Slav Defense: Schlechter Variation
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
1,017,205 games: White 50.7% / Draw 6.1% / Black 43.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 347,333347K | ||
| 219,317219K | ||
| 162,289162K | ||
| 141,078141K | ||
| 71,02771K | ||
| 22,90223K | ||
| 11,05511K | ||
| 9,4849,484 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.54 White is slightly better
Best play: 5. h3 Ne4 6. e3 Bg7 7. Bd3 Bf5 8. O-O O-O 9. Qc2 Na6
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, 44% at 2200 and up and 33% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 68K | |
| 1400–1799 | 310K | |
| 1800–2199 | 662K | |
| 2200 and up | 151K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,288 |
Master games
- Aronian, L. – Li Chao2
- Mamedyarov, S. – Safarli, E.
- Wang, H. – Zhang, P.
- Iturrizaga Bonelli, E. – Granda Zuniga, J. E.
- Grischuk, A. – Delchev, A.
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: Schlechter Variation (ECO D15, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 g6 (4 moves).
In 1,017,205 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.7%, Black 43.1% and 6.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. Bg5, in 34% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Slav Defense: Schlechter Variation
5. cxd5 scores best for White: 56.1%, with White winning 52.6% and Black 40.4% of 141K games. The most played, 5. Bg5, scores 53.5% in 347K games, and 5. e3 scores lowest: 51.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 5. h3.
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: Schlechter Variation peaked in 2018 at 0.051% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.038% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.042% | 14,971 |
| 2017 | 0.046% | 25,519 |
| 2018 | 0.051% | 39,767 |
| 2019 | 0.047% | 59,089 |
| 2020 | 0.043% | 127,126 |
| 2021 | 0.037% | 146,240 |
| 2022 | 0.037% | 140,731 |
| 2023 | 0.038% | 141,268 |
| 2024 | 0.037% | 133,248 |
| 2025 | 0.038% | 130,386 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.038% | 41,461 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Slav Defense: Schlechter Variation (D15)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/slav-defense-schlechter-variation