Slav Defense Theory: Main Line

[@nicholasbrassard3512]

6:25 5.a4 Alapin variation - 8:08 13:07 5...Bf5 Czech variation (6.Nh5 14:05, 6.Ne5 16:35, 6.e3 20:20) - 10:20 5...e6 Soultanbeieff variation - 9:17 5...Bg4 Steiner variation - 11:30 5...Na6 Smyslov variation 22:00 5.e4 Geller Gambit 24:05 5.e3 Alekhine Variation 27:15 5.g3 29:12 5.Ne5

[@PP-mo8po]

Thanks!

[@nomekop777]

Nothing says chess like a 32 minute video and a 7 part playlist, all about the slav defense. I love this channel, community, and game

[@joeperry42]

I'm a Slav player and I cannot tell you how often I come back to this video time and again - It is just such a fantastic resource. I just beat a 1945 player on Lichess in a game played in the slav- he was a better in the opening because I didn't know Qc7 in the 6. NxC4 variation of the Czech On my level (1700-1800 lichess) people almost universally either don't play A4, or they play it a move too late - I've not played a game that went more than six moves into the alapin theory. Unbelievable resource. I really love what you do.

[@BuggatiWeryon]

How have you progressed in your rating, have you learnt all the variations of the Slav by now? I just hate QGD, want to learn smth solid and think Slav would be the best against d4

[@greisthomson]

11:35 [Mistake] 5...Na6 Smyslov Variation.

[@eduardopereiraconcursos]

Bro, your channel is absolute amazing, please keep going.

[@youricortat6176]

7:00 Rxa5 instead :) That's interesting, because I begin to understand why it is sometimes better to calculate moves without looking at the board and this one is a nice example.

[@tastybrain]

This is why I subscribe to HP. I’m only five minutes in, and I already know the key principle about the main line.

[@squalematic]

I love your opening series! I think you're fantastic at breaking down complicated topics and explaining them in a highly understandable way. My favorite channel!

[@Ben1cinematographer]

Bro, your channel is absolute amazing, please keep going learning alot

[@Benjamin-ku1qx]

Clear and instructive explanations ! Thank you for this video !

[@tazbod6723]

Great channel Tomic. You break things down clearly and thoroughly. Thank you.

[@mauriziomarano1949]

It's an excellent introduction to the main line of Slav defence, thanks!

[@robevans3291]

Love the Ramones poster! And your chess knowledge!

[@cccrit]

really a great resource for someone whose been wanting to learn the slav. thankyou

[@PphDsm]

Many thanks. You are an excellent teacher!

[@Hybridman7]

Thanks for the superb coverage of this fascinating defense!

[@cameronhendricks5967]

I transpose into this in the QGA after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 c6 4. a4 Nf6 5. Nc3, but after watching this video and seeing how theoretical it is, I don't want to play 4... Nf6 anymore! Thanks for the content, even if I won't end up using it now lol

[@ethan073]

Excellent video, Stjepan! I have been studying this opening for a couple weeks and this is one of the best studies of the mainline I have seen. I think I agree with your Bf5 recommendation. Well done and thank you.

[@khaledelalmi2702]

Most underrated chess chanel on youtube... Thank you for all you do

[@JosephLachh]

I really appreciate your videos. I'm a caro kann player and I needed a repertoire against the queens gambit. I really didn't want to spend money on a separate course, since I bought the Gothamchess caro course already. This proves helpful!

[@jeremy7589]

genial ! Thanks you so much. I lost yesterday IRL vs 1955. I didn know the trick play in the opening.

[@thomasdehee9626]

thank you so much, very instructive !

[@jackson32]

At 3:32, a line that has proved to be perfectly playable for black has been found, involving playing Nc6 and sacing the b pawn for active play. It was long thought that this line was just bad for black, but this has been proven wrong, and even the chess engines agree black gets more than enough compensation. Black has full compensation and it white does not know what he is doing black can get the advantage. It is covered in detail in the book, The Classical Slav by GM Boris Avrukh. A good choice for black, as at club level or even up to master level, very few people know the theory.

