The Quiet Variation is a variation of the Semi-Slav Defense, catalogued as ECO D30. The line runs 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nbd2, reaching the position shown below after 9 half-moves.
Both sides have pawns in the centre (White on d4, Black on d5), and one pawn capture is available, so the structure has not settled yet. Development is level at two minor pieces each. It is Black to move after five moves.
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 Quiet Variation goes 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nbd2. It is a variation of the Semi-Slav Defense and is catalogued as ECO D30.
The Quiet Variation is ECO D30. 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 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nbd2 at +0.20 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.
Both sides have pawns in the centre (White on d4, Black on d5), and one pawn capture is available, so the structure has not settled yet. Development is level at two minor pieces each. It is Black to move.