- ECO code
- D15
- Moves
- 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4
- Family
- Slav Defense
- To move
- White
- Master games
- 522
- Average game length
- 42 moves
- Years covered
- 1922–2026
Slav Defense: Two Knights Attack is the opening filed under ECO code D15, reached after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4. It belongs to the Slav Defense family and is known as the Two Knights Attack; in the resulting position it is White to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 522 games on this line — the 203rd most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1922 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2000s, with 129 games. An average game here lasts 42 moves.
White wins 34% of those games, 47% end in a draw, and Black wins 19%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores worse here by 9 percentage points. Draws are more common here than usual, by 12 points.
From this position the most popular move is 5.a4, played in 466 games, followed by 5.e4 (33) and 5.e3 (15). 5.a4 leads into Slav Defense: Alapin Variation. After 5.a4 White scores 34% and Black 17%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Ding Liren (25 games); on the Black side, Smyslov, Vassily (46).
2 named variations branch off this position and have their own page here, among them Slav Defense: Alapin Variation; Slav Defense: Czech Variation.
Reading about an opening is not the same as knowing it. Play this line against the Katuranga bot, then let the engine mark your brilliant moves, mistakes and blunders in Analysis — the fastest way to find out which of these moves you actually understand.
Results in master games
- White 34% (180)
- Draws 47% (242)
- Black 19% (100)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.a4 | 466 | 34/49/17 | Slav Defense: Alapin Variation |
| 5.e4 | 33 | 49/18/33 | — |
| 5.e3 | 15 | 27/33/40 | — |
| 5.Ne5 | 5 | 0/40/60 | — |
| 5.g3 | 3 | 67/0/33 | — |
Variations from this position
- Slav Defense: Alapin Variation · 5.a4 · 466 games
- Slav Defense: Czech Variation · 5.a4 Bf5 · 368 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
- Slav Defense: Three Knights Variation · 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 · 1,399 games
Played most often by
As White
- Ding Liren 25
- Grischuk,A 24
- Aronian,L 21
As Black
- Smyslov, Vassily 46
- Euwe, Max 20
- Grischuk,A 20
Games per decade
- 1920s 9
- 1930s 41
- 1940s 13
- 1950s 29
- 1960s 14
- 1970s 11
- 1980s 20
- 1990s 50
- 2000s 129
- 2010s 126
- 2020s 80
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erigaisi,Arjun | Ohanyan,Emin | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Titled Tue 10th Mar 2026 |
| Wojtaszek,R | Caruana,F | 0-1 | 2026 | GCT Super Rapid Poland |
| Praggnanandhaa,R | Caruana,F | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | FIDE Candidates 2026 |
| Adhiban,Baskaran | Ivanchuk,V | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | TCh-FRA Top 16 Haute 2026 |
| Ivanchuk,V | Martinez Rubi,A | 1-0 | 2026 | 10th Semana Santa Open |
| Erigaisi,Arjun | Nakamura,Hi | 1/2-1/2 | 2025 | 13th Norway Chess 2025 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Slav Defense: Two Knights Attack?
It is the opening with ECO code D15, reached after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4. It belongs to the Slav Defense family.
Is the Slav Defense: Two Knights Attack good for White or for Black?
In 522 master games on this line White wins 34%, 47% are drawn and Black wins 19%. 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: Two Knights Attack?
5.a4 — played in 466 of the master games on this line, which leads into Slav Defense: Alapin Variation.
Which grandmasters play the Slav Defense: Two Knights Attack?
On the White side Ding Liren (25), Grischuk,A (24), Aronian,L (21); on the Black side Smyslov, Vassily (46), Euwe, Max (20), Grischuk,A (20).
Every number on this page is computed from Katuranga's master game collection; names and ECO codes follow the lichess opening book (CC0).
Try this line on the board
Play this opening against the Katuranga bot, then review the game — the engine marks every brilliant move, mistake and blunder.