[@salihkubba4017]

you are the best in this my friend ..... much thanks to you from iraq

[@andreitiberiovicgazdovici]

Thanks for this video, you helped me a lot! I Faced a lot the Alapin Variation with 5.a4 but Now i understand it! As you said, If you choose the "pure" slav there is a lot of theory, but i like this variation the most by far.

[@smrtfasizmu6161]

13:00 Czech variation of the Alapin 22:00 Geller gambit (5. e4) 24:10 Alekhine variation (5. e3) 29:30 5. Ne5

[@elena590]

What a perfect video and explanation. Thank you very much!!

[@kshitijagarwal6741]

Awesome video. Really looking forward to the Slav and Semi-Slavs using your vids.

[@henriquea4953]

That was a great explanation! Please, make a training game on the Czech variation

[@lorenzboerger3955]

The best opening channel

[@s.v.2443]

Love this. Subscribed

[@smrtfasizmu6161]

22:00 Geller gambit (5. e4)

[@adriangutierrez2670]

Awesome explanation!

[@siddharthpathare2]

Best KZbin channel to learn channel if you are serious about chess.

[@jeffic9249]

very thorough, great content!

[@Bjorneization]

Superb content. Thank you so much.

[@HangingPawns]

Glad you liked it!

[@smrtfasizmu6161]

13:00 Czech variation of the Alapin

[@smrtfasizmu6161]

24:10 Alekhine variation 5. e3

[@VivekKumar-dk6xf]

Nicely described 👍

[@michaelfortunato1860]

In the Alapin, 5.a4 b4 6.ab cb 7.Nxb5 Qa5+ is also not useful because there is no longer an a-pawn blocking the Rook on a1 ;-)

[@okeziikokeno6536]

Exactly my thought. I wondered why he said that for minutes rewinding and replaying to see if I was missing something. 👍

[@Justanotherwolf77]

Great videos and very well presented ....Thank you

[@mohamedderghal9013]

Thank you sir

[@HangingPawns]

No problem:)

[@ryandineen3344]

Excellent.. Thank you

[@harshthakur7215]

@Hanging Pawns Can you please explain around 20:52 , why we cannot just go Bg4? Instead we're going Bg6 and then Bh5. Why waste a tempo?

[@Nature-of-reality]

Legend. Thanks.

[@jackson32]

With a4, white get a center pawn for a flank pawn in one move, and then gets a big center. Black gets his bishop outside the pawn chain in return for this. BUT, in the semi-slave, black takes on c4 at a better time and his white squared bishop later can turn into a monster on b7. A good example how chess is often not as simple as it seems even when you are making some logical decisions.

[@WARDA475]

Thank you

[@nardtria]

thanks sir im gonna study slav defence.

[@jMSik]

14:45 after e5, wouldn't white just go for Bxc4 first? exd4 exd4 and white just gets an IQP position.

[@giacalonebuilding4443]

I play the Catalan and can confirm bishop to F5 is the most annoying thing ever lol, supposedly is not the best move but I absolutely hate it when I have to face it since i get a bit lost when I can’t play QC2. Btw thanks for the video I want to start playing something besides the kings Indian against D4

[@AlanTwoRings]

@31:23 you say that theory recommends 14...a5. I only have one game in my database after 13... f6 14. Nd3 and in that game (Faizrakhmanov - Baghdasaryan 2019-02-24) black played 14... Bd6. What are the games that you have in your database that play 14... a5. ? Which database do you use, and where can I download it? Thank you.

[@smrtfasizmu6161]

29:30 5. Ne5

[@tyronecunningham9894]

i like the explanation

[@kevinmurphy4595]

Hey man, keep up the great work here, I also have studied your Alekhines defense series as well and its been extremely helpful.I cant thank you enough for all you have done and are doing ! I will write the above address for a more detailed response. Cheers!

[@jaypeezy2812]

Love how thorough you are with the openings/systems playlist. Just wanted to ask a question about the opening when the knight is on f6 and the pawns are on c4 and c6, would there be any advantage to putting the f6 knight on d5 to trade off the white knight and correct the pawn structure so that you don't have to play around the pawn weakness on c4? Or is it a ploy to move white pieces onto the queen side knowing you're going to want to castle king side and therefore making it more difficult for the white pieces to attack your king?

