Slav Defense: Czech Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5
What Is The Czech Variation?
4...dxc4 exists to clear the diagonal: the bishop reaches f5 before ...e6 shuts it in. The Czech Slav solves the oldest problem of the queen's pawn game, the buried c8 bishop, and gives White nothing lasting in return. Forget keeping the pawn: 5.a4 stops ...b5, and White regains c4 with Bxc4. White's real cost is the b4 square, weakened forever by a4.
After 6.e3 e6 7.Bxc4 Bb4 8.O-O, everything turns on the e4 break. That is why Black played ...Bb4: a premature e4 runs into ...Bxc3 and ...Nxe4, winning a pawn, so White prepares with Qe2 first. Hold the break back and Black stands without a weakness: trade pieces and a4 becomes the endgame target. Let e4 come for free and White's center and kingside attack decide.
How Do You Play Against The Slav Defense: Czech Variation?
55% play 6.e3 on a small sample. Black has developed the bishop to f5 before playing ...e6, which is the entire point of the Slav and the reason players choose it over the Queen's Gambit Declined.
The bishop is out, so the pressure has to come from the queenside squares it left behind, and b7 is the one that matters. Qb3 hits b7 and asks Black to defend awkwardly. Nh4 chases the bishop and gains the pair. Ne5 takes the outpost and prepares f4. All three are trying to make Black pay for the tempo, since the structure itself gives you nothing to attack.
How Does Play Continue From Here?
| Move | Share | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|
| e3 | 55% | 50 | |
| Ne5 | 20% | 18 | |
| Bg5 | 13% | 12 | |
| Bf4 | 4% | 4 |
The Named Lines Of The Czech Variation
| Line | Moves |
|---|---|
| Classical System | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.e3 |
| Bled Attack | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Nh4 |
| Krause Attack | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 |
| Wiesbaden Variation | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 e6 |
| Lasker Variation | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.e3 Na6 |
| Krause Attack, Fazekas Gambit | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 Na6 7.e4 |
| Wiesbaden Variation, Sharp Line | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 e6 7.f3 Bb4 8.e4 |
| Dutch Variation | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.e3 e6 7.Bxc4 Bb4 8.O-O |
| Carlsbad Variation | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 Nbd7 7.Nxc4 Qc7 8.g3 e5 |
| Classical System, Main Line | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.e3 e6 7.Bxc4 Bb4 8.O-O O-O 9.Qe2 |
| Dutch Variation, Sämisch Variation | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.e3 e6 7.Bxc4 Bb4 8.O-O O-O 9.Qe2 Ne4 10.g4 |
| Carlsbad Variation, Morozevich Variation | 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 Nbd7 7.Nxc4 Qc7 8.g3 e5 9.dxe5 Nxe5 10.Bf4 Nfd7 11.Bg2 g5 |