Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Classical System, Main Line
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Statistics from Lichess
55,934 games: White 45.1% / Draw 8.4% / Black 46.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 19,44619K | ||
| 17,21617K | ||
| 7,8967,896 | ||
| 4,6794,679 | ||
| 1,4731,473 | ||
| 1,4281,428 | ||
| 1,1321,132 | ||
| 994994 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.26 The position is about equal
Best play: 9... Ne4 10. Na2 Bd6 11. Ne5 Bxe5 12. dxe5 Nd7 13. f3 Nec5 14. e4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Classical System, Main Line (ECO D19, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Dutch Variation, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. O-O O-O 9. Qe2 (9 moves).
In 55,934 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.1%, Black 46.6% and 8.4% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 9…Nbd7, in 35% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Dutch Variation, Sämisch Variation.
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, Classical System, Main Line
9…Bg6 scores best for Black: 54.3%, with Black winning 49.4% and White 40.8% of 17K games. The most played answer, 9…Nbd7, scores lowest: 49.1% in 19K games. Stockfish's first choice is 9…Ne4.
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)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Classical System, Main Line (D19)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/slav-defense-czech-variation-classical-system-main-line