In this two-part series, GM Sipke Ernst will show you all the important Exchange Slav ideas for White, covering main strategies and attacking schemes in the process. Even if your opponent deviates from the theory, you’ll be able to quickly come up with a good plan and obtain an advantage.
Dutch GM Sipke Ernst will teach you how to win with the Exchange Slav.
Many chess players tend to underestimate the Exchange version of Slav. They believe, quite incorrectly, that Exchange Slav is very drawish and has no winning ambitions whatsoever.
Although there are some lines that lead to “safe positions” if white chooses to… there are also many other lines leading to sharp, unbalanced positions with TONs of play.
There are plenty of possibilities for White to start an attack and to fight for a real edge.
Exchange Slav is becoming more and more popular at the Grandmaster level. It has been played in World Championship Matches, Botvinnik used it to beat Tal.
Nowadays very strong GMs play Exchange Slav as well. For example, Wesley So recently managed to upset Magnus Carlsen with this opening. Both Kramnik and Carlsen have Exchange Slav in their repertoires.
In this two-part series, GM Sipke Ernst will show you all the important Exchange Slav ideas for White, covering main strategies and attacking schemes in the process. Even if your opponent deviates from the theory, you’ll be able to quickly come up with a good plan and obtain an advantage.
GM Ernst has structured this course to minimize the amount of theory to become a strong Exchange Slav player.
Use it as a weapon of choice, or a surprise weapon against opponents of any level.
This opening could give you a significant advantage, especially at the Club Level.
Here is what’s inside:
- Botvinnik’s way to playing the Exchange Slav
- The recommended move order to achieve a favorable setup and avoid any surprises
- What to do against 3…Qd5?
- Why the “Knights before Bishops” rule does not apply to Exchange Slav?
- Countering the tricky 4…Bf5 lines
- Learning from Vladimir Kramnik: how to exploit the passive bishop?
- How to play against sidelines and offbeat lines?
- The must-know transpositions to keep in mind
- A simple Exchange Slav idea that allowed Aronian to outplay Nakamura
- Exploiting weak squares and square complexes
About the Author:
GM Sipke Ernst (FIDE 2606)
is an international grandmaster, and a professional chess coach. Sipke was born in 1979, learned chess at the age of 9 at school and has been hooked on the game ever since. GM Sipke Ernst hold an MA degree in Dutch Language and Culture.
