Slav Defense: Czech Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
617,891 games: White 46.5% / Draw 7.2% / Black 46.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Classical System | 324,634325K | |
| Krause Attack | 160,855161K | |
| 61,28061K | ||
| 28,21928K | ||
| Bled Attack | 23,41023K | |
| 12,85313K | ||
| 2,8332,833 | ||
| 1,6131,613 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.32 White is slightly better
Best play: 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Nb6 8. Ne5 a5 9. e3 g6 10. Bd3 Bxd3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1,532 | |
| 1400–1799 | 36K | |
| 1800–2199 | 329K | |
| 2200 and up | 259K | |
| Masters, over the board | 14K |
Master games
- Ding, L. – Caruana, F.
- So, W. – Caruana, F.
- Kasparov, G. – Morozevich, A.
- Aronian, L. – Nakamura, H.
- Topalov, V. – 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
Slav Defense: Czech Variation (ECO D17, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Slav Defense: Alapin Variation, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 (5 moves).
In 617,891 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.5%, Black 46.3% and 7.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. e3, in 53% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Classical System and Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Krause Attack. In all, 12 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 Slav Defense: Czech Variation
6. Ne5 (Krause Attack) scores best for White: 50.9%, with White winning 47.3% and Black 45.5% of 161K games. The most played, 6. e3, scores 49.8% in 325K games, and 6. Bg5 scores lowest: 48.4%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6. Ne5.
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: Czech Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.022% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.03% (its peak: 0.038% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.03% | 10,662 |
| 2017 | 0.031% | 17,275 |
| 2018 | 0.038% | 29,769 |
| 2019 | 0.03% | 38,004 |
| 2020 | 0.028% | 82,285 |
| 2021 | 0.022% | 85,868 |
| 2022 | 0.021% | 79,700 |
| 2023 | 0.022% | 82,321 |
| 2024 | 0.022% | 79,792 |
| 2025 | 0.022% | 76,561 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.022% | 24,475 |
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 (3)
All 12 named lines that continue from here
- D17 Bled Attack 6 moves
- D18 Classical System 6 moves
- D17 Krause Attack 6 moves
- D17 Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Carlsbad Variation 8 moves
- D19 Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Dutch Variation 8 moves
- D17 Fazekas Gambit 7 moves
- D18 Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Lasker Variation 6 moves
- D17 Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Wiesbaden Variation 6 moves
- D17 Morozevich Variation 11 moves
- D19 Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Classical System, Main Line 9 moves
- D17 Sharp Line 8 moves
- D19 Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Dutch Variation, Sämisch Variation 10 moves
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Slav Defense: Czech Variation (D17)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/slav-defense-czech-variation