Chess opening · ECO D10

Slav Defense

The Slav Defense starts 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6. It ranks #38 of the 174 openings on this site by how often rated players on Lichess reach it.

The position after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6. White to move.

Move by move

  1. 1. d4White pushes the d-pawn two squares to d4, staking a claim in the center.
  2. 1... d5Black pushes the d-pawn two squares to d5, staking a claim in the center.
  3. 2. c4White pushes the c-pawn two squares to c4.
  4. 2... c6Black advances the c-pawn to c6.

What players choose next, by rating

The three most common White moves from this position in rated Lichess games, grouped by the rating of the player making the move. Nc3 is the most popular next move in every rating band.

RatingMost commonSecondThird
Under 1200Nc3 43%e3 25%Nf3 13%
1200–1399Nc3 46%e3 20%cxd5 12%
1400–1599Nc3 48%e3 17%Nf3 15%
1600–1799Nc3 53%Nf3 15%e3 14%
1800–1999Nc3 55%Nf3 22%e3 12%
2000 and upNc3 50%Nf3 35%cxd5 8%

Related openings

Queen's GambitThe line this one grows fromSlav Defense: Exchange VariationA variation of this lineSemi-Slav DefenseA variation of this line

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