Semi-Slav Defense Accepted
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Statistics from Lichess
439,847 games: White 46.7% / Draw 5.0% / Black 48.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation | 242,567243K | |
| 112,871113K | ||
| 73,05873K | ||
| 5,6775,677 | ||
| 2,1712,171 | ||
| 1,5471,547 | ||
| 809809 | ||
| 407407 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.53 White is slightly better
Best play: 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Nxg5 hxg5 10. Bxg5 Be7
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the better this line does for Black: Black scores 44% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up and 43% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 12K | |
| 1400–1799 | 75K | |
| 1800–2199 | 259K | |
| 2200 and up | 127K | |
| Masters, over the board | 4,452 |
Master games
- Kramnik, V. – Aronian, L.
- Kramnik, V. – Morozevich, A.
- Nakamura, H. – Aronian, L.
- Kramnik, V. – Anand, V.
- Nakamura, H. – Giri, A.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Semi-Slav Defense Accepted (ECO D44, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Semi-Slav Defense, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 dxc4 (5 moves).
In 439,847 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.7%, Black 48.3% and 5.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. e4, in 55% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation. In all, 4 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Semi-Slav Defense Accepted
The most played answer, 6. e4 (Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation), also scores best for White: 49.8%, with White winning 47.4% and Black 47.9% of 243K games. Of the main answers, 6. e3 scores lowest: 47.7%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6. e4.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The Semi-Slav Defense Accepted has lost ground since 2016: 0.014% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.018% (its peak: 0.024% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.018% | 6,446 |
| 2017 | 0.021% | 11,528 |
| 2018 | 0.024% | 18,509 |
| 2019 | 0.021% | 26,741 |
| 2020 | 0.02% | 57,877 |
| 2021 | 0.017% | 67,280 |
| 2022 | 0.017% | 63,228 |
| 2023 | 0.016% | 61,689 |
| 2024 | 0.015% | 54,286 |
| 2025 | 0.014% | 49,784 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.014% | 15,691 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (1)
Transpositions
All 4 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Semi-Slav Defense Accepted (D44)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/semi-slav-defense-accepted