Opening family
Grünfeld Defense Lines and Variations
The Grünfeld Defense family contains 59 named lines in this opening book, spanning ECO A56 to E60. Use this page as the map, then open individual lines for exact move orders and diagrams.
How to study this family
White
White should use the move order as a checkpoint: finish development, identify the central break, and compare the continuations below before memorizing moves.
Black
Black should ask what White is threatening in the center, then choose development moves that prepare a clean pawn break or a useful exchange.
Start with the shortest line, then branch to the variations that change the pawn structure or tactical target. Memorizing every branch before understanding the family plan is usually wasted work.
Main named lines
- D80 · Grünfeld Defense
- D80 · Grünfeld Defense: Gibbon Gambit
- D80 · Grünfeld Defense: Lutikov Variation
- D80 · Grünfeld Defense: Stockholm Variation
- D80 · Grünfeld Defense: Zaitsev Gambit
- D81 · Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Accelerated Variation
- D82 · Grünfeld Defense: Brinckmann Attack
- D90 · Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation
- D85 · Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation
- D90 · Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation
- E60 · Grünfeld Defense: Counterthrust Variation
- D85 · Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Nadanian Attack
- D90 · Grünfeld Defense: Flohr Variation
- D91 · Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Petrosian System
- D92 · Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Hungarian Attack
- D94 · Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Burille Variation
- D96 · Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation
- D83 · Grünfeld Defense: Brinckmann Attack, Grünfeld Gambit
- D80 · Grünfeld Defense: Lutikov Variation, Murrey Attack
- D83 · Grünfeld Defense: Brinckmann Attack, Grünfeld Gambit, Capablanca Variation
- D93 · Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Hungarian Variation
- D94 · Grünfeld Defense: Makogonov Variation
- D94 · Grünfeld Defense: Opocensky Variation
- D94 · Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Paris Variation
Deep theory branches
- 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 — 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 Nc6 9. Be3 O-O 10. O-O Bg4 11. f3 Na5 12. Bd3 cxd4 13. cxd4 Be6 — 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. Bxf7+ — Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Seville 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 cxd4 11. cxd4 — Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Spassky Variation
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qb3 dxc4 6. Qxc4 O-O 7. e4 Bg4 8. Be3 Nfd7 9. Be2 Nb6 10. Qd3 Nc6 11. O-O-O — Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Keres Variation
- 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 Nc6 10. d5 Bxc3+ — Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Modern Exchange Variation, Pawn Grab 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 Qd7 9. O-O b6 — Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Larsen Variation
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qb3 dxc4 6. Qxc4 O-O 7. e4 Bg4 8. Be3 Nfd7 9. Qb3 c5 — Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Yugoslav Variation
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qb3 dxc4 6. Qxc4 O-O 7. e4 Bg4 8. Be3 Nfd7 9. Qb3 — Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Smyslov Variation
- 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 — Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Burille Variation, Reversed Tarrasch
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 O-O 8. Ne2 Qd7 — Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Larsen Variation
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 O-O 8. Ne2 Nc6 — Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Simagin's Improved Variation
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 O-O 8. Ne2 b6 — Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Simagin's Lesser 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 — Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Spassky Variation
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bf4 Bg7 5. e3 O-O 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Nxd5 Qxd5 8. Bxc7 — Grünfeld Defense: Brinckmann Attack, Grünfeld Gambit Accepted
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Nc3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 c5 8. Rb1 — Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Modern Exchange Variation