Slav Defense: Chebanenko Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
845,096 games: White 47.8% / Draw 6.8% / Black 45.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 168,086168K | ||
| 161,509162K | ||
| 150,919151K | ||
| Advance System | 102,164102K | |
| 88,25388K | ||
| 82,23582K | ||
| 47,14947K | ||
| 10,58811K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.34 White is slightly better
Best play: 5. c5 Nbd7 6. Bf4 Nh5 7. Bd2 Nhf6 8. Qc2 g6 9. g3 Bg7
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 48% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 42% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 13K | |
| 1400–1799 | 102K | |
| 1800–2199 | 489K | |
| 2200 and up | 281K | |
| Masters, over the board | 10K |
Master games
- Kramnik, V. – Kasparov, G.
- Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M.
- Aronian, L. – Topalov, V.
- Carlsen, M. – Kamsky, G.
- Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M.
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
Slav Defense: Chebanenko Variation (ECO D15, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 (4 moves).
In 845,096 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.8%, Black 45.4% and 6.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. Bg5, in 20% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played is Slav Defense: Chebanenko Variation, Advance System.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Slav Defense: Chebanenko Variation
5. g3 scores best for White: 53.1%, with White winning 49.8% and Black 43.6% of 47K games. The most played, 5. Bg5, scores 50.1% in 168K games, and 5. Bf4 scores lowest: 49.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 5. c5.
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 Slav Defense: Chebanenko Variation peaked in 2018 at 0.043% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.031% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.032% | 11,358 |
| 2017 | 0.036% | 19,952 |
| 2018 | 0.043% | 33,449 |
| 2019 | 0.038% | 47,590 |
| 2020 | 0.035% | 101,530 |
| 2021 | 0.032% | 123,823 |
| 2022 | 0.032% | 120,661 |
| 2023 | 0.032% | 118,756 |
| 2024 | 0.031% | 112,903 |
| 2025 | 0.031% | 106,869 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.03% | 33,446 |
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 (2)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Slav Defense: Chebanenko Variation (D15)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/slav-defense-chebanenko-variation