6 12. Rd1 Qc7

    Three Knights Variation (4.Nf3)

    After 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.a4, meet 5...Bf5, 6.e3 e6 and develop with Bb4, O-O and Bg6, aiming for ...Qc7 to prep ...e5. You accept the bishop pair but get doubled g-pawns and a queenside majority.

    1 · 19 lines
  2. Early Bg5 (4.Bg5 dxc4): position after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxc4 5. e4 b5 6. a4 b4 7. Na2 Nxe4 8. Be3 b3

    Early Bg5 (4.Bg5 dxc4)

    White meets ...Nf6 with 4.Bg5, then often plays 6.a4, a mistake. Meet it with 6...b4, grab the pawn with 7...Nxe4, and push 8...b3. Trade on c3 with Nxc3, develop Be6, and hit White's weak pawns with Qa5.

    2 · 17 lines
  3. Early e3 Setup (3.e3, 4.e3): position after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nf3 e6 6. Bd3 Bxd3 7. Qxd3 h6 8. O-O Nbd7

    Early e3 Setup (3.e3, 4.e3)

    After 4.e3, play 4...Bf5 and meet 5.Nf3 with 5...e6, offering a trade with 6...Bxd3 if given the chance. You aim for a solid, easy setup with your king safely castled.

    3 · 8 lines
  4. Early Bf4 (4.Bf4 dxc4): position after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bf4 dxc4 5. e3 b5 6. a4 Qb6 7. axb5 cxb5 8. Nf3 e6 9. Be2 Bb4

    Early Bf4 (4.Bf4 dxc4)

    White develops 4.Bf4, then tries 6.a4 to challenge your queenside after you play 5...b5. Castle, retreat your bishop to e7, then push b4 and bring your bishop to a6. Aim for a queenside pawn majority against White's isolated b2 pawn.

    4 · 8 lines
  5. Modern Line (3.Nf3): position after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4

    Modern Line (3.Nf3)

    White plays the Modern Line with 3.Nf3, then develops with 4.Nc3, eyeing your d5 pawn. You meet 1.d4 with ...d5 and 2.c4 with ...c6, so a pawn can recapture on d5 and hold the center. Aim for a solid Slav Defense structure with your center firmly supported.

    5 · 10 lines
  6. Exchange Variation (3.cxd5): position after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Bf4 Bf5 7. e3 e6 8. Bd3 Bxd3 9. Qxd3 Be7 10. O-O O-O 11. a3 a6

    Exchange Variation (3.cxd5)

    White opens lines early with 3.cxd5, the Exchange Slav. You recapture cxd5, develop with Nf6, Nc6 and Bf5, then play e6 and trade bishops on d3 before castling. Watch the trap after 5.Bg5 Ne4 6.Nxe4 dxe4 7.e3 Qa5+, winning a piece. Aim for a plan with a6, Na5 and Rc8, trading rooks on the open c-file.

    6 · 11 lines

About this repertoire

A sturdy answer to the Queen's Gambit: keep your center intact and develop with ease.

The Slav lets you hold the center with pawns instead of pieces. This course gives you 73 lines in 6 chapters, covering every main White try after 2...c6, from the Three Knights to the Exchange Variation and the early e3 setups. You get a plan for each line, ready punishments for typical club-level mistakes, and master games and puzzles to drill the ideas.

After 2...c6. You shore up your d5 pawn, so if White takes on d5 a pawn recaptures and holds the center, opening the Slav Defense.
After 2...c6. You shore up your d5 pawn, so if White takes on d5 a pawn recaptures and holds the center, opening the Slav Defense.

What you'll learn

Three Knights Variation (4.Nf3)

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3

White develops naturally with 4.Nf3, so you grab the pawn with 4...dxc4. Against 5.a4 you develop with 5...Bf5 and 6...e6 while White spends time regaining it. Against 5.e4 and the quieter 5.e3 you hold the pawn with 5...b5, meeting 6.a4 with 6...b4. Watch for tries like 6.Bg5 Ne4, where a careless 8.e3 lets you win the bishop on g5 with ...Bxf3 and ...Qa5+, and 7.Na2 after 5.e4, which lets you grab a second pawn with 7...Nxe4.

After 12...Qc7. White has the bishop pair and your g-pawns are doubled, but you have a queenside pawn majority and your queen backs a future push to e5.
After 12...Qc7. White has the bishop pair and your g-pawns are doubled, but you have a queenside pawn majority and your queen backs a future push to e5.

Early Bg5 (4.Bg5 dxc4)

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5

4.Bg5 invites 4...dxc4, and after 5.e4 you defend the pawn with 5...b5. If White answers with 6.a4 and 7.Na2, you punish it with 6...b4 and 7...Nxe4, grabbing a second pawn while attacking the bishop on g5. From there you push 8...b3, and if White's knight comes back to c3 you trade it off and swing your queen to a5 against White's weak pawns. The chapter also covers 6.e5 h6, including 7.Bh4 g5, the 6.Nf3 h6 lines, and White's tries 5.a4, 5.e3 and 5.Bxf6.

