Slav Defense

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6
 The Slav Defense is a solid opening for Black in response to White's Queen's Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4). Black fights for equality against one of White's most popular openings without creating a bad light-squared bishop—one of the downsides of other defenses like the French Defense and the Queen's Gambit Declined.

An extremely popular opening which has been endorsed by many world champions such as GMs Max Euwe, Mikhail Botvinnik, Vladimir Kramnik, Viswanathan Anand, and Magnus Carlsen. Usually leading to slower games, the Slav is a good choice for players at any level.