Semi-Slav Defense: Chigorin Defense (7… Bb7 8. Bd3)
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 b6 7. b3 Bb7 8. Bd3
The Semi-Slav Defense: Chigorin Defense is a chess opening classified as ECO D46, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 b6 7. b3 Bb7 8. Bd3. It is a line of the Semi-Slav Defense. Black is to move. 1 named line continues from this position.
This exact move order didn't appear in our sample of 12.6 million Lichess games: it's a rare line.
Engine evaluation: +0.25 (Stockfish, depth 38; best line 8… Bb4 9. O-O Rc8 10. Bd2 O-O 11. Nxd5)
- ECO
- D46
- Moves
- 15 plies
- FEN
r2qkb1r/pb1n1ppp/1pp1pn2/3p4/2PP4/1PNBPN2/P1Q2PPP/R1B1K2R b KQkq - 2 8- PGN
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 b6 7. b3 Bb7 8. Bd3
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Master games
6 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 50%, draw 17%, Black 33%). The strongest:
- GM David Navara (2737) – GM Krzysztof Bulski (2522) 1-0 · TCh-SVK 2016-17 · 2016-10-22
- GM Michal Krasenkow (2610) – GM Bart Michiels (2536) 1-0 · TCh-FRA Top 12 2015 · 2015-06-03
- IM Ramil Faizrakhmanov (2480) – GM Aleksey Dreev (2623) 1/2-1/2 · World Blitz 2021 · 2021-12-29
- IM Michael Brown (2524) – GM Conrad Holt (2548) 0-1 · PRO League Group Stage · 2019-02-07
- GM Robert Markus (2586) – Matjaz Slibar (2253) 1-0 · 34th TCh-SLO 2024 · 2024-10-11
Search all games of the Semi-Slav Defense: Chigorin Defense and its sub-variations
Comes from
Semi-Slav Defense: Stoltz Variation (7. b3 Bb7) 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 b6 7. b3 Bb7
Continuations
- Semi-Slav Defense: Main Line (9… O-O 10. Bb2) D46 · 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 b6 7. b3 Bb7 8. Bd3 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Bb2
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.