Slav Defense - 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.
Let's learn the rarer 4th moves! White shields its c4 pawn with e3 instead of trading on d5. We develop our bishop to f5, a lighter alternative to the main line. Let's begin with 1.d4.
Learn this chapter freeMain line
Scroll the moves: the board follows.
Key lines
The free lines of this chapter, each one trainable move by move.
- Main Line
… 6. Bd3 Bxd3 7. Qxd3 h6 8. O-O Nbd7
- 3. e3
… 2... c6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nf3 Bf5
- 3. e3
… 2... c6 3. e3 Nf6 4. cxd5 cxd5
- 3. e3
… 2... c6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Bf5 5. Nf3 e6 6. Bd3 Bxd3 7. Qxd3 h6 8. O-O Nbd7
- 5. cxd5
… 4... Bf5 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. Qb3 Nc6 7. Qxb7 Bd7 8. Qb3 Rb8 9. Qd1 e5 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. Be2 Bb4
- 6. Be2
… 5... e6 6. Be2 h6 7. O-O Nbd7 8. b3 Bb4 9. Bb2 O-O
- 6. Nh4
… 5... e6 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Nxg6 hxg6
- 6. Qb3
… 5... e6 6. Qb3 Qb6 7. c5 Qc7 8. Ne5 Nbd7
Other chapters
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.
19 linesEarly 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.
17 linesEarly 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.
8 linesModern 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.
10 linesExchange 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.
11 lines
Learn Early e3 Setup (3.e3, 4.e3) on the board
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