Grünfeld Defense

Grünfeld Defense is a chess opening with the ECO code D80. It goes 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5. White opens with 1. d4 (the queen's pawn) and Black answers 1... Nf6. After 6 moves it is White to move. The lesson on the board explains every move of the line and lets you play it yourself; it is free.

The moves

• 1. d4 – White plays the pawn to d4
• 1... Nf6 – Black plays the knight to f6
• 2. c4 – White plays the pawn to c4
• 2... g6 – Black plays the pawn to g6
• 3. Nc3 – White plays the knight to c3
• 3... d5 – Black plays the pawn to d5

In chessGM's opening book this position continues with 4. cxd5, 4. Nf3, 4. Bf4.

About the Grünfeld Defense

Black plays ...Nf6, ...g6 and ...d5, letting White build a big pawn centre and then attacking it with pieces. It is sharp and full of theory.

• After cxd5 Nxd5 e4, Black trades on c3 and hits d4 with ...c5.
• The bishop on g7 is Black's best piece, pressing on d4 along the long diagonal.
• Black adds ...Nc6, ...Bg4 and ...Qa5 to attack the centre; White tries to push d5.

chessGM has a full course for this line: open the Grünfeld Defense course lesson.

Related openings

• It extends: King's Indian Defense (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3)
• Continues with: Grünfeld Defense: Gibbon Gambit – adds 4. g4
• Continues with: Grünfeld Defense: Lutikov Variation – adds 4. f3
• Continues with: Grünfeld Defense: Stockholm Variation – adds 4. Bg5
• Continues with: Grünfeld Defense: Zaitsev Gambit – adds 4. h4
• Continues with: Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Accelerated Variation – adds 4. Qb3
• Continues with: Grünfeld Defense: Brinckmann Attack – adds 4. Bf4
• Continues with: Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation – adds 4. cxd5 Nxd5
• Continues with: Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation – adds 4. Nf3
• Related line: Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Burille Variation, Reversed Tarrasch (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. e3 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 cxd4 7. exd4 d5 8. O-O Nc6)
• Related line: Grünfeld Defense: Gibbon Gambit (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. g4)
• Related line: Grünfeld Defense: Lundin Variation (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Ne4 5. Nxe4 dxe4 6. Qd2 c5)
• Related line: Grünfeld Defense: Lutikov Variation (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. f3)
• Related line: Grünfeld Defense: Lutikov Variation, Murrey Attack (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. f3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Na4)
• Related line: Grünfeld Defense: Stockholm Variation (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5)

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