The Noteboom Variation, Anti-Noteboom Variation is a variation of the Semi-Slav Defense, catalogued as ECO D31. The line runs 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. Bg5, reaching the position shown below after 9 half-moves.
White holds the centre with pawns on d4. White is ahead in development, with three minor pieces out to Black's zero, and Black is up a pawn of material. It is Black to move after five moves. Black has doubled pawns on the c-file.
On the Semi-Slav Defense generally: A complex defense combining ideas from the Slav and Queen's Gambit Declined.
You can play through this variation move by move in your browser — Learn mode walks the line with an explanation at each step, and Drill mode replays it from memory so you find out whether you actually know it. No account is required.
See all 63 Semi-Slav Defense variations →
The Noteboom Variation, Anti-Noteboom Variation goes 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. Bg5. It is a variation of the Semi-Slav Defense and is catalogued as ECO D31.
The Noteboom Variation, Anti-Noteboom Variation is ECO D31. ECO codes group openings by their move order, so nearby codes cover closely related lines of the Semi-Slav Defense.
Stockfish evaluates the position after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. Bg5 at +0.01 at depth 18, which is balanced. Engine evaluation is only a starting point — at club level the practical value of a line is mostly about whether you know its plans better than your opponent does.
White holds the centre with pawns on d4. White is ahead in development, with three minor pieces out to Black's zero, and Black is up a pawn of material. It is Black to move. Black has doubled pawns on the c-file.