Semi-Slav Defense: Semi-Meran Variation
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
361,461 games: White 46.4% / Draw 6.3% / Black 47.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation | 324,200324K | |
| 11,23811K | ||
| 8,0198,019 | ||
| 5,6415,641 | ||
| 3,3733,373 | ||
| 3,1693,169 | ||
| 2,5342,534 | ||
| 1,2711,271 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.16 The position is about equal
Best play: 7... b5 8. Bd3 b4 9. Ne4 Nxe4 10. Bxe4 Bb7 11. Nd2 Be7 12. b3
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 White: White scores 48% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up and 53% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 4,696 | |
| 1400–1799 | 56K | |
| 1800–2199 | 214K | |
| 2200 and up | 105K | |
| Masters, over the board | 9,795 |
Master games
- Kramnik, V. – Kasparov, G.
- Carlsen, M. – Aronian, L.
- Kramnik, V. – Anand, V.
- Aronian, L. – Anand, V.
- Aronian, L. – Anand, V.
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: Semi-Meran Variation (ECO D47, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Semi-Slav Defense: Main Line, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 (7 moves).
In 361,461 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.4%, Black 47.3% and 6.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…b5, in 90% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation. In all, 11 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
Popularity by year
The Semi-Slav Defense: Semi-Meran Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.011% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.02% (its peak: 0.023% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.02% | 7,200 |
| 2017 | 0.023% | 12,682 |
| 2018 | 0.023% | 18,364 |
| 2019 | 0.019% | 23,951 |
| 2020 | 0.017% | 50,977 |
| 2021 | 0.014% | 52,883 |
| 2022 | 0.013% | 49,024 |
| 2023 | 0.013% | 47,805 |
| 2024 | 0.012% | 42,066 |
| 2025 | 0.011% | 37,573 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.011% | 11,928 |
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)
All 11 named lines that continue from here
- D47 Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation 7 moves
- D46 Semi-Slav Defense: Chigorin Defense 11 moves
- D48 Meran Variation 8 moves
- D47 Wade Variation 8 moves
- D48 Meran Variation 9 moves
- D47 Larsen Variation 11 moves
- D48 Old Variation 10 moves
- D47 Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Wade Variation, Kaidanov Gambit 13 moves
- D49 Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Blumenfeld Variation 11 moves
- D49 Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Rabinovich Variation 11 moves
- D49 Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Stahlberg Variation 13 moves
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Semi-Slav Defense: Semi-Meran Variation (D47)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/semi-slav-defense-semi-meran-variation