Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Wade Variation, Larsen Variation
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. e4 b4 10. Na4 c5 11. e5 Nd5
The Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Wade Variation, Larsen Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO D47, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. e4 b4 10. Na4 c5 11. e5 Nd5. It is a line of the Semi-Slav Defense. White is to move. 1 named line continues from this position.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 2 times by this move order. White won 0%, 50% were drawn and Black won 50%. The most popular continuation is 12. O-O (50% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.20 (Stockfish, depth 55; best line 12. O-O Rc8 13. Nxc5 Nxc5 14. dxc5 Bxc5)
- ECO
- D47
- Moves
- 22 plies
- FEN
r2qkb1r/pb1n1ppp/4p3/2pnP3/Np1P4/3B1N2/PP3PPP/R1BQK2R w KQkq - 1 12- PGN
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. e4 b4 10. Na4 c5 11. e5 Nd5
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 2000+ | 2 | |
| All | 2 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 12. O-O | 1 (50%) | |
| 12. dxc5 | 1 (50%) |
Master games
45 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 47%, draw 20%, Black 33%). The strongest:
- GM Anton Korobov (2713) – GM Aleksey Dreev (2673) 1/2-1/2 · ch-European Blitz 2013 · 2013-12-13
- GM Francisco Vallejo Pons (2710) – GM Rodrigo Vasquez Schroeder (2441) 0-1 · Iberoamericano Chess24 · 2020-06-01
- GM Alexandr Fier (2560) – GM Ivan Salgado Lopez (2584) 0-1 · Iberoamericano Chess24 · 2020-07-06
- GM Mikhail Simantsev (2479) – IM Zaur Mammadov (2432) 0-1 · 13th Marienbad GM · 2014-01-23
- GM Alexander Moiseenko (2602) – FM Elameir Fathy (2300) 1-0 · Titled Tue 22nd Feb Early · 2022-02-22
Highest-rated Lichess games
- MIGV (2616) – KhatanbaatarGM (2701) 0-1 · 2026-09-02 · 180 + 0s
- cariosto (2083) – Oscartang2023 (2275) 1/2-1/2 · 2026-09-04 · 300 + 3s
Comes from
Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Wade Variation 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7
Continuations
- Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Wade Variation, Kaidanov Gambit D47 · 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. e4 b4 10. Na4 c5 11. e5 Nd5 12. O-O cxd4 13. Nxd4
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.