The Slav Defense - Part 1

Investigating the Slav Defense is starting to remind me of why I stopped bothering to read philosophy. It's not that it isn't interesting, indeed it's a fascinating subject; but sooner or later you come to realise something. Try this for an excercise. Invent a philosophy. Go ahead, make it as far-fetched and whacked-out as you like.

"The smell of green apples is the essential nature of beingness". Discuss.

Now research the literature. Guaranteed, someone, somewhere, at some time has made their academic career postulating the idea you just randomly invented. And so it is in the Slav defense. Everything, it seems, has been tried for both sides, and the evaluation of any given idea has continually oscillated between "good for White" and "winning for Black".

White will be trying to play e4 at a moment when it cramps Black's game. Black will try to develop the "problem child" of the QP game - the Queen's Bishop - in a manner that doesn't fatally weaken the Queen's side. Or not. Sometimes Black feigns with 2. ... c6 then voluntarily follows with ... e6.

Black can try and hold the strong-point formation c6-d5-e6, or temporarily surrender the centre with ... d5xc4 planning the normal QP freeing manoeuvers ... e5 or ... c5. ... Bb4 is often a good idea pinning Nc3 to retard e4. That's if the Bishop doesn't go to d6 supporting ... e5, or simply sit on e7 awaiting events.

White might try to exploit Black's weakened Q-side (even at the cost of a pawn), taking the c-file at some judicious moment with c4xd5; or he might try a King-side attack with Ne5 followed by g4, or even g4 without direct support. Alternatively he may simply try rolling through the centre with his pawns. Anything goes, or so it seems.

Please don't infer from my tone that I find the Slav distasteful; quite to the contrary in fact. It is just this idea of endless possibilities that makes it so interesting, and no doubt contribute to it's continual popularity at all levels of play. There aren't so much variations to learn as ideas to master, which is the way we like things. Like philosophy, there's infinite opportunity for creative invention, and who's to say any given idea is wrong?*

I've played a few of those evil unrated blitz games using the Slav now; not knowing much more than is laid out here it's already proved reasonably successful. There being so many possibilities, it just leads to an interesting game of Chess. I like that.

* - Oh right, this is Chess, not academia... there's the small matter of an opponent who wants to tear you to pieces as much as you do him...