Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation

Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation is a chess opening with the ECO code D90, part of the Grünfeld Defense family. It goes 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3. White opens with 1. d4 (the queen's pawn) and Black answers 1... Nf6. After 7 moves it is Black 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
• 4. Nf3 – White plays the knight to f3

In chessGM's opening book this position continues with 4... Bg7.

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: Three Knights Variation course lesson.

Related openings

• It extends: Grünfeld Defense (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5)
• Continues with: Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation – adds 4... Bg7
• Related line: Grünfeld Defense: Flohr Variation (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qa4+)
• Related line: Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7)
• Related line: Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Spassky Variation (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8. Ne2 Nc6 9. Be3 O-O 10. O-O Bg4 11. f3 Na5 12. Bd3 cxd4 13. cxd4 Be6)
• Related line: Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Petrosian System (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bg5)
• Related line: Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Sokolsky Variation (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8. Ne2 O-O 9. O-O Nc6 10. Be3 Bg4 11. f3 Na5 12. Bd3 cxd4 13. cxd4 Be6 14. d5)
• Related line: Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Hungarian Attack (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bf4)

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