Grunfeld Defense – The

Definitive Guide To A Dynamic

Chess Opening
What Is The Grunfeld Defense?

a chess opening for Black against 1.d4

characterized by the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 g6
named after the Austrian chess grandmaster Ernst Grünfeld
first played in 1992 by Ernst Grunfeld to beat World Champion Alexander
Alekhine
a hypermodern and dynamic chess opening

The Grunfeld Defense is one of the most popular chess openings for
Black to 1.d4 thanks to its flexibility and many ways to play for the win.

Not only has the Grunfeld Defense been frequently played by the best
grandmasters of the past – Garry Kasparov, Anatoly Karpov, Bobby
Fischer, Alexey Shirov – but also it is played by nearly all the leading
grandmasters today – Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Peter Svidler,
Vishy Anand, Maxime-Vachier Lagrave, Boris Gelfand and many more.

The Grunfeld Defense is characterized by the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6

3.Nc3 d5. This opening gets its name from a famous game in 1922 when
Ernst Grünfeld beat the great Alexander Alekhine (World Chess Champion
from 1927-1935 and 1937-1946) with the opening.

To start with, let’s go for a little journey through time and take a look at
this inspirational game:

Grunfeld Defense: Basics and Key Concepts

First of all, it is key to understand that the Grunfeld Defense is a
hypermodern chess opening. This means that Black does not try to
control the center early on with his pawns but spends some time on
fianchettoing his dark-squared bishop and only then attacks the center
with his pieces.

To put it into a simple formula: Black first leaves the center to White and
then tries to conquer it back due to his better development.

Also, check out: Play The Grunfeld Defense Like Super-GM Peter
Svidler

Therefore, it is essential to know that Black needs to rely on several pawn

breaks against White’s center. With White’s pawn on d4, typical pawn
breaks to destroy the center are …e5, …c5. If White has no pawn breaks
against the d4-pawn, the move …f5 can be considered.

Secondly, the Grunfeld Defense is a tactical and sharp opening in its

nature. Many lines lead to very concrete play. For this reason, Black can
not only enjoy all the rich possibilities but also needs to be familiar with
several critical ideas, tactical themes and strategic plans for both sides.

Thirdly, in the Grunfeld Defense, White has the better prospects in the
long run because he has more space in the center. But in the short run, he
has to worry about being behind in development and activity. If White
plays careless, the proud center can be quickly evaporated.

Don’t be afraid to sacrifice material for activity in the Grunfeld. In

fact, many tactics only work because White is behind in development.
Black often has a huge lead in development and White is not able to deal
with it.

Grunfeld Defense: Step-by-step Introduction

The Grunfeld Defense starts with the following moves:

1.d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6

As I mentioned previously, the Grunfeld Defense is a hypermodern chess

opening, meaning that Black temporarily gives up control of the center,
and spends his time fianchettoing his dark-squared bishop.

His plan is pretty simple: Black wants to gain control of the long diagonal
and play …d5, challenging White’s central presence. White, on the
other hand, proceeds with a classical queen’s pawn setup.

3.Nc3 d5

White develops the knight to support the central pawns. Black immediately
plays …d5, offering the pawn exchange. His plan is to exchange the
knights, allowing white to set up an e4-d4-c3-pawn formation which is
considered a target, rather than strength, with those playing this chess
opening.

4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4

White doesn’t mind this plan since he believes this pawn structure is
actually an important asset that can lead to launching a powerful attack.
Therefore, he kicks Black’s knight from the center, allowing an
exchange to take place.

5…Nxc3 6.bxc3

Let’s quickly evaluate this position. White was able to achieve the e4-d4-
c3-pawn formation, completely controlling the center. Black allowed that
to happen because he has a plan for undermining White’s central pawns.
The game will revolve around the important d4-square. Currently, only
the queen puts pressure on that square, but in the next few moves, the
bishop and knight will join as well. White’s strategy is to protect the center
and to use the space advantage to launch an attack.

6…Bg7 7.Bc4

White’s plan for defending the pawn center involves relocating the knight
to e2 to defend the d4-pawn. It is important to keep in mind that placing it
on f3, even though looks natural, makes the knight susceptible to a bishop
pin with …Bg4. That’s why e2 is the recommended square for that knight.
Black, on the other hand, will proceed with castling short and play c4,
increasing the tension in the center.

7…0-0 8. Ne2 c5 9.0-0 Nc6 10.Be3

As we can see, Black continues to build pressure on the d4-pawn, while
White is doing his best to neutralize it. Black may continue building
pressure by indirectly attacking the c4 bishop with a queen on c7. On the
other hand, Black may go ahead and exchange on d4 with the idea of
bringing his knight to a5 and attacking the bishop. In that case, White
would probably want to avoid the exchange and keep the bishop pair.

Grunfeld Defense: Most Important

Variations
The Grunfeld Defense is separated into numerous important sub-
variations that can arise including the Exchange Variation, the Russian
System (4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3), the Taimanov Variation (4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bg5),
the lines with 4.Bf4, the 5.Bd2 Variation, the variations with g3 and the
Anti-Grunfeld with 3.f3. In the following, we’re going to present to the
most important variations in a nutshell.

Of course, there are more sidelines which White can choose against the
Grunfeld Defense. However, it is important to remember that sidelines are
sidelines for a reason.

Knowing as many recurring tactical motifs as possible in an opening

especially helps you to cope with the many sidelines which often occur
against weaker opponents. It does not make sense to memorize tons of
theory to refute rare and harmless sidelines. It will cost you too
much time and energy memorizing these variations.

On memorizing theory, you should focus on the important main lines

which strong players go for. In these lines, you need to know your stuff
inside out.
Grunfeld Defense – Exchange Variation

One of the most important variations to understand in the Grunfeld

Defense is the Exchange Variation. It arises after the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4
g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 (see below). Especially
the Exchange Variation with Bc4 and Ne2 is a strong setup for White to
defend the pawn on d4 and to keep a huge center. Generally speaking,
Black has two strategies in the Exchange Variation:

1. Exchanging pieces (Black has less space) – If all pieces would be

taken from the board, this would favor Black, because he has outside
passed pawn potential.
2. Destroying White’s center – Even in the games of very strong
players, White is often in huge problems with consolidating his center.

Due to the defined pawn structure early in the game, Black has a potential
passed pawn on the queenside. Black’s a-pawn can become a dangerous
passed pawn in the endgame and difficult to stop.

Grunfeld Defense – Taimanov’s Variation

The Taimanov Variation of the Grunfeld Defense starts after the moves
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bg5. Black does not need to
know too much theory here, but he should be familiar with the most
important concepts and ideas in order to get a good position from the
opening.
Grunfeld