D14

Slav Defense: Exchange Variation, Symmetrical Line

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Statistics from Lichess

262,889 games: White 48.6% / Draw 8.7% / Black 42.7%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next move	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
	197,405197K
	28,43228K
	19,00519K
	6,6136,613
	3,4003,400
	2,7092,709
	2,6012,601
	784784

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.16 The position is about equal

Best play: 7. Qb3 Na5 8. Qa4+ Bd7 9. Qc2 e6 10. e3 Nh5 11. Be5 f6

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 47% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 49% in master games (wins plus half the draws).

Players	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400	12K
1400–1799	45K
1800–2199	141K
2200 and up	93K
Masters, over the board	3,079

Master games

Li Chao2 – Carlsen, M. ½–½, 2016
Aronian, L. – Vachier Lagrave, M. ½–½, 2016
Aronian, L. – Vachier Lagrave, M. ½–½, 2016
Ding, L. – Vachier Lagrave, M. ½–½, 2020
Ivanchuk, V. – Nakamura, H. 1–0, 2011

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, Symmetrical Line (ECO D14, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Slav Defense: Exchange Variation, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Bf4 Bf5 (6 moves).

In 262,889 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.6%, Black 42.7% and 8.7% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. e3, in 75% of those games.

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Description

How to play against the Slav Defense: Exchange Variation, Symmetrical Line

7. Qb3 scores best for White: 56.7%, with White winning 53.2% and Black 39.8% of 28K games. The most played, 7. e3, scores 53.1% in 197K games, and 7. a3 scores lowest: 48.6%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7. Qb3.

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: Exchange Variation, Symmetrical Line has gained ground since 2016: 0.01% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0081% (its peak: 0.012% in 2018).

0.0081%0.01%0.012%

Numbers by year

Year	Share of games	Games
2016	0.0081%	2,890
2017	0.01%	5,551
2018	0.012%	9,556
2019	0.011%	13,575
2020	0.011%	33,009
2021	0.0095%	37,113
2022	0.0092%	34,662
2023	0.0097%	36,477
2024	0.01%	37,188
2025	0.01%	36,356
2026 (Jan–Apr)	0.011%	12,088

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

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Slav Defense: Exchange Variation, Symmetrical Line (D14)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/slav-defense-exchange-variation-symmetrical-line