Slav DefenceD10 – D19
The Queen's Gambit asks Black a question — the c4-pawn attacks d5 and Black has to say how d5 will be defended. The Queen's Gambit Declined answers …e6 and locks the light-squared bishop in for the rest of the game. The Slav answers …c6, which does the same job with a pawn that was not blocking anything, and keeps the bishop's road to f5 open. That is the entire idea, and it is the same idea as the Caro-Kann one file over. The main line takes the pawn on c4 and holds it with …b5 only long enough to develop; Black is not really playing for a pawn, but for the tempi White spends winning it back. Two things to get right, both about order: …Nf6 before …Bf5, so the bishop is not chased by a knight arriving with tempo, and never …e6 before the bishop is out, which would turn a Slav into a worse version of the opening it was chosen over.
Played by
- Vladimir Kramnik — defended his title against Topalov in 2006 with the Slav as his main answer to 1.d4
- Viswanathan Anand — won the 2008 title match against Kramnik largely from the Black side of the Meran
Model game
Topalov – Kramnik, World Championship, Elista 2006
Next: d4
