This early slav gambit has been my main response to 1. d4 as black for a while. It's very good in an online setting... it requires precision from white early on, and it's solid even if white does play it well, which I'm not sure I've seen happen yet... 3. Nf3 is better but the problem for white is the triangle setup - black can reach the triangle via e6 > c6 or c6 > e6. So if white wants to play something aggressive against the triangle, like 4. e4, he needs to play 3. Nc3 against both the slav and QG, or tolerate some incohesion in his repertoire. But if white is content responding to the triangle with 4. Nf3 and playing the noteboom it's not an issue. The noteboom is formidable too though, and more common than this line.
Stop playing 3. Nc3 and 4. a4 against the Slav, it's not going to go how you think it will.
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My personal favorite line this one:
In which White's knight is somehow BACK ON B1 after utterly wasting 4 tempi. Somehow this is actually one of White's best responses to 3... dxc4, but it just looks completely ridiculous.
10 days ago
0
#4
Here are some other lines in the slav exchange I like to go along with these -
10 days ago
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#5
Don't tell me how to play the Slob Defense, you preachy, patronizing, polemical, pawn-pusher!
I'm tired of seeing these moves against the Slav that I suspect are just being played thinking any old reply that looks like queen's gambit stuff is fine.
3. Nc3 against the Queen's Gambit is a standard, traditional opening. Nc3 against the Slav, while playable, is much more audacious and going for something wilder.
You can't just think of it as much like the queen's gambit declined, semi-slav, slav: Nc3, Nf3, Bg5, all the same.
The response is dxc4 and now white has to think about how/if to regain the pawn and do some contortions do win it back, eg. queen's knight ends up hemmed in on the queenside. It's not like in a regular Slav where you can just play a4 and get it back straightaway. I've been against even 2100s (not that that's much good on this website these days) appear confused and run down the clock expecting there to be a way to cleanly win back the pawn.
You CAN play a4, and again average amateur players play it all the time, but black can then play e5 - with white barely any advantage at all according to the computer, and it's a totally different game, black castles queenside and has huge influence down that side and run amok completely if you let him.
I'm sure many of these players have some knowledge of how to play against the mainline Slav but are playing 3. Nc3 on autopilot. Unfortunately a lot of black players seem to respond with Nf6 inviting a real Slav.
Some people do know what they're doing when they play 3. Nc3 and that's great - the title doesn't apply to these people and I can't edit it now - others clearly don't.
3. Nc3 and 4. a4 against the Slav are legitimate but they are specialized openings that you need to know what they're about when you play them, if you want play against the mainline Slav or have it be more like a queen's gambit, always go 3. Nf3, this prevents black from playing e5 after 4. Nc3 and 5. a4 and avoids this fiasco.