Slav Defense: Exchange Variation 4. cxd5 cxd5
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Statistics from Lichess
1,058,511 games: White 49.1% / Draw 7.6% / Black 43.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 748,366748K | ||
| 113,708114K | ||
| 62,96363K | ||
| 58,13958K | ||
| 49,82350K | ||
| 8,5188,518 | ||
| 5,8055,805 | ||
| 2,5882,588 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 24, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.13 The position is about equal
Best play: 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bf4 Bf5 7. Qb3 Na5 8. Qa4+ Bd7 9. Qc2 e6
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 worse this line does for Black: Black scores 49% under 1400, 45% at 2200 and up and 49% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 72K | |
| 1400–1799 | 285K | |
| 1800–2199 | 618K | |
| 2200 and up | 256K | |
| Masters, over the board | 4,791 |
Master games
- Li Chao2 – Carlsen, M.
- Aronian, L. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Anand, V.
- Aronian, L. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Ding, L. – Vachier Lagrave, 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: Exchange Variation (ECO D13, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Slav Defense: Modern Line, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. cxd5 cxd5 (4 moves).
In 1,058,511 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.1%, Black 43.3% and 7.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. Nc3, in 71% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Slav Defense: Exchange Variation, Trifunovic Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 4…cxd5
The most played answer, 5. Nc3, also scores best for White: 54.1%, with White winning 50.2% and Black 41.9% of 748K games. Of the main answers, 5. e3 scores lowest: 47.1%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5. Nc3.
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
This line has stayed between 0.036% and 0.047% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.043% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.036% | 12,770 |
| 2017 | 0.041% | 22,413 |
| 2018 | 0.047% | 37,023 |
| 2019 | 0.045% | 56,159 |
| 2020 | 0.043% | 127,242 |
| 2021 | 0.037% | 145,328 |
| 2022 | 0.038% | 142,893 |
| 2023 | 0.04% | 151,920 |
| 2024 | 0.042% | 149,006 |
| 2025 | 0.043% | 148,163 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.043% | 47,651 |
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)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Slav Defense: Exchange Variation (D13)”. Lichess data as of 24 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/slav-defense-exchange-variation-2