Slav Defense: 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nh4 Be4
Slav Defense – Line: 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nh4 Be4
Definition
This is a branch of the Slav Defense that arises after the moves 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nh4 Be4. The position is reached from the so-called “Slow Slav” (4.e3) in which Black develops the dark-squared bishop outside the pawn chain to f5 before locking it in with …e6. White immediately questions the bishop’s safety with 6.Nh4; Black replies 6…Be4, voluntarily placing the bishop on an unconventional central square to preserve the bishop pair and provoke pawn advances from White.
Move-Order Context
Typical sequence:
- 4.e3 – White adopts a flexible setup, keeping options open for the light-squared bishop.
- 4…Bf5 – A main idea of the Slav: develop the bishop before closing the diagonal with …e6.
- 6.Nh4 – Directly threatens to trap or exchange the f5-bishop (g2-g4 and Nxg6 loom).
- 6…Be4 – A rare but sound counter; the bishop is immune because 7.Nxe4? dxe4 wins a piece.
Strategic Ideas
- Black’s concept
- Maintain the bishop pair without allowing it to become hemmed in.
- Encourage the central break …c5 or …e5 after preparation, using the e4-bishop as a battering ram.
- Create latent pressure on g2 and along the long diagonal once the bishop returns to g6 or h7.
- White’s counterplay
- Challenge the advanced bishop with f2-f3, f2-f4 or even g2-g3, asking it where it belongs.
- Exploit the temporary disconnection in Black’s queenside (the c6-pawn can become a target).
- Speedy development: Bd3, 0-0, Qe2 intending f3 or f4 to gain tempi on the bishop.
Usage in Modern Practice
Although less common than 6…Bg6 or 6…Be7, the 6…Be4 line has been employed by elite grandmasters looking for a surprise weapon that avoids heavily analysed mainlines. Players such as Peter Svidler, Alexander Grischuk and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov have tested it in rapid and classical play, often steering the game into rich middlegames with unbalanced pawn structures.
Illustrative Games
-
Svidler vs. Mamedyarov, Tal Memorial Blitz 2013
A sharp illustration of Black’s idea: after 7.f3 Bg6 8.Qb3 Qb6 the centralized bishop safely retreated, leaving White’s kingside slightly weakened. -
Korobov vs. Grischuk, FIDE Grand Prix 2014
Black eventually broke with …c5 and …Nc6, proving that the e4-bishop can be a long-term asset rather than a tactical liability.
Historical Notes
The concept of meeting Nh4 with …Be4 was explored as early as the 1950s in Soviet correspondence games, but it never achieved the popularity of the classical retreats to g6. The line re-emerged in the 1990s when players like Evgeny Bareev and Jeroen Piket used it as a surprise weapon in top tournaments. Modern engines confirm its objective soundness, making it a fashionable sideline in rapid chess.
Typical Plans & Tactics
- For Black
- …Bb4 with queenside pinning ideas if White delays e2-e3-e4.
- …g5 at an appropriate moment can chase the Nh4 and secure the bishop on g6.
- Central breaks (…c5 or …e5) when White’s king is still in the centre.
- For White
- Timely f2-f3 undermining the bishop and gaining space.
- Exchange sacrifice Rxf6 followed by e3-e4 has been tested to rip open the centre.
- Long-term pressure on the c-file after cxd5 exd5 Rc1.
Interesting Facts & Anecdotes
- The move 6…Be4 looks anti-positional to beginners (“bishops belong on long diagonals”), making it a favourite of coaches demonstrating flexible thinking.
- In blitz, some players intentionally allow 7.f3? hoping for 7…Bg6 8.Nxg6 hxg6 9.e4? e5!, a thematic pawn sacrifice ripping open the centre against the white king.
- Grandmaster Peter Svidler once joked on a commentary stream that the bishop on e4 “suffers from claustrophobia” but at the same time “keeps the whole black camp together.”