The Semi-Slav Defense

The **Semi-Slav Defense** arises after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6. Black plays both ...c6 and ...e6, creating a super-solid central fortress. The trade-off: the light-squared bishop is locked in, but the center is nearly impregnable.