Slav and Semi-Slav Powerbook 2026

The pure Slav – in the beginning doing without ...e6 – has changed. After 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 the most frequently played move by far is still 5...Bf5, but the reply 6.Ne5 tends to set Black problems more than the alternative 6.e3. The long classical variations after 6.Ne5 Nbd7 7.Nxc4 Qc7 8.g3 e5 9.dxe5 Nxe5 10.Bf4 can be studied very well with the Powerbook. Here it is difficult for Black to equalise completely and so recently he has been deviating earlier: with 7...Nb6 8.Ne5 a5 or even on move 5 with 5...e6 6.e3 c5 – both lines are better from a statistical point of view though Black nevertheless has to work for equality. But in engine chess the Semi-Slav is the much bigger and more successful opening. Our Powerbook based is based on over 700 000 games from the sharp Botvinnik Variation with 5.Bg5, and there are even more after 5.e3. After 5...Nbd7 the move 6.Qc2 has replaced the classic Meran continuation 6.Bd3 as the main move. After 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.Bd3 0-0 8.0-0 dxc4 9.Bxc4

now 9...b5 is again the main move, though the statistics demonstrate that Black has several playable continuations, but never completely equalises in any of them. The Slav and Semi-Slav Powerbook 2026 is an openings book which can be used with Fritz or ChessBase. It does not contain any further database – so there are no games included.