Slav Defence: free opening course

Key ideas

• Support d5 with ...c6 and keep the c8 bishop free: develop it to f5 or g4 before playing ...e6.
• In the main line, take on c4 and make White spend time winning the pawn back; use that time to develop with ...Bf5, ...e6 and ...Bb4.
• When White plays Qb3, watch b7 and any loose piece on b4; ...Qb6 or ...Qc7 is often the calm answer.
• In the Semi-Slav and Meran, ...dxc4 followed by ...b5, ...Bb7 and ...c5 gives Black queenside space and a strong long-diagonal bishop.
• In symmetrical Exchange positions, equalise by mirroring development and contest the c-file with ...Rc8; don't let White's knight reach b5 or c7 for free.
• Every Slav break is either ...e5 or ...c5: prepare it, then strike once development is complete.

The 6 variations in the course

• Main line: 5.a4 Bf5 6.e3: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 … — Black takes on c4, White plays a4 to stop ...b5, and Black develops the bishop to f5 before playing ...e6. After ...Bb4 and ...O-O, White pushes e4-e5 and Black settles a knight on d5.
• Main line: 6.Ne5 (Krause attack): 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 … — White plays Ne5 to recapture on c4 with the knight. Black answers with ...Nbd7, ...Qc7 and the central break ...e5, then fights for the initiative with ...g5 and queenside castling.
• Exchange Slav: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Bf4 Nc6 6. e3 Bf5 … — White exchanges on d5 to create a symmetrical position. Black mirrors White's development with ...Nc6, ...Bf5 and ...e6, then contests the c-file. The position is equal if Black stays alert to Bb5 and Qa4 pins.
• Semi-Slav: Meran: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 … — Black plays ...e6 and ...Nbd7, then takes on c4 and expands with ...b5, ...Bb7, ...a6 and ...c5. Against White's e4-d5 thrust Black opens the f-file and gets active pieces.
• Chebanenko Slav (4...a6): 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 5. e3 b5 6. b3 Bg4 … — Black plays the useful waiting move ...a6, preparing ...b5. Against 5.e3 Black grabs queenside space with ...b5, swaps the c8 bishop for the f3 knight and builds a solid ...e6 structure.
• Quiet 4.e3: ...Bf5 and the Nh4 hunt: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Bg6 … — White plays an early e3 that shuts in the c1 bishop. Black still develops ...Bf5. If White hunts the bishop with Nh4, Black gives it up for the knight and recaptures toward the centre with ...hxg6, gaining the open h-file.

Traps you will learn (2)

• The undefended knight on e4 — After ...dxc4, ...b5 and ...b4 the c3 knight must move. Players who remember Ne4 from lines without ...Nf6 play it here too, but with the f6 knight on the board the e4 square is simply undefended.
• Qb3 hits b4 and b7 — A watch-out trap in the main line. After both sides castle, Qb3 attacks the b4 bishop and the b7 pawn at once. The calm ...a5 covers everything, but the natural ...Nbd7 leaves the bishop hanging.

How the opening courses work

Each course teaches an opening in a few main variations. For every move you read why it is played, which other moves are good, and which tempting moves are mistakes and why. Each course also shows the traps of the opening: the ones you can set and the ones to avoid.

After a lesson you play the moves yourself in a drill. The lines you learn go into your review, which brings them back when you are about to forget them (spaced repetition). 30 line courses add many short lines per opening, a few new ones a day, and every named opening, more than 3,800 lines, has a lesson of its own.