Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Dutch Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
213,985 games: White 44.9% / Draw 8.1% / Black 47.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 142,701143K | ||
| 60,46060K | ||
| 4,1934,193 | ||
| 2,0202,020 | ||
| 1,0671,067 | ||
| 966966 | ||
| 751751 | ||
| 458458 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.16 The position is about equal
Best play: 8... O-O 9. Qe2 Bg6 10. Ne5 Nbd7 11. Nxg6 hxg6 12. Rd1 Qe7 13. a5
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 | 481 | |
| 1400–1799 | 11K | |
| 1800–2199 | 110K | |
| 2200 and up | 95K | |
| Masters, over the board | 5,376 |
Master games
- So, W. – Caruana, F.
- Aronian, L. – Nakamura, H.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Anand, V.
- Kramnik, V. – Aronian, L.
- Ivanchuk, 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, Dutch Variation (ECO D19, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Classical System, 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 (8 moves).
In 213,985 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 44.9%, Black 47.0% and 8.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 8…O-O, in 67% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Classical System, Main Line. In all, 2 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, Dutch Variation
8…Nbd7 scores best for Black: 51.9%, with Black winning 47.7% and White 43.9% of 60K games. The most played answer, 8…O-O, scores lowest: 51.0% in 143K games. Stockfish's first choice is 8…O-O.
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
Popularity by year
The Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Dutch Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.0075% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.0099% (its peak: 0.014% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0099% | 3,544 |
| 2017 | 0.012% | 6,357 |
| 2018 | 0.014% | 10,751 |
| 2019 | 0.011% | 13,689 |
| 2020 | 0.0099% | 28,917 |
| 2021 | 0.0076% | 29,773 |
| 2022 | 0.0073% | 27,455 |
| 2023 | 0.0075% | 28,343 |
| 2024 | 0.0075% | 26,966 |
| 2025 | 0.0075% | 26,086 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0076% | 8,285 |
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 2 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Dutch Variation (D19)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/slav-defense-czech-variation-dutch-variation