Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Ekstrom Variation is a chess opening with the ECO code D44, part of the Semi-Slav Defense family. It goes 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. exf6 gxh4 10. Ne5. White opens with 1. d4 (the queen's pawn) and Black answers 1... d5. After 19 moves it is Black to move. After the last move Black is a pawn ahead in material. The lesson on the board explains every move of the line and lets you play it yourself; it is free.
The moves
1. d4 – White plays the pawn to d4
1... d5 – Black plays the pawn to d5
2. c4 – White plays the pawn to c4
2... c6 – Black plays the pawn to c6
3. Nf3 – White plays the knight to f3
3... Nf6 – Black plays the knight to f6
4. Nc3 – White plays the knight to c3
4... e6 – Black plays the pawn to e6
5. Bg5 – White plays the bishop to g5
5... dxc4 – Black captures on c4 with the d-pawn
6. e4 – White plays the pawn to e4
6... b5 – Black plays the pawn to b5
The line goes on for 7 more moves; the lesson shows them all.
About the Semi-Slav Defense
Black combines ...c6 and ...e6 against the Queen's Gambit, making a solid triangle around d5. Some lines, like the Meran and Botvinnik, are very sharp.
Black can take on c4 with ...dxc4 and hold the pawn with ...b5.
The freeing breaks are ...c5 and ...e5.
The c8 bishop often goes to b7 after ...b5 or ...b6.
chessGM