- ECO code
- D11
- Moves
- 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3
- Family
- Slav Defense
- To move
- Black
- Master games
- 737
- Average game length
- 44 moves
- Years covered
- 1910–2026
Slav Defense: Quiet Variation is the opening filed under ECO code D11, reached after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3. It belongs to the Slav Defense family and is known as the Quiet Variation; in the resulting position it is Black to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 737 games on this line — the 148th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1910 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2000s, with 240 games. An average game here lasts 44 moves.
White wins 35% of those games, 42% end in a draw, and Black wins 23%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores worse here by 5 percentage points. Draws are more common here than usual, by 7 points.
From this position the most popular move is 4...Bf5, played in 321 games, followed by 4...Bg4 (164) and 4...e6 (118). 4...Bf5 leads into Slav Defense: Quiet Variation, Schallopp Defense. After 4...Bf5 White scores 31% and Black 25%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Karpov,Ana (50 games); on the Black side, Shirov,A (81).
1 named variation branch off this position and have their own page here, among them Slav Defense: Quiet Variation, Schallopp Defense.
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Results in master games
- White 35% (259)
- Draws 42% (311)
- Black 23% (167)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4...Bf5 | 321 | 31/44/25 | Slav Defense: Quiet Variation, Schallopp Defense |
| 4...Bg4 | 164 | 37/42/21 | — |
| 4...e6 | 118 | 45/36/19 | — |
| 4...a6 | 94 | 29/41/30 | — |
| 4...g6 | 38 | 45/50/5 | — |
| 4...dxc4 | 1 | 100/0/0 | — |
| 4...g5 | 1 | 0/0/100 | — |
Variations from this position
- Schallopp Defense · 4...Bf5 · 321 games
How the position is reached
- Queen's Pawn Game · 1.d4 · 45,810 games
- Queen's Pawn Game · 1.d4 d5 · 11,560 games
- Queen's Gambit · 1.d4 d5 2.c4 · 8,858 games
- Slav Defense · 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 · 4,073 games
- Slav Defense: Modern Line · 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 · 2,574 games
Played most often by
As White
- Karpov,Ana 50
- Ivanchuk,V 23
- Ding Liren 21
As Black
- Shirov,A 81
- Karjakin,Sergey 26
- Ivanchuk,V 23
Games per decade
- 1910s 2
- 1920s 11
- 1930s 24
- 1940s 9
- 1950s 5
- 1960s 1
- 1970s 4
- 1980s 3
- 1990s 32
- 2000s 240
- 2010s 210
- 2020s 196
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nepomniachtchi,I | Sargsyan,Anna M. | 1-0 | 2026 | 3rd 3-0 Thu 15th Jan 2026 |
| Shirov,A | Van den Doel,E | 1-0 | 2026 | Bundesliga 2025-26 |
| Nepomniachtchi,I | Le Tuan Minh | 0-1 | 2026 | 3rd 3-0 Thu 15th Jan 2026 |
| Erigaisi,Arjun | Lazavik,Denis | 0-1 | 2026 | Titled Tue 17th Feb 2026 |
| Tan,Zhongyi | Hou Yifan | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | TCh-CHN DivA Finals 2025 |
| Ibrahimli,Murad | Shirov,A | 1-0 | 2025 | Titled Tue 25th Feb Late |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Slav Defense: Quiet Variation?
It is the opening with ECO code D11, reached after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3. It belongs to the Slav Defense family.
Is the Slav Defense: Quiet Variation good for White or for Black?
In 737 master games on this line White wins 35%, 42% are drawn and Black wins 23%. The collection average is White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28% — so this line is no worse than usual for White than the field as a whole.
What is the main continuation of the Slav Defense: Quiet Variation?
4...Bf5 — played in 321 of the master games on this line, which leads into Slav Defense: Quiet Variation, Schallopp Defense.
Which grandmasters play the Slav Defense: Quiet Variation?
On the White side Karpov,Ana (50), Ivanchuk,V (23), Ding Liren (21); on the Black side Shirov,A (81), Karjakin,Sergey (26), Ivanchuk,V (23).
Every number on this page is computed from Katuranga's master game collection; names and ECO codes follow the lichess opening book (CC0).
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