Attacking With The Exchange Slav!?

Hey chess friends,

In my games this year, I've noticed that some of my most violent games have come in the quietest of openings, the Exchange Slav. I thought I'd put together a quick guide for you based on my recent practice. 

Isn't the Exchange Slav just a draw?

The symmetrical structure in the center makes it difficult for either side to carry out any pawn breaks to open the position. A closed center like this makes it much more likely that a kingside attack can succeed.

Of course, the position is close to equal, but keep in mind that White is one step ahead and tends to be able to strike first.

What are the plans?

I recommend two main attacking ideas in the Exchange Slav based on the placement of the c8-bishop. If the bishop comes to f5, White has an early g4 and h4 to start an immediate pawn storm. Additionally, the b7-pawn is vulnerable without the bishop to protect it.

If Black leaves the bishop on c8 and plays e6, then White aims to trade dark-squared bishop and play f4. This can lead to a quick kingside attack, but also restricts the c8-bishop and lead to promising endgames as well.

That's way too simple. What does it look like in a real game?

Here are a few examples, mostly from my recent Chess.com games. We will start with the g4 setup. Notice that 7.Be2!? prevents Black's bishop from developing to g4 and prepares our quick attack.

g4 Setups

In the next game, Black gets a bit greedy and never manages to castle.

What happens if Black places a pawn on h6 instead of h5? It looks safer, but doesn't work tactically.

f4 setups

The f4 Stonewall - style systems usually occur when Black delays the development of the c8-bishop and exchanges dark-squared bishops on d6. White gets an early f4 and a quick kingside attack. 

Watch out for Greek gift opportunities.

But what if Black is careful?

OK, White doesn't always get an immediate kingside pawn storm in the Exchange Slav. That said, White does typically get more active pieces and can build an attack with those as well. In the next game a well-known chess streamer got a bit too greedy.

The next one was an interesting attack against a GM. White's attack stems from active piece play in this line.

That's all fine, but I want to push my kingside pawns every game!

In that case, you may want to try the Boor Attack (5.f3). GM Simon Williams recently played an amazing game with it. You can find his analysis here, but I'll just give the moves.

Just for fun, here's one of my only games with the Boor Attack. I actually don't like playing 4.Nc3 very often because 4...e5 is a tricky gambit option for Black. We'll leave a discussion of that one for another time.

Can I practice these attacking ideas?

Here are a few puzzles where you can win with White.

What's next?
Do you have any questions or any fun games in the Exchange Slav? Let me know in the comments.

Where can I read more of your stuff?

I've written many of the lessons here on Chess.com. You can also find my more personal chess thoughts on Twitter: @chessmensch. Also, check out my book on resourcefulness in chess.

Are you seriously still reading this far into the blog post? 

Thanks! See you next time.