[@MrJohnnycampini]

thanks again ! merci ! good job as always ! weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[@tastybrain]

I love this video, but from about 19:50 to 20:17 it just jumps through the moves so quickly I it is impossible (at least for me) to follow the reasoning. Please understand that my respect for Stiephan (spelling? sorry!) is immense and I just want to be constructive. Thanks!

[@calog2k]

Nice video

[@rayhoodoo847]

3:30 Why is B6 a weakening move?

[@somerandomvideos3139]

It weakens the light squares.

[@ellenrevell9567]

There's a typo where it says 5...Ba6 Smyslov variation, where it should be 5...Na6 (see 11:40). Not sure how easy it is to fix this though?

[@SamuelSmithJ]

this channel's like a non-cringy version of gothamchess.

[@thecrazypanda7799]

I was wondering if you could find a way to force the gambit for this opening.. I like playing those positions. Thanks :)

[@jackson32]

The problem with the slav is that in the mainline, while it is hard for white to get anything, IF black really knows their theory, white has a long term advantage based on their space advantage, and if white plays decently there is a long process for black to just get equality and maybe a slight advantage, but that is about the best that black can hope for. So while appropriate for GM's who really know their stuff, for club players it is not as good as it's reputation as white does not have very many tricks or tactics to fall into, it is like the spanish torture, long term more space in a basically strategic defense. The only good thing about it is when white avoids a4 and plays e3 or e4.

[@areopag4980]

i love it how u aren t too focused on pushing one side and just show the most important things

[@GM-AbuBakr]

Can this be accessed from the SLAV INDIAN that starts with d4 Nf6 . C4 C6.

[@valiantbrian2162]

Nice Ramones poster

[@sirkann3810]

Why does white play nf3 first and not c3? Is there a particular reason?

[@AhmedKhaled-ol1rz]

23:15 bb7 not bb5

[@Nick2014B]

How many moves does an average 1600 memorize I'm at 1350 on chess.com but haven't really memorized anything to significent, I mostly play the English because I like the positional approach as white but really gotta work on my black repertoire

[@kanchansarkar6100]

I am having one problem in main line slav that is 3.Nc3-Nf6 4. Bg5 now if i dont want the doubled pawn playing e6 or Nc6 will block my bishop. How to proceed?

[@kanchansarkar6100]

Can any one help on my question?

[@347Jimmy]

You could just continue with dxc If white takes your bishop, queen takes and you're both down a bishop with white still down a pawn But I'm no expert, so this may not be the best approach

[@chimoinu]

Just commenting for the algorithm 😊

[@tgwnn]

Too bad you didn't show that crazy bishop sac line! But great video anyway! Thanks

[@artistadityaarts123]

Rxa5 losses the queen 6:53

[@arcreehysteria9805]

very interresting, I'm super low elo (1400) but that was still very understandable

[@KeepChessSimple]

Will you do the Tarrasch defense or is it too obscure?

[@barakap6230]

Are you gonna make a video about the semi slav?

[@adriangutierrez2670]

He has already done the semi slave videos

[@aadityabedi3140]

hey stjepan sir sir i am mistersinister786 just played with you on lichess you got the draw on time or else would have been a time out thanks for playing wid me

[@gg-qz2tb]

What's your opinion on e4 f5 the Duras gambit? can you make video like this about it ? I play durast gambit alot cause it looks aggressive for balck .

[@TheChessViking]

It's complete crap. It weakens the king and develops nothing, it's not aggressive, just bad.

[@gg-qz2tb]

@@TheChessViking lol i didn't expect that , alright gusee i gatta find another unusual opening for black that can make complection for white.

[@HangingPawns]

@@TheChessViking agreed

[@gg-qz2tb]

@ajfirecracker yah i agree i will try Alekhine's defence

[@tombruzo1494]

Its the thumbnail for me

[@justpassing5324]

Are you a fan of The Ramones? :D Excellent videos by the way, kind sir.

[@podunkest]

Sultanbeef.. sounds good to me bro. Lol

[@torrentialrage]

The salt bae variation?

[@aadityabedi3140]

what will be covered after slav defence

[@ShahidChamparani]

Sir upload a one video opening for daily basis.

[@bustaeick9663]

i loove your vdeos but you have a bad habbit of over explaning stop taking s much

[@whiteF0x9091]

Great explanation !