D80
Grunfeld Defense
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5
In the Grunfeld Defense, aim to understand the plans and pawn structures, not just memorize the first moves.
The Grunfeld Defense is a chess opening classified under ECO code D80. It is reached after the moves 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5: 6 moves in, with White to play.
Learn its typical plans and pawn structures rather than memorizing moves — that’s what holds up over the board.
Dozens of named variations branch from this position; the list at the end of the page goes one move deeper into each.
Play the Grunfeld Defense? See where you go wrong.
Deepline reviews your real games, finds the exact moves that cost you, and trains the fixes.
Analyze my games free →Variations of the Grunfeld Defense
- Three Knights Variation, Burille Variation, Reversed Tarrasch1. 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
- Gibbon Gambit1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. g4
- Lundin Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Ne4 5. Nxe4 dxe4 6. Qd2 c5
- Lutikov Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. f3
- Lutikov Variation, Murrey Attack1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. f3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Na4
- Stockholm Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5
- Zaitsev Gambit1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. h4
- Russian Variation, Accelerated Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Qb3
- Brinckmann Attack1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bf4
- Brinckmann Attack, Grunfeld Gambit1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bf4 Bg7 5. e3 O-O
- Brinckmann Attack, Grunfeld Gambit, Botvinnik Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bf4 Bg7 5. e3 O-O 6. Rc1 c5 7. dxc5 Be6
- Brinckmann Attack, Grunfeld Gambit, Capablanca Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bf4 Bg7 5. e3 O-O 6. Rc1
- Brinckmann Attack, Reshevsky Gambit1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bf4 Bg7 5. Rc1 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Qa5
- Brinckmann Attack, Grunfeld Gambit Accepted1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bf4 Bg7 5. e3 O-O 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Nxd5 Qxd5 8. Bxc7
- Exchange1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3
- Exchange Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5
- Exchange Variation, Modern Exchange Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Nf3
- Exchange Variation, Modern Exchange Variation, Kramnik's Line1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Nc3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 c5 8. h3
- Exchange Variation, Modern Exchange Variation, Pawn Grab Line1. 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+
- Exchange Variation, Nadanian Attack1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Na4
- Exchange Variation, Classical Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4
- Exchange Variation, Larsen Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 O-O 8. Ne2 Qd7
- Exchange Variation, Simagin's Improved Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 O-O 8. Ne2 Nc6
- Exchange Variation, Simagin's Lesser Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 O-O 8. Ne2 b6
- Exchange Variation, Seville Variation1. 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+
- Exchange Variation, Spassky Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8. Ne2 O-O
- Exchange Variation, Sokolsky Variation1. 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
- Flohr Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qa4+
- Three Knights Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3
- Three Knights Variation, Petrosian System1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bg5
- Three Knights Variation, Hungarian Attack1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bf4
- Three Knights Variation, Hungarian Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3
- Flohr Defense1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 g6 5. Nf3 Bg7 6. Bd3 O-O 7. O-O Bf5
- Makogonov Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. e3 O-O 6. b4
- Opocensky Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. e3 O-O 6. Bd2
- Smyslov Defense1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 g6 5. Nf3 Bg7 6. Bd3 O-O 7. O-O Bg4
- Three Knights Variation, Burille Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. e3
- Three Knights Variation, Paris Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. e3 O-O 6. Bd3
- Botvinnik Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. e3 O-O 6. Qb3 e6
- Pachman Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. e3 Bg7 5. Qb3 dxc4 6. Bxc4 O-O 7. Nf3 Nbd7 8. Ng5
Related openings
Grunfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Burille Variation, Reversed TarraschGrunfeld Defense: Gibbon GambitGrunfeld Defense: Lundin VariationGrunfeld Defense: Lutikov VariationGrunfeld Defense: Lutikov Variation, Murrey AttackGrunfeld Defense: Stockholm VariationGrunfeld Defense: Zaitsev GambitGrunfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Accelerated VariationGrunfeld Defense: Brinckmann AttackGrunfeld Defense: Brinckmann Attack, Grunfeld Gambit