Semi-Slav Defense: Quiet Variation (4… e6 5. Nbd2)
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nbd2
The Semi-Slav Defense: Quiet Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO D30, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nbd2. It is a line of the Semi-Slav Defense. Black is to move. 2 named lines continue from this position.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 73 times by this move order. White won 60%, 13% were drawn and Black won 27%. The most popular continuation is 5… Nbd7 (42% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.20 (Stockfish, depth 41; best line 5… b6 6. Bd3 Bb7 7. O-O Be7 8. b3)
- ECO
- D30
- Moves
- 9 plies
- FEN
rnbqkb1r/pp3ppp/2p1pn2/3p4/2PP4/4PN2/PP1N1PPP/R1BQKB1R b KQkq - 1 5- PGN
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nbd2
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 1500-1999 | 15 | |
| 2000+ | 58 | |
| All | 73 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 5… Nbd7 Quiet Variation (5. Nbd2 Nbd7) | 31 (42%) | |
| 5… Be7 | 17 (23%) | |
| 5… Bd6 | 14 (19%) | |
| 5… Bb4 | 7 (10%) | |
| 5… a6 | 2 (3%) | |
| 5… dxc4 | 1 (1%) | |
| 5… c5 | 1 (1%) |
Master games
253 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 52%, draw 27%, Black 21%). The strongest:
- GM Hikaru Nakamura (2741) – GM Magnus Carlsen (2870) 1/2-1/2 · Tata Steel India Blitz · 2019-11-25
- GM Vincent Keymer (2690) – GM Magnus Carlsen (2835) 1/2-1/2 · FIDE World Cup 2023 · 2023-08-11
- GM Boris Gelfand (2751) – GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2764) 1/2-1/2 · FIDE GP Tashkent · 2012-11-28
- GM Dmitry Andreikin (2741) – GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda (2730) 1/2-1/2 · FIDE World Cup 2019 · 2019-09-17
- GM Alexander Grischuk (2732) – GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov (2716) 1/2-1/2 · Tata Steel IND Rapid Open · 2023-09-07
Search all games of the Semi-Slav Defense: Quiet Variation and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- Robert_E2009 (2652) – IM DiaryTraining (2763) 1/2-1/2 · 2026-09-07 · 180 + 0s
- FM MrKooshaJ (2562) – battlepig (2450) 1-0 · 2026-09-01 · 180 + 0s
- gajiyev (2498) – Gabriel_Young (2458) 0-1 · 2026-09-06 · 600 + 0s
Comes from
Slav Defense: Quiet Variation 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3
Continuations
- Semi-Slav Defense: Quiet Variation (5. Nbd2 Nbd7) D30 · 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nbd2 Nbd7
- Queen's Gambit Declined: Stonewall Variation D30 · 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nbd2 Ne4 6. Bd3 f5
More Semi-Slav Defense lines (all)
- 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
- Semi-Slav Defense: Noteboom Variation, Anti-Noteboom Gambit D31
- Semi-Slav Defense: Noteboom Variation, Anti-Noteboom 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.