Semi-Slav Defense

Semi-Slav Defense

The Semi-Slav Defense is one of the most popular defenses for black against the Queen's Gambit line from white. This opening is seen at all levels of chess competition and is often seen as one of the most sound defenses at top level play...

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.d4 c6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 dxc4 7.e4 g5
8.Bg3 b5 9.Be2 Bb7 10.e5 Nh5 11.a4 a6 12.Nxg5 Nxg3 13.Nxf7
Kxf7 14.fxg3 Kg8 15.O-O Nd7 16.Bg4 Qe7 17.Ne4 Rh7 18.Nd6 Rb8
19.b4 h5 20.Bh3 Bh6 21.Kh1 Bg5 22.Qc2 Rg7 23.Qe2 Ba8 24.Qxh5
Rf8 25.Ne4 c5 26.Nxg5 Bd5 27.Nf3 cxb4 28.axb5 axb5 29.Nh4 Qg5
30.Rxf8+ Nxf8 31.Qe8 Rf7 32.Nf3 Qg6 33.Qxb5 b3 34.Rf1 Qd3
35.Kg1 Qe3+ 36.Kh1 c3 37.Bxe6 Bxe6 38.d5 Rxf3 39.gxf3 Bh3
40.Qc4 Bxf1 41.Qg4+ Kh7 42.e6 Ng6 0-1

A Famous Game

Levon Aronian vs Viswanathan Anand
FIDE World Championship Tournament 2007

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c6 5.Bg5 h6
6.Bh4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 8.Bg3 b5
9.Ne5 h5 10.h4 g4
11.Be2 Bb7 12.O-O Nbd7 13.Qc2 Nxe5 14.Bxe5 Bg7 15.Rad1 O-O
16.Bg3 Nd7 17.f3 c5 18.dxc5 Qe7 19.Kh1 a6 20.a4 Bc6 21.Nd5 exd5 22.exd5 Be5 23.f4 Bg7 24.dxc6 Nxc5 25.Rd5
Ne4 26.Be1 Qe6
27.Rxh5 f5 28.Kh2 Rac8 29.Bb4 Rfe8 30.axb5 axb5
31.Re1 Qf7 32.Rg5 Nxg5 33.fxg5 Rxc6
34.Bf1 Rxe1 35.Bxe1 Re6 36.Bc3 Qc7+ 37.g3 Re3 38.Qg2 Bxc3
39.bxc3 f4 40.Qa8+ Kg7 41.Qa6 fxg3+ 0-1

Magnus Carlsen vs Atle Groenn
Norwegian Championship 2005
Chess opening-Semi-Slav Defense: Anti-Moscow Gambit
[Result 1-0]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 Qb6
7. Qc2 Ne4 8. e3 Bb4 9. Bd3 Qa5 10. O-O Nxc3 11. bxc3 Bxc3
12. Rab1 dxc4 13. Bxc4 Bb4 14. Ne5 Bd6 15. f4 Qc7 16. Qe4 b6
17. Nxf7 Qxf7 18. f5 Qh5 19. Bxe6 Nd7 20. f6 Nxf6 21. Rxf6
Qxh4 22. Qxc6+ Ke7 23. Rf7+ Kxe6 24. Qc4# 1-0

Vladimir Kramnik vs Viswanathan Anand
It (cat.18) 1997
Chess opening-Semi-Slav Defense: Anti-Moscow Gambit
[Result 0-1]

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.d4 c6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 dxc4 7.e4 g5
8.Bg3 b5 9.Be2 Bb7 10.e5 Nh5 11.a4 a6 12.Nxg5 Nxg3 13.Nxf7
Kxf7 14.fxg3 Kg8 15.O-O Nd7 16.Bg4 Qe7 17.Ne4 Rh7 18.Nd6 Rb8
19.b4 h5 20.Bh3 Bh6 21.Kh1 Bg5 22.Qc2 Rg7 23.Qe2 Ba8 24.Qxh5
Rf8 25.Ne4 c5 26.Nxg5 Bd5 27.Nf3 cxb4 28.axb5 axb5 29.Nh4 Qg5
30.Rxf8+ Nxf8 31.Qe8 Rf7 32.Nf3 Qg6 33.Qxb5 b3 34.Rf1 Qd3
35.Kg1 Qe3+ 36.Kh1 c3 37.Bxe6 Bxe6 38.d5 Rxf3 39.gxf3 Bh3
40.Qc4 Bxf1 41.Qg4+ Kh7 42.e6 Ng6 0-1

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov vs Vassily Ivanchuk
Tal Memorial 2007
Chess opening-Semi-Slav Defense: General
[Result 1-0]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6
7. e3 Nd7 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 g6 10. O-O Bg7 11. Qc2 O-O
12. Bb3 Qe7 13. Ne4 e5 14. Nc3 a5 15. a3 Kh7 16. Rfe1 b6
17. Rad1 Bb7 18. d5 Rac8 19. d6 Qe8 20. h4 f5 21. e4 f4
22. Na4 Bf6 23. g3 Bd8 24. Kg2 Rf6 25. g4 Ba6 26. g5 Rf8
27. gxh6 Kxh6 28. Rg1 c5 29. Bd5 b5 30. Nc3 b4 31. Ne2 Nb6
32. Kh2 Rh8 33. Bf7 Qxf7 34. Nxe5 Qe8 35. Nxg6 Nd7 36. Nexf4
Ne5 37. d7 Nxd7 38. e5 Qxe5 39. Nxe5 1-0

Anatoli Karpov vs Vladimir Kramnik
11, Linares [Ftacnik 1994
Chess opening-Semi-Slav Defense: Meran. Reynolds' Variation (D48)
[Result 1-0]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4
7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 9. e4 c5 10. d5 c4 11. dxe6 fxe6 12. Bc2
Bb7 13. O-O Qc7 14. Ng5 Nc5 15. e5 Qxe5 16. Re1 Qd6 17. Qxd6
Bxd6 18. Be3 O-O 19. Rad1 Be7 20. Bxc5 Bxc5 21. Nxe6 Rfc8
22. h3 Bf8 23. g4 h6 24. f4 Bf3 25. Rd2 Bc6 26. g5 hxg5
27. fxg5 Nd7 28. Nxf8 Nxf8 29. Rd6 b4 30. Ne4 Be8 31. Ng3 Rd8
32. Nf5 Rxd6 33. Nxd6 Bg6 34. Bxg6 Nxg6 35. Nxc4 Rd8 36. Re4
b3 37. axb3 Rd3 38. Kg2 Rxb3 39. h4 Nf8 40. Re8 1-0

Max Euwe vs Alexander Alekhine
Euwe-Alekhine World Championship Rematch 1937
Chess opening-Slav Defense: Czech Variation. Classical System (D18)
[Result 0-1]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6
7. Bxc4 Nbd7 8. O-O Bd6 9. Qe2 Ne4 10. Nxe4 Bxe4 11. Nd2 Bg6
12. e4 Bc7 13. Bb3 O-O 14. f4 Nf6 15. Bc2 Qxd4+ 16. Kh1 Qb4
17. g4 Rad8 18. f5 exf5 19. exf5 Rfe8 20. Qg2 Qxg4 21. fxg6
hxg6 22. Bd1 Qxg2+ 23. Kxg2 Rd4 24. Nf3 Rg4+ 25. Kh3 Rd8
26. Bg5 Rb4 27. Bd2 Re4 28. Bb3 Re2 29. Bc3 Rd3 30. Kh4 Rxf3
31. Rxf3 Rxh2+ 32. Rh3 g5+ 33. Kxg5 Rxh3 34. Bd1 Ne4+ 0-1