Slav Defense: Steiner Variation
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bg4
The Slav Defense: Steiner Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO D16, reached after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bg4. It is a line of the Slav Defense. White is to move.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 29 times by this move order. White won 59%, 7% were drawn and Black won 34%. The most popular continuation is 6. Ne5 (69% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.58 (Stockfish, depth 39; best line 6. Ne5 Bh5 7. f3 Nd5 8. e4 Nb4)
- ECO
- D16
- Moves
- 10 plies
- FEN
rn1qkb1r/pp2pppp/2p2n2/8/P1pP2b1/2N2N2/1P2PPPP/R1BQKB1R w KQkq - 1 6- PGN
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bg4
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 1 | |
| 1500-1999 | 6 | |
| 2000+ | 22 | |
| All | 29 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 6. Ne5 | 20 (69%) | |
| 6. e3 | 6 (21%) | |
| 6. e4 | 1 (3%) | |
| 6. g3 | 1 (3%) | |
| 6. Bg5 | 1 (3%) |
Master games
152 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 53%, draw 19%, Black 28%). The strongest:
- LCZero 0.31-dag-f7fb268-BT4-61 (3652) – Stockfish dev-20241208-cf10644 (3683) 1-0 · TCEC 27 Superfinal 2024 · 2024-12-22
- Stockfish dev-20241208-cf10644 (3683) – LCZero 0.31-dag-f7fb268-BT4-61 (3652) 1-0 · TCEC 27 Superfinal 2024 · 2024-12-22
- KomodoDragon3.3 (3592) – LCZero0.31-dag-5350a2e-BT4-6147500 (3628) 1/2-1/2 · TCEC 26 Premier 2024 · 2024-04-25
- LCZero0.31-dag-5350a2e-BT4-6147500 (3628) – KomodoDragon3.3 (3592) 1-0 · TCEC 26 Premier 2024 · 2024-04-23
- Stockfish 20210113 (3601) – LCZero 0.27.0d-Tilps-dje-magic_JH.94-100 (3586) 1/2-1/2 · TCEC 20 Superfinal 2020 · 2021-01-27
Search all games of the Slav Defense: Steiner Variation and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- FM Valery_Skatchkov2004 (2563) – Despaired_One (2511) 1-0 · 2026-09-02 · 180 + 0s
- Jora_Barygin (2526) – Despaired_One (2517) 1-0 · 2026-09-05 · 180 + 0s
- KingChessT007 (2510) – FM Kotofeyca (2437) 1-0 · 2026-09-07 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Slav Defense: Alapin Variation 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4
More Slav Defense lines (all)
- Slav Defense (2. c4 c6) D10
- Slav Defense (2… c6 3. Nc3) D10
- Slav Defense (3. Nc3 dxc4) D10
- Slav Defense: Diemer Gambit D10
- Slav Defense: Exchange Variation (2… c6 3. cxd5) D10
- Slav Defense: Exchange Variation, Boor Attack D10
- Slav Defense: Slav Gambit, Alekhine Attack D10
- Slav Defense: Winawer Countergambit D10
- Slav Defense: Winawer Countergambit, Anti-Winawer Gambit D10
- Slav Defense: Bonet Gambit D11
- Slav Defense: Breyer Variation D11
- Slav Defense: Modern Line (2… c6 3. Nf3) D11
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.