Stoltz Variation
- 1.d4d5
- 2.c4c6
- 3.Nc3Nf6
- 4.e3e6
- 5.Nf3Nbd7
- 6.Qc2
1,835 games
Semi-Slav line with 6. Qc2, an Anti-Meran system in which White holds back Bd3 until Black takes on c4; popularized by Karpov in the 1990s.
Train it in TheoriaAbout the Stoltz Variation
The Stoltz Variation, 6. Qc2, is named after the Swedish grandmaster Gösta Stoltz and is the main alternative to 6. Bd3. Instead of developing the bishop at once, White waits for Black to commit to ...dxc4, which sidesteps the Meran. Long a sideline, it surged in popularity in the 1990s through Anatoly Karpov's advocacy. Black usually answers 6...Bd6, and White then chooses between the sharp 7. g4, the Shabalov Attack, and 7. e4, the Center Variation.