After 8...b3. You are two pawns up with a strong knight on e4, and if White's knight returns to c3 you follow with ...Nxc3 and ...Qa5. You are clearly winning.
After 8...b3. You are two pawns up with a strong knight on e4, and if White's knight returns to c3 you follow with ...Nxc3 and ...Qa5. You are clearly winning.

Early e3 Setup (3.e3, 4.e3)

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3

Against an early e3 you bring your bishop out to f5 before playing ...e6. If White offers a trade of bishops with 6.Bd3, you take with 6...Bxd3 and meet 7.Qxd3 with 7...h6 to deny the g5 square. After White castles you finish with 8...Nbd7, ready to meet a future e4 push with ...dxe4. The chapter also covers 6.Be2, 6.Nh4 Bg6, 6.Qb3 Qb6, the 5.cxd5 cxd5 6.Qb3 pawn grab, where you give up b7 for quick development, and the 3.e3 move order, met by 3...Nf6 and ...Bf5.

After 8...Nbd7. You plan to trade on e4 with ...dxe4, then develop your bishop to d6 and castle.
After 8...Nbd7. You plan to trade on e4 with ...dxe4, then develop your bishop to d6 and castle.

Early Bf4 (4.Bf4 dxc4)

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bf4

4.Bf4 lets you take 4...dxc4, and after 5.e3 you defend it with 5...b5. Following 6.a4 Qb6, the trade 7.axb5 is a mistake you meet with 7...cxb5, keeping your extra pawn and a healthy queenside majority. You finish development with 8...e6 and 9...Bb4, planning to castle, drop the bishop back to e7 when White's knight reaches a2, and take on b3 if White plays b3. You also learn 5.a4 Nd5 and the 5.e4 b5 lines, where 7.Na2 again lets you pick up the e4 pawn.

After 9...Bb4. You are a pawn up with a queenside pawn majority, White's b2 pawn is isolated, and you plan to castle and later bring your bishop back to e7.
After 9...Bb4. You are a pawn up with a queenside pawn majority, White's b2 pawn is isolated, and you plan to castle and later bring your bishop back to e7.

Modern Line (3.Nf3)

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3

3.Nf3 delays Nc3, and 3...Nf6 4.Nc3 transposes into the Three Knights Variation you already know. If White tries 4.cxd5 instead, you recapture with 4...cxd5. Against 4.g3 you develop with ...Bf5, ...e6 and ...h6, and meet Qb3 with ...Qb6, offering a queen trade. Against 4.e3 you play 4...Bf5 again: 5.Nc3 e6 reaches the Early e3 Setup, and you also get answers to 5.Bd3, 5.cxd5 and 5.Qb3.

After 4.Nc3. White's knight adds pressure on your d5 pawn, and the game is now the Three Knights Variation.
After 4.Nc3. White's knight adds pressure on your d5 pawn, and the game is now the Three Knights Variation.

Exchange Variation (3.cxd5)

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.cxd5

3.cxd5 opens the Exchange Variation, and you recapture with 3...cxd5 to open the c-file. You develop with ...Nf6, ...Nc6, ...Bf5 and ...e6, trade bishops after 8.Bd3 Bxd3, and finish with ...Be7 and castling. Watch for the trap after 5.Bg5 Ne4 6.Nxe4 dxe4 7.e3, where 7...Qa5+ wins you a piece. You also get answers to early Bf4 and Nf3 move orders and to 6.Bg5.

After 11...a6. You plan ...Na5 and ...Rc8, trading rooks on the open c-file against White's position.
After 11...a6. You plan ...Na5 and ...Rc8, trading rooks on the open c-file against White's position.

What's inside

  • 73 lines in 6 chapters, each one with a clear plan.
  • Traps featured as priority lines, so you learn the tricks that win games first.
  • Amateur mistakes flagged. Moves most amateurs choose but masters avoid are called out when you meet them.
  • 8 master games played in these lines, linked from the moves where they leave the course.
  • 26 puzzles from real games of this opening.

Why this repertoire?

  • Built for club players. The traps target typical club mistakes, like 6.a4 and 7.Na2 against 4.Bg5 or 7.axb5 against 4.Bf4.
  • One clear setup per White try. From the Three Knights to the Exchange Variation, you know what to play and why.
  • Recurring plans, not just moves. You bring your bishop to f5 before ...e6, hold the extra c4 pawn with ...b5 when White allows it, and aim for a queenside pawn majority or a timely ...e5.
  • Understanding over memorizing. Every move comes with the idea behind it, so you can adapt when your opponent deviates.
  • Backed by real games. Master games and puzzles reinforce the same ideas you study in the lines.

Train the Slav Defense repertoire

Play every line on the board and let spaced repetition bring back the moves you forget. Free to start.

Train this repertoire free