Chessbook

Slav Defense repertoire for Black

By Chessbook. Free, with a PGN download.

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The core of the repertoire is the same at every rating. Enter your rating to maximize performance against your opponents.

Tuned for Lichess 1400-1600: 42 moves.

Free. The PGN needs no account; studying opens in Chessbook.

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[Event "Chessbook Slav Defense repertoire (1400-1600)"]
[Site "https://chessbook.com/courses/slav"]
[Annotator "Chessbook"]
[Result "*"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 ( 2. Bf4 c5 3. e3 ( 3. Nf3 cxd4 4. Nxd4 f6 ) ( 3. c3 Nc6 4. e3
Qb6 5. Qb3 ( 5. Qc2 Bf5 ) 5... c4 ) ( 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. e3 cxd4 5. exd4 a6 )
3... Nc6 4. c3 ( 4. Nf3 Nf6 ) ( 4. Nc3 ) ) ( 2. Nf3 c5 3. e3 ( 3. Bf4 ) ( 3. c3
cxd4 4. cxd4 Nf6 ) ( 3. dxc5 e6 ) 3... Nf6 ) ( 2. e3 c5 3. Nf3 ( 3. c3 Nc6 ) (
3. dxc5 e6 ) ) ( 2. Nc3 c5 3. Bf4 ( 3. dxc5 Nf6 ) ) ( 2. e4 dxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6
4. f3 Bf5 ) 2... c6 3. Nc3 ( 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 ( 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 ) 4... Bf5
5. e3 ( 5. Bg5 e6 6. e3 Be7 ) ( 5. Qb3 Qb6 ) ) ( 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nc3 ( 4. Nf3 )
4... Bf5 5. Nf3 ) ( 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. Nf3 ( 4. Nc3 Nf6 ) ) 3... Nf6 4. Nf3 (
4. Bg5 Ne4 5. Nxe4 dxe4 6. e3 Qa5+ 7. Qd2 Qxg5 ) ( 4. e3 ) ( 4. Bf4 dxc4 ) *

About this repertoire

The Slav Defense: a sturdy answer to 1.d4 and the Queen's Gambit.

Chessbook's Slav Defense repertoire for Black, built from millions of games between players at your rating. It covers the moves your opponents actually play, to a 1-in-200 coverage target, and picks lines that score well and are easy to remember.

It's free: study it on Chessbook with spaced repetition, or download the PGN.

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Questions about the Slav Defense repertoire

Is the Chessbook Slav Defense repertoire free?

Yes. Studying it on Chessbook is free, and so is the PGN download, which needs no account.

Can I download it as a PGN?

Yes: https://chessbook.com/courses/slav.pgn?band=1400-1600. Pick your rating first to download the version for your level. It imports into Lichess studies, ChessBase and other tools.

Why does it depend on my rating?

The main Black choices stay the same, but opponents at different ratings play different moves. Each rating's version prepares for the replies you will actually face, using millions of games between players at that level.

How much does it cover?

Every opponent reply that comes up in at least 1 game in 200 at your rating, picking lines that score well and are easy to remember.

Train it with spaced repetition

Pick your rating, and Chessbook schedules every move of the repertoire until you never forget it.

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