Semi-Slav Defense: Quiet Variation 5. Nbd2 Nbd7
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
78,860 games: White 53.2% / Draw 7.4% / Black 39.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 40,16940K | ||
| 16,85717K | ||
| 7,7187,718 | ||
| 6,8096,809 | ||
| 2,6212,621 | ||
| 1,5221,522 | ||
| 1,2591,259 | ||
| 1,0641,064 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 4, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.28 The position is about equal
Best play: 6. b3 Be7 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O b6 9. Qe2 Bb7 10. Bb2 c5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Semi-Slav Defense: Quiet Variation (ECO D30, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Semi-Slav Defense: Quiet Variation, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nbd2 Nbd7 (5 moves).
In 78,860 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.2%, Black 39.5% and 7.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Bd3, in 51% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Queen's Gambit Declined: Semmering Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to answer 5…Nbd7
The most played answer, 6. Bd3, also scores best for White: 58.6%, with White winning 54.7% and Black 37.5% of 40K games. Of the main answers, 6. a3 scores lowest: 53.0%. Stockfish's first choice is 6. b3.
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
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Semi-Slav Defense: Quiet Variation (D30)”. Lichess data as of 4 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/semi-slav-defense-quiet-variation-2