- The moves1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5
- Chosen byBlack
- ECOD80–D99
The Grünfeld Defense comes after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5. Black invites White to trade on d5 and take the center with e4. The pawns on d4 and e4 look impressive, but Black has the bishop on g7 and attacks the center with …c5, …Nc6, …Bg4 and sometimes …Qa5.
The opening is named after the Austrian Ernst Grünfeld, who brought it into international chess in 1922. That same year he won with it against the future world champion Alexander Alekhine in Vienna. The first known game with the opening is older, though: in Calcutta in 1855, the Indian player Moheschunder Bannerjee had Black against John Cochrane.
Those who have played the Grünfeld include Vasily Smyslov, Viktor Korchnoi, Bobby Fischer, Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen. Kasparov used it often, but after his loss to Vladimir Kramnik in the second game of the 2000 world championship match, he put it aside for the rest of his career.
The main line, move by move
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 O-O 8. Ne2 c5 9. O-O Nc6 10. Be3 Bg4 11. f3 Na5
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The ideas
White wants to
- Keep the big center and push it forward when the time is right.
- Use the center as a base for an attack on Black's king.
- In the modern line: move the rook to b1, off the bishop's diagonal and toward Black's queenside.
Black wants to
- Attack d4 with everything: the bishop on g7, …c5, …Nc6 and …Bg4.
- Force White to defend instead of attacking. If d4 falls, the whole center often collapses.
- Let the king stand safely behind the bishop on g7 while the fight goes on in the center.
Important variations
Modern Exchange Variation: 7.Nf3 and 8.Rb1
From the 1980s on, it became popular to develop the knight to f3 after all and move the rook to b1, off the bishop's diagonal and toward Black's queenside. In the main line White sacrifices the a-pawn: after 9…cxd4 10.cxd4 Qa5+ 11.Bd2 Qxa2 12.O-O, White has quick development and keeps the center. The line is very theory-heavy.
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Nf3 c5 8. Rb1 O-O 9. Be2 cxd4 10. cxd4 Qa5+ 11. Bd2 Qxa2 12. O-O
Russian Variation: 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3
White puts pressure on d5 with the queen. After 5…dxc4 6.Qxc4 O-O 7.e4 White has a strong center, but the queen can become a target on c4. Black has several well-tested paths. 7…Na6 is called the Prins Variation, and Garry Kasparov played it in several world championship matches against Anatoly Karpov, as did Magnus Carlsen in his 2014 world championship match against Viswanathan Anand.
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qb3 dxc4 6. Qxc4 O-O 7. e4 Na6 8. Be2 c5 9. d5 e6
The trap: 6.Nxd5? in the Taimanov Variation
After 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bg5, Black almost always answers 5…Ne4. Then the pawn on d5 seems to be hanging, but if White takes with 6.Nxd5?, 6…Nxg5 7.Nxg5 e6 follows. The pawn attacks the knight on d5, the queen on d8 sees both d5 and g5, and White can't save both knights. White loses a piece.
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bg5 Ne4 6. Nxd5 Nxg5 7. Nxg5 e6 8. Nf3 exd5
8… exd5
… and Black takes the other. Black has won a piece for a pawn.
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How it goes in real games
How the games ended once the position had come up on the board, in blitz, rapid and classical games. White wins, draws and Black wins, as a percentage of the games.
| Position | Level | Games | White wins | Draw | Black wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grünfeld Defense 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 | Club players | 6,264,701 | 46% | 7% | 47% |
| Beginners | 648,062 | 47% | 4% | 49% | |
| Grünfeld Defense, main line 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 O-O 8. Ne2 c5 9. O-O Nc6 10. Be3 Bg4 11. f3 Na5 | Club players | 53,346 | 45% | 8% | 46% |
| Beginners | 148 | too few games for percentages | |||
| Modern Exchange Variation: 7.Nf3 and 8.Rb1 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Nf3 c5 8. Rb1 O-O 9. Be2 cxd4 10. cxd4 Qa5+ 11. Bd2 Qxa2 12. O-O | Club players | 20,959 | 47% | 10% | 43% |
| Beginners | 60 | too few games for percentages | |||
| Russian Variation: 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qb3 dxc4 6. Qxc4 O-O 7. e4 Na6 8. Be2 c5 9. d5 e6 | Club players | 6,012 | 49% | 7% | 45% |
| Beginners | 5 | too few games for percentages | |||
The most common continuations after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5
Club players, share of the games in the position.
- 4.cxd5 42% (2,613,094 games)
- 4.Nf3 23% (1,458,482 games)
- 4.Bg5 10% (642,844 games)
- 4.e3 10% (611,802 games)
- 4.Bf4 6% (374,342 games)
Source: games on Lichess, fetched October 28, 2026. Club players means games where the players average 1600 or more, beginners games where they average 1000–1599.
Is this opening for you?
The Grünfeld suits Black players who enjoy dynamic play and aren't afraid of giving the opponent a big center. It takes a lot of theory, because White has many sharp paths, but the reward is active pieces and a clear target to attack.
If you would rather keep the game closed a while longer, try the King's Indian Defense, which starts the same way but where Black doesn't play …d5.
A famous game
The Grünfeld came about by another move order in thirteen-year-old Bobby Fischer's famous win against Donald Byrne in 1956: The Game of the Century
Practice the main line
Choose a color and one of the house players. Your opponent follows the main line, and you try to find your moves. If you play something else, you'll see the main line's move, but the game goes on. When the main line ends, you play freely.
Rather play freely? Choose an opponent · Play right away
The main line with all the comments as text
1. d4 White takes space in the center. 1… Nf6 Black keeps an eye on e4 and waits before showing the setup. 2. c4 White takes more space. 2… g6 The bishop is heading for g7. 3. Nc3 White prepares e4. 3… d5 This is the Grünfeld. Instead of letting White play e4 in peace, Black puts a pawn on d5. 4. cxd5 The Exchange Variation, the traditional main line. 4… Nxd5 The knight takes back. 5. e4 White chases the knight and builds the center. 5… Nxc3 Black trades knights. 6. bxc3 Now White has pawns on c3, d4 and e4. That is the center Black wants to attack. 6… Bg7 The bishop aims down the diagonal straight at d4 and c3. 7. Bc4 The classical setup: the bishop to c4 and the knight to e2. 7… O-O 8. Ne2 The knight goes to e2 instead of f3, where it could easily have been pinned with …Bg4. 8… c5 The first attack on the center. 9. O-O Nc6 More pressure on d4. 10. Be3 White protects d4. 10… Bg4 The bishop attacks the knight on e2, which protects d4. 11. f3 White chases the bishop. 11… Na5 The knight attacks the bishop on c4. Here White can play 12.Bxf7+, called the Seville Variation after the 1987 world championship match in Seville, where Anatoly Karpov played it in several games against Garry Kasparov.
More openings
King's Indian Defense
Let White take the center, strike back with e5 and storm the kingside.
Nimzo-Indian Defense
3…Bb4: pin the knight, stop e4, and be ready to trade the bishop for doubled pawns.
Queen's Gambit
2.c4 challenges d5. The classical d4 opening, with a Swedish variation among its lines.
Slav Defense
2…c6: solid as a wall, and the bishop on c8 is free.
Every move on this page has been checked against the rules of chess.
Updated November 6, 2026
3… d5
This is the Grünfeld. Instead of letting White play e4 in peace, Black puts a pawn on d5.