Slav Defense Theory: Quiet Variation

November 20, 2019 NHaselton Uncategorized

Hanging PawnsWed, November 20, 2019 8:24amURL:
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For an introduction to the opening, watch this video on the basics: https://youtu.be/9RXEvHZmbZU

The Quiet Slav is a very handy way for white to enter a position which is relatively easy to play and which avoids main line, sharp variations, which could come after the Semi Slav, or some Slav move orders.

The move e3, which signifies the opening, may seem counter intuitive and simply weak, but in reality it’s not that easy to exploit the fact that white has hemmed in his c1 bishop behind its pawn chain.

In order to exploit that, black is going to have to develop his c8 bishop to f5 or g4 before playing e6, and white can then take advantage of that and often win the bishop pair. So e3 is not a bad move even though it may look bad.

The Quiet Slav is very solid, it avoids tons of theory, and it’s easy to learn in comparison to other Slav variations. It may not be the most active of openings (especially for the player playing white, who is supposed to push for a win), but it’s low risk and it gives good enough positions. What more could you ask for against the Slav?

#chess

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