Slav Defense

also known as: 2...c6

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6

Named after

Named for the great Slavic masters who developed it — Alapin, Alekhine, Bogoljubov and Vidmar chief among them.

Origin

Analyzed from the 1920s as the "Slav" school's answer to the QGD's bad bishop; central to the Euwe–Alekhine World Championship matches of 1935 and 1937.

The story

The Slav fixes the QGD's one flaw: by supporting d5 with the c-pawn instead of the e-pawn, Black keeps the diagonal open for the queen's bishop — the piece the QGD buries alive. The refinement obsessed the strongest Slavic-speaking players of the interwar years, and the name honored their collective effort. Its main line (with ...dxc4 and ...Bf5) became one of the most respected equalizing systems in chess, and a century later engines confirm the old masters' judgment: the Slav remains one of the very hardest defenses to crack.

Why it matters

The "improved QGD": same granite center, free bishop. Its cost — the c6 square and a slower queenside — defines the middlegame plans on both sides. With the Semi-Slav it forms the most durable defensive complex in 1.d4 theory.

Notable games

• Euwe–Alekhine, WCh 1935 (the Slav as main battlefield)
• Kramnik's Slav fortress era, 2000s