Semi-Slav Defense Accepted

ECO D44intermediate

Taking the pawn with 5...dxc4 and holding it with ...b5 produces some of the most heavily analysed positions in chess. Black is a pawn up and behind in development, with queenside pawns advanced past the point of safety; White plays e4 and opens lines while Black is still sorting out the kingside. Nothing here is intuitive — the value of a pawn, the safety of a king, the worth of a tempo are all traded at unusual rates — which is exactly why the variation has attracted so much attention.

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Main line

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6

Diagram shows the position after 6 half-moves of the main line. On SpeakChess you can drill this line move by move — the trainer plays the other side and corrects you instantly, then spaced repetition schedules each variation so you review it right before you would forget it.

Move by move

The first 12 moves of the main line, explained one at a time. Every move of every variation is annotated like this inside the trainer — this page shows the opening moves so you can judge the explanations before signing up.

1.d4 White advances the pawn to d4, staking a claim right in the center and opening paths for the bishop and queen to join the game.
1...d5 Black answers with d5, pushing a pawn into the center to meet White's challenge head-on and fight for space in the middle.
2.c4 White plays c4, the Queen's Gambit! This pawn attacks Black's d5 pawn and helps White control even more of the center.
2...c6 Black plays c6, the Slav Defense. The pawn steps up to support the d5 pawn and keep a firm grip on the center.
3.Nf3 Up jumps the knight to f3, a light square right in the middle of the action. It is a happy first step in getting your pieces out and ready, and it watches the busy squares in the center of the board.
3...Nf6 Black develops the knight to f6, a very active square. It guards the center and gets ready to help defend or attack.
4.Nc3 White brings out the other knight to c3, putting pressure on the center from both sides and developing another piece quickly.
4...e6 Black advances the pawn to e6, opening the diagonal for the dark-squared bishop while keeping the center pawns well supported.
5.Bg5 White develops the bishop to g5, pinning the black knight on f6 to the queen. This puts pressure on Black's position right away.
5...dxc4 Black captures the pawn on c4 with the d5 pawn, winning a pawn. This is the key moment of the Semi-Slav Accepted — Black grabs the extra pawn and hopes to hold on to it.
6.e4 White pushes the pawn to e4, taking up space in the center. Now White has two central pawns side by side, which is a very powerful setup.
6...b5 Black advances the pawn to b5, trying to hold onto the extra pawn on c4 by keeping White's pieces from recapturing it easily.

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Win rates by rating

Results from real online games, measured after the line shown in each row. Most opening sites show one aggregate number — how an opening scores depends heavily on who is playing it.

Rating	Games	White wins	Draws	Black wins	Position after
400-600	66	54.5%	0%	45.5%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6
600-800	281	50.2%	2.1%	47.7%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5
800-1000	30	33.3%	3.3%	63.3%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5
1000-1200	46	65.2%	0%	34.8%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4
1200-1400	442	52.9%	2%	45%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5
1400-1600	1,176	47.8%	3.5%	48.7%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5
1600-1800	228	51.8%	3.1%	45.2%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5
1800-2000	542	45.8%	3.9%	50.4%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5
2000-2200	863	45.2%	5.3%	49.5%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5
2200-2400	848	48.2%	4.5%	47.3%	1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5

Most played continuations (1400-1600 rating)

After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5:

e5 — played 74.5% of the time (White wins 47.4%, draws 3.6%, Black wins 49%)
a4 — played 14.7% of the time (White wins 51.5%, draws 4%, Black wins 44.5%)
a3 — played 3.8% of the time (White wins 48.9%, draws 4.4%, Black wins 46.7%)

Related openings

Frequently asked questions

Is this line playable without memorising theory?

Less than most openings, honestly. The critical lines involve long forcing sequences where a natural move is often simply losing, and there is no general principle that finds the right one. If you want the Semi-Slav's soundness without the memory load, the Meran and the quieter 5.e3 systems get you a similar structure at a fraction of the cost.

Why is holding the extra pawn so hard?

Because defending it costs the moves Black needs for development. ...b5 holds c4 but weakens the whole queenside and invites a4; meanwhile White's e4 arrives with the centre opening and Black's king still in the middle. The pawn is real, but so is every tempo spent keeping it.

Who does this variation suit?

Players who enjoy concrete calculation and are willing to prepare specific lines rather than general schemes. It is a poor choice if you want to think from move one, and an excellent one if you would rather do the thinking at home.