Réti vs the Slav: White Repertoire by GM Andrea Stella and GM Pier Luigi Basso
A Slav Player's Blueprint for Fighting the Slav
GM Pier Luigi Basso has played the Slav with Black his entire career. He knows which White systems create genuine discomfort for a prepared Slav player—and which ones a Black player secretly welcomes. This course was shaped by that experience from the other side of the board.
The lines presented here are the ones Basso never enjoyed facing: the most venomous, practical systems against the Slav. This is what distinguishes the repertoire—it's not theoretical completeness for its own sake, but a curated selection of the positions that make strong Slav players uncomfortable.
Completing the 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 System
This is the third volume in the 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 System series by GM Andrea Stella and GM Pier Luigi Basso. Part 1 covered the classical ...e6 with ...Be7 and ...Bd6, and Part 2 addressed Black's ambitious ...c5 setups. Here the authors face everything Slav-based: Black plays ...c6 and develops the light-squared bishop actively via ...Bg4 or ...Bf5, with or without a quick ...dxc4.
The Repertoire's Character
The approach operates on the principle of positional pressure rather than forcing tactics. White accepts doubled pawns after Bxf3, relies on the bishop pair, and works with structural advantages that grow over time. The repertoire is flexible—White maintains options across multiple move orders and avoids committal pawn structures too early.
Variation Map
After 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c6 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.O-O, Black faces a choice:
The ...Bg4 Family (Chapters 1–8)
- 4...Bg4 5.d3 Nbd7 6.h3 Bh5 (bishop retreat)
- 7.g4 Bg6 8.Bf4 e6 → Chapter 1
- 7.g4 Bg6 8.Bf4 h6 → Chapter 2
- 4...Bg4 5.d3 Nbd7 6.h3 Bxf3 7.Bxf3 (bishop exchange)
- 7...e5 → Chapter 3
- 7...e6 → Chapter 4
- 4...Bg4 5.d3 e6 → Chapter 5
- 3...Bg4 4.O-O e6 (direct development) → Chapter 6
- 3...Bg4 4.O-O Nd7 5.d3 e5 → Chapter 7
- 3...Bg4 4.O-O Nd7 5.d3 e6 → Chapter 8
The ...Bf5 Family (Chapters 9–13)
- 4...Bf5 5.d3 e6 → Chapter 9
- 4...Bf5 5.d3 Nbd7 → Chapter 10
- 4...Bf5 5.d3 h6 6.c4 dxc4 → Chapter 11
- 4...Bf5 5.d3 h6 6.c4 e6 → Chapter 12
- 3...Bf5 (immediate development) → Chapter 13
Additional Sidelines (Chapters 14–15)
- 4...g6 (Grünfeld-style try) → Chapter 14
- 4...Nbd7 5.d4 (classical setup) → Chapter 15
Premium Course Features
This is a Modern Chess Premium course, built as a complete training system:
- 15 theory chapters with video explanations
- 30 test positions—critical moments with tactical and strategic solutions
- 5 training positions for interactive computer practice
- To-Go Version of every chapter—condensed files for pre-game review
- Memory Booster—for long-term recall of key ideas
- Multilingual PGN files—English, German, French, and Spanish
- Full download access—all materials are yours to keep
Start Playing the Lines That Make Slav Players Uncomfortable
The 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 System offers a flexible, low-maintenance repertoire against one of Black's most popular defenses. Combined with Parts 1 and 2, you now have a complete answer to 1.Nf3 d5. Add this course to your library and start building the practical advantage that comes from knowing exactly which positions your opponents don't want to see.