Caissa Codex
D44

Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation 8…g5 9. Nxg5

Chess diagram: Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation after 9. Nxg5

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Statistics from Lichess

125,766 games: White 45.5% / Draw 5.0% / Black 49.5%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
115,695116K
Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Alatortsev System 9,8419,841
6767
3737
2929
2121
1919
1616

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.43 White is slightly better

Best play: 9... hxg5 10. Bxg5 Be7 11. exf6 Bxf6 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. g3 Na6 14. Bg2

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

Overview

Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation (ECO D44, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Nxg5 (9 moves).

In 125,766 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.5%, Black 49.5% and 5.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 9…hxg5, in 92% of those games.

It continues into one named variation, Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Lilienthal Variation.

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How to answer 9. Nxg5

9…Nd5 (Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Alatortsev System) scores best for Black: 55.1%, with Black winning 53.0% and White 42.8% of 9,841 games. The most played answer, 9…hxg5, scores lowest: 51.8% in 116K games. Stockfish's first choice is 9…hxg5.

Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings

Variations (1)

Other lines from the same position

Instead of 6…b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Nxg5, the position after Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation also goes on to:

Transpositions

From here, a move transposes into another named line:

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation (D44)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/semi-slav-defense-botvinnik-variation-2

https://chesscodex.org/openings/semi-slav-defense-botvinnik-variation-2