Armed against the Slav Defense + PGN October 16, 2025

When GM Efstratios Grivas prepared for the 2008 Corus tournament in Wijk aan Zee, he faced a familiar dilemma: how to meet the Slav Defense without drowning in the theoretical quicksand that swallows hours of preparation?
His solution — the modest 4.Nbd2 — delivered instantly, scoring a critical win against German GM Arik Braun.
Nearly two decades later, with adoption by Carlsen, Mamedyarov, Nakamura, Aronian, and Giri, this “sideline” has quietly evolved into a serious weapon.