Chess opening · ECO D10
Slav Defense: Exchange Variation
With 3.cxd5, White trades the c-pawn before Black can ever take on c4. After the ...cxd5 recapture the pawns sit on matching squares, the c-file is open for both sides, and the center is fixed with a pawn on d4 facing a pawn on d5. White keeps the extra tempo, and the game turns on piece activity: who gets a rook to the c-file first and whose minor pieces find better squares.
- Rank by weighted share
- #134 of 159
- Material
- White +1
Key moves
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. cxd5
- 3. cxd5White captures toward the center and removes any chance of ...dxc4. Black now has to recapture. ...cxd5 keeps a pawn on d5 and makes the structure symmetrical, while ...Qxd5 brings the queen out early, where Nc3 can attack it and gain a tempo.
Rooks on the open c-file
Both c-pawns are gone, so the c-file has no pawns on it between the two bishops on c1 and c8. Rooks often head to c1 and c8, and trades along that file are common. The side that gets there first can make the other side spend moves defending.
Because the structure is the same on both sides, small details decide a lot. A knight on b5 or b4, a queen check from a4 or a5, or a bishop that lands on the better diagonal can matter more than in a position with pawn breaks to play.
The ...Bf5 and Qb3 question
Black's light-squared bishop has an open road, so ...Bf5 before ...e6 is the standard way to keep it active. White mirrors that with Nc3, Bf4 and e3, putting the dark-squared bishop outside its own chain before the e-pawn moves.
Once the black bishop leaves c8, the b7 pawn needs watching. Qb3 attacks it down the b-file and also eyes d5 through the empty c4 square, and Black often meets it with ...Qb6 to offer a queen trade.
A mirrored development
3... cxd5 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Bf4 Nc6 6. e3 Bf5 7. Nf3 e6
Both sides develop the same pieces to the same squares, bishops outside the pawn chains first. White is still a move ahead, and ideas such as Bb5, Qb3 or a rook on c1 are how that tempo gets used.
Top replies by rating
| Rating | Top | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1200 | cxd5 94% | Qxd5 6% | – |
| 1200–1399 | cxd5 88% | Qxd5 12% | – |
| 1400–1599 | cxd5 91% | Qxd5 9% | – |
| 1600–1799 | cxd5 94% | Qxd5 6% | – |
| 1800–1999 | cxd5 96% | Qxd5 4% | – |
Questions
Does Black have to recapture with the pawn?
No. ...Qxd5 is legal, but the queen then stands in the middle of the board where Nc3 hits it. Taking back with the pawn keeps a pawn on d5 and avoids moving the queen twice in the opening.
Related openings
Try it on the board. The first coached game and three analyses are free.