Chess lessons › Chess openings
The Semi-Slav
The Meran with ...dxc4 and ...b5, the Botvinnik Variation after 5.Bg5, and the Moscow lines.
The idea
Black takes on c4, then ...b5 attacks the bishop and gains time.
- The pawn on b7 steps to b5 and attacks the bishop.
- On b5 the pawn is defended by the pawn on c6.
- The bishop on c4 then has to move a third time, so Black gains time.
In a game: Black has pawns on c6, d5 and e6: look for ...dxc4 and then ...b5 against the bishop.
How the lesson begins
The Semi-Slav mixes two defences to the Queen’s Gambit. The pawn on c6 comes from the Slav, and the pawn on e6 from the Queen’s Gambit Declined. With the pawn on d5 they make a solid centre, and Black plans to loosen it later with ...dxc4 and ...b5, or with the breaks ...c5 and ...e5.
White then has two classic plans: the quiet e3 and the sharp Bg5. Step through the moves that reach the position.
- 1. d4 White starts with the d-pawn.
- 1... d5 Black meets it in the centre.
- 2. c4 The Queen’s Gambit: the c-pawn attacks d5.
- 2... c6 Black holds d5 with the c-pawn, as in the Slav.
- 3. Nf3 White develops a knight.
- 3... Nf6 Black does the same.
- 4. Nc3 The other knight joins in and adds to the pressure on d5.
- 4... e6 Now the e-pawn supports d5 as well: pawns on c6, d5 and e6. Lichess calls this the Semi-Slav Defence.
The quiet plan is e3. The pawn supports d4 and opens the diagonal for the bishop on f1. Black plays ...Nbd7 and waits until White’s bishop has gone to d3 before taking the pawn on c4.
White takes back, and Lichess calls the position the Semi-Meran Variation. The bishop needed two moves to win the pawn back, and Black has a strong reply.
- 5. e3 The pawn supports d4 and opens the bishop’s diagonal.
- 5... Nbd7 Black develops the knight from b8.
- 6. Bd3 The bishop develops and aims along its diagonal at h7.
- 6... dxc4 Black takes the pawn. The pawn on c4 attacks the bishop on d3.
- 7. Bxc4 White takes back with the bishop, which has now moved twice.
Find the move
Black to move. White’s bishop has taken back on c4. Attack it with a pawn, and keep that pawn defended.
A hint
A pawn on b7 can move two squares.
Show the answer
7... b5
b5 attacks the bishop with a pawn, so it must move a third time, and the pawn on b5 is defended by the pawn on c6. Black gains time and space on the queenside. This is the Meran Variation. The engine puts b5 first.
In numbers
How often it is played
| Rating | Value |
|---|---|
| Under 800 | Too few games |
| 800 to 1199 | 0.3 |
| 1200 to 1599 | 1.5 |
| 1600 to 1999 | 4.6 |
| 2000 and up | 8.5 |
How the games ended
White won 51%, 5% were drawn and Black won 43%, over 6,174 games that start this way, in a sample of rated Lichess games from 2026.