D12

Slav Defense: Quiet Variation, Schallopp Defense 5. Nc3 e6

Chess diagram: Slav Defense: Quiet Variation, Schallopp Defense after 5…e6

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Statistics from Lichess

1,745,936 games: White 46.8% / Draw 6.0% / Black 47.2%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next move	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
	457,370457K
	292,256292K
	247,935248K
	192,942193K
	157,858158K
	130,704131K
	76,64477K
	51,13051K

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.19 The position is about equal

Best play: 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Nxg6 hxg6 8. Bd2 Nbd7 9. Qb3 Qb6 10. Be2 Be7

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 51% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up and 45% in master games (wins plus half the draws).

Players	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400	233K
1400–1799	948K
1800–2199	998K
2200 and up	164K
Masters, over the board	8,974

Master games

Carlsen, M. – Vachier Lagrave, M. 1–0, 2020
So, W. – Caruana, F. ½–½, 2017
Caruana, F. – Vachier Lagrave, M. 1–0, 2020
Giri, A. – Caruana, F. ½–½, 2020
Nakamura, H. – Caruana, F. 0–1, 2016

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: Quiet Variation, Schallopp Defense (ECO D12, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Slav Defense: Quiet Variation, Schallopp Defense, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 (5 moves).

In 1,745,936 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.8%, Black 47.2% and 6.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Bd3, in 26% of those games.

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Description

How to answer 5…e6

6. Nh4 scores best for White: 53.6%, with White winning 50.3% and Black 43.1% of 193K games. The most played, 6. Bd3, scores 50.7% in 457K games, and 6. cxd5 scores lowest: 48.2%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6. Nh4.

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 peaked in 2018 at 0.078% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.063% in 2025.

0.073%0.063%0.078%

Numbers by year

Year	Share of games	Games
2016	0.073%	26,175
2017	0.078%	42,957
2018	0.078%	61,350
2019	0.074%	92,219
2020	0.074%	216,845
2021	0.067%	263,152
2022	0.067%	250,012
2023	0.066%	248,247
2024	0.063%	227,617
2025	0.063%	218,033
2026 (Jan–Apr)	0.063%	68,934

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: Quiet Variation, Schallopp Defense (D12)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/slav-defense-quiet-variation-schallopp-defense-2