6. Schlechter Slav with fianchetto (...g6 and ...Bg7)
Against the quiet development with 5.e3 Black fianchettos, captures on c4, exchanges the f3 Knight and plays ...e5: after 12.d5 e4 the pawn drives away the Queen and gains space.
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 g6 5.e3 Bg7 6.Be2 O-O 7.O-O dxc4 8.Bxc4 Bg4 9.h3 Bxf3 10.Qxf3 Nbd7 11.Rd1 e5 12.d5 e4
Move by move
- 1.d4 – White opens with the Queen's pawn: it occupies d4, controls e5 and c5 and prepares c4 to put pressure on the Black center.
- 1...d5 – Black answers symmetrically: the d5 pawn prevents e4 and claims its share of the center.
- 2.c4 – The Queen's Gambit: the c4 pawn attacks d5 and threatens cxd5, to take away Black's control of e4.
- 2...c6 – The Slav Defense: c6 supports d5 without blocking the diagonal of the c8 Bishop, which can come out to f5 or g4 before ...e6.
- 3.Nf3 – The Knight comes out toward the center, controls e5 and protects d4; White keeps the choice open between Nc3, e3 and the Exchange Variation.
- 3...Nf6 – The Black Knight controls e4 and defends d5 a second time: White cannot push e4 without preparation.
- 4.Nc3 – The Knight increases the pressure on d5 and prepares e4; now ...dxc4 becomes a real threat, because c4 is not defended.
- 4...g6 – The Schlechter Variation: Black prepares the fianchetto of the f8 Bishop, a structure similar to the Grünfeld but with the d5 pawn supported by c6.
- 5.e3 – White chooses quiet development: it protects d4 and c4 and opens the f1 Bishop, without seeking confrontation right away.
- 5...Bg7 – The Bishop settles on the long diagonal h8-a1, from where it presses on d4 and protects the King after castling.
- 6.Be2 – The Bishop goes to e2 to castle quickly: it is a modest square, but it offers no targets to Black.
- 6...O-O – Black castles behind the fianchetto: the King is safe and the f8 Rook can support ...e5.
- 7.O-O – White castles and maintains the tension: if Black captures on c4, the e2 Bishop recaptures gaining a tempo.
- 7...dxc4 – Black captures on c4 to free d5 for its pieces and the diagonal of the c8 Bishop, which now wants to come out to g4.
- 8.Bxc4 – White recaptures the pawn: the Bishop is active again on c4, but it has spent two tempi to get there.
- 8...Bg4 – The Bishop pins the f3 Knight, which controls e5: Black prepares ...Nbd7 and ...e5.
- 9.h3 – White asks the Bishop to decide: if it retreats to h5, White can push g4 or e4.
- 9...Bxf3 – Black exchanges the f3 Knight, the piece that controls e5: so the push ...e5 becomes possible.
- 10.Qxf3 – White recaptures with the Queen, which now has the bishop pair behind it and aims at f7.
- 10...Nbd7 – The Knight goes to d7 to support ...e5: without the f3 Knight White no longer controls that square.
- 11.Rd1 – The Rook settles on the d-file, facing the Black Queen: if the center opens, the Rook presses on d7 and d8.
- 11...e5 – Black breaks in the center: it attacks d4 and opens the diagonal of the g7 Bishop.
- 12.d5 – White avoids the exchange in the center and attacks c6: if ...cxd5, it recaptures with the Bishop or the Knight and occupies d5.
- 12...e4 – The pawn advances with tempo on the f3 Queen and gains space: the d3 and f3 squares become useful for the Black pieces.
How to exploit the position
The e4 pawn drives away the Queen and gives Black space; the g7 Bishop becomes strong if the center opens.
- After the Queen's retreat, ...Ne5 attacks the c4 Bishop and prepares the jump to d3.
- With ...cxd5 open the c-file: if White recaptures with the Knight, exchange on d5 and the diagonal of the g7 Bishop opens toward b2.
- The Rook goes to e8 to support the e4 pawn, which controls d3 and f3.
- Beware of the d5 pawn: do not let White support it with e4, because it would block your g7 Bishop.
Master tips
Exchanging the f3 Knight
The push ...e5 is the key of the Schlechter: the f3 Knight prevents it, so Black exchanges it with ...Bg4 and ...Bxf3.