This week’s flagship Chessable release is Lifetime Repertoires: Chebanenko Slav by Grandmaster Alex Colovic.
Unlike other recent Lifetime Repertoire courses, such as the French Defense and the Caro-Kann, the name Chebanenko Slav is less likely to ring any bells for the club and tournament player.
Today we look at the basics of the opening.
The Slav Defense
The Slav Defense to the Queen’s Gambit is simply 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6.
The advantage over the orthodox response of 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 is that Black’s queen’s bishop is not blocked in and it has easy access to f5 and g4, where it will enjoy greater activity than normal.
There are several variations of the Slav Defence, including the following.
The Semi-Slav Defense arises when Black plays both …c6 and …e6, without developing the queen’s bishop first.
The Schlechter Variation of the Slav Defense occurs after 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 g6. Carl Schlechter missed out on becoming champion of the world by a whisker; his 1910 title match with Emanuel Lasker was drawn, 5-5. Schlechter used his variation of the Slav in the last game of the match, which was his only defeat. Lasker kept his title and The Schlechter Variation never accrued a significant following.
The classical way of playing the Slav Defense is 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4, which was a great favourite of the Seventh World Champion, Vasily Smyslov. The downside of 4 …dxc4 is clear; Black gives up space in the centre.
How can Black achieve what he wants without making concessions? This is were the new Lifetime Repertoire comes in.
The Chebanenko Slav
Black plays a very unassuming move in place of the alternatives mentioned above.
1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 a6
Most readers will be familiar with the ‘sin’ of gratuitous moves by rooks’ pawns. I have strong memories of finally getting to grips with developing my pieces, castling and then…not knowing what to do next. Such a lack of experience led to moves such as h3, a3, h6 and a6 appearing with alarming regularity as my friends and I waited for each other to make a mistake.
This variation is named after the Moldovan trainer, Vecheslav Chebanenko. A trainer of such quality is unlikely to squander chess moves. Then, what, exactly, is the point of playing 4 …a6?
Chebanenko’s Multi-purpose Move
Grandmaster Alex Colovic calls it ‘the purest of the Slavs’ and explains its special features, which include the following:
- 4 …a6 is a multi-purpose move.
- Black is preparing to develop the bishop with …Bf5 or …Bg4
- The pawn takes control of the b5-square, preventing invasion by the opponent’s pieces.
- The pawn can act as a springboard for …b7-b5, gaining space on the queenside.
- Black’s rook can easily go to a7 to protect the b-pawn.
Solving the problem of developing the queen’s bishop without making a concession (such as 4 …dxc4) has obvious appeal.
After the sample moves 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 a6 5 e3 Bf5 White can try and exploit the weakened b7-pawn with 6 Qb3.
This would normally be the way White would exploit the early development of the queen’s bishop in the Slav Defense.
Yet the Chebanenko Variation has a trick up its sleeve.
6 …Ra7!
This is the clearest demonstration of the usefulness of playing 4 …a6. The black rook takes one step forward and protects the tender b-pawn.
The position of the rook appears ridiculous at first glance but it can easily drop back once b7 is protected by something else. White will have to use one more move to reposition the queen at some point, so Black won’t be wasting tempi. If Black later plays …b7-b5 then the rook could also swing across to the centre along the second rank. Such an idea shows great creativity and the ability to steer clear of stereotypical thinking.
Lifetime Repertoires: Chebanenko Slav offers a lot more than coverage of this special variation of the Slav. Grandmaster Colovic offers sound suggestions to counter not only 1 d4 2 c4, but also the other queen’s pawn systems, 1 c4 and 1 Nf3. Black’s harmoniously developed pieces give plenty of opportunities to play for a win, making it a very good choice for club and tournament players.
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