Slav Defense

Black supports d5 with ...c6 instead of ...e6, keeping the light-squared bishop free to develop outside the pawn chain. It is extremely solid and remains a top-level mainstay against the Queen's Gambit.

• Defend d5 with ...c6 while keeping the c8-bishop's diagonal open
• Develop the bishop to f5 or g4 before playing ...e6
• Grab and hold c4 with ...dxc4 and ...b5 in some lines
• Aim for a rock-solid structure with good piece coordination