Category Archives: The Semi-Slav Defence

McArthur Cup 2012-13: Horsham – Brighton

Posted on January 16, 2013 by James Mansson

As documented on the Horsham Chess Club website here, Horsham’s attempt to progress in the McArthur Cup once again failed at the first hurdle, as we once again lost to Brighton.

Posted in Games, McArthur Cup, Opening Analysis, Reports, The Semi-Slav Defence | Leave a comment

County Match (Open) 2012-13: Sussex – Surrey

Posted on October 7, 2012 by James Mansson

Yesterday saw my first appearance in a county match for Sussex since 2008. The match, for the Open Team (no grading restriction), was against Surrey, and I was on board 3, my highest ever position in the top team. We … Continue reading →

Posted in County Matches, Games, Opening Analysis, Reports, The Semi-Slav Defence | 1 Comment

Playing the Semi-Slav: White’s 5th Move Alternatives

Posted on September 9, 2012 by James Mansson

So far in this series I have been looking at the various ways to reach the basic starting position of the Semi-Slav, which arises after 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 e6. Now I’ll turn … Continue reading →

Posted in Opening Analysis, Playing the Semi-Slav, The Semi-Slav Defence | 4 Comments

Playing the Semi-Slav: Nimzo Move Order

Posted on September 3, 2012 by James Mansson

The final move order for reaching the Semi-Slav I want to consider runs 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 d5 4 Nc3 c6. I refer to this move order as the Nimzo move order, as it involves playing … Continue reading →

Posted in Opening Analysis, Playing the Semi-Slav, The Semi-Slav Defence | Leave a comment

Playing the Semi-Slav: Triangle Move Order

Posted on September 1, 2012 by James Mansson

The main alternative to the traditional move order for reaching the Semi-Slav is 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 c6 4 Nf3 Nf6. The system where Black plays …d5, …e6 and …c6 prior to (or even without) …Nf6 … Continue reading →

Posted in Opening Analysis, Playing the Semi-Slav, The Semi-Slav Defence | 1 Comment

Playing the Semi-Slav: Traditional Move Order

Posted on August 31, 2012 by James Mansson

The traditional move order for reaching the Semi-Slav is 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 e6. In this order, Black initially keeps open the option of developing his queen’s bishop to f5 or g4. If … Continue reading →

Posted in Opening Analysis, Playing the Semi-Slav, The Semi-Slav Defence | Leave a comment

Playing the Semi-Slav: Overview

Posted on August 29, 2012 by James Mansson

The post is the first in a series in which I look at building a repertoire against 1 d4, 1 c4 and 1 Nf3 based on the Semi-Slav Defence. The basic starting position of the Semi-Slav can be reached via … Continue reading →

Posted in Opening Analysis, Playing the Semi-Slav, The Semi-Slav Defence | Leave a comment

Blast from the Past: Islington Tournaments

Posted on August 22, 2011 by James Mansson

The first non-junior individual tournament I entered was the annual event at Islington in 1990. I returned there a couple more times, in 1992 and 1995. Playing in such adult events was an important part of my development as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Blast from the Past, Games, Opening Analysis, The Gruenfeld Defence, The King's Indian Defence, The Pirc Defence, The Semi-Slav Defence, The Sicilian Defence | Leave a comment

1 Nf3 repertoire: The Semi-Slav Defence

Posted on January 11, 2011 by James Mansson

The Semi-Slav Defence can arise both from the Slav move order (1 Nf3 d5 2 d4 Nf6 3 c4 c6 4 Nc3 e6 or 1 Nf3 d5 2 d4 c6 3 c4 Nf6 4 Nc3 e6) and Queen’s Gambit Declined … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Nf3 Repertoire, Opening Analysis, The Semi-Slav Defence | Leave a comment