Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation (8… g5 9. Nxg5)
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Nxg5
The Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO D44, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Nxg5. It is a line of the Semi-Slav Defense. Black is to move. 1 named line continues from this position.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 39 times by this move order. White won 51%, 13% were drawn and Black won 36%. The most popular continuation is 9… hxg5 (90% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.47 (Stockfish, depth 30; best line 9… hxg5 10. Bxg5 Be7 11. exf6 Bxf6 12. Be3)
- ECO
- D44
- Moves
- 17 plies
- FEN
rnbqkb1r/p4p2/2p1pn1p/1p2P1N1/2pP3B/2N5/PP3PPP/R2QKB1R b KQkq - 0 9- PGN
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Nxg5
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 1500-1999 | 6 | |
| 2000+ | 33 | |
| All | 39 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 9… hxg5 | 35 (90%) | |
| 9… Nd5 | 4 (10%) |
Master games
293 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 41%, draw 31%, Black 28%). The strongest:
- Stockfish dev-20250118-8e3e22b (3683) – LCZero 0.31-dag-c93c6a8-BT4-61 (3652) 1/2-1/2 · TCEC 27 Theory Bonus · 2025-01-24
- GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2759) – GM Sam Shankland (2718) 1-0 · Chessable Masters Prelim · 2022-05-20
- GM Yue Wang (2729) – GM Xiangzhi Bu (2710) 0-1 · 1st China Chess King 2015 · 2015-11-25
- GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2757) – GM Vasif Durarbayli (2628) 1-0 · Shusha Chess Rapid 2022 · 2022-09-23
- GM Evgeny Tomashevsky (2744) – GM S.P. Sethuraman (2639) 0-1 · Qatar Masters Open 2015 · 2015-12-29
Search all games of the Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- Arsenii2707 (2539) – IM KeyzerSoze (2522) 1-0 · 2026-09-05 · 180 + 0s
- GM Elmarmalade (2585) – Dxf7 (2426) 1-0 · 2026-09-03 · 300 + 0s
- QVC64 (2493) – Trautsj (2452) 0-1 · 2026-09-03 · 180 + 2s
Comes from
Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation (5… dxc4 6. e4) 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4
Continuations
- Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Lilienthal Variation D44 · 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Nxg5 hxg5 10. Bxg5 Nbd7 11. g3
More Semi-Slav Defense lines (all)
- Semi-Slav Defense: Quiet Variation (4… e6 5. Nbd2) D30
- Semi-Slav Defense: Quiet Variation (5. Nbd2 Nbd7) D30
- Semi-Slav Defense: Accelerated Move Order D31
- Semi-Slav Defense: Anti-Noteboom, Stonewall Variation D31
- Semi-Slav Defense: Anti-Noteboom, Stonewall Variation, Portisch Gambit D31
- Semi-Slav Defense: Gunderam Gambit D31
- Semi-Slav Defense: Marshall Gambit D31
- Semi-Slav Defense: Marshall Gambit, Forgotten Variation D31
- Semi-Slav Defense: Marshall Gambit, Main Line D31
- Semi-Slav Defense: Marshall Gambit, Tolush Variation D31
- Semi-Slav Defense: Noteboom Variation D31
- Semi-Slav Defense: Noteboom Variation, Abrahams Variation D31
Opening names and moves from the Lichess openings dataset; statistics from the Lichess open database, 2026-09 (CC0), sample of 12.6 million games, bots excluded; evaluations from Lichess cloud analysis (all CC0). Master games from The Week in Chess #920–#1664 by Mark Crowther, used with permission.