The Slav defence is an important reply to 1d4. It is popular with top players. The Slav usually begins:
The Slav defence
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
| 8 |              | 8 | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
Black to move
- 1.d4 d5
- 2.c4 c6 (this is the characteristic move of the Slav)
- 3.Nf3 Nf6
- 4.Nc3 (see diagram)
Other fourth moves for White are 4.e3, 4.cxd5 and 4.Qb3.
