Category Archives: The Semi-Slav Defence

Playing the Semi-Slav: Traditional Move Order

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

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Playing the Semi-Slav: Overview

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

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Blast from the Past: Islington Tournaments

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

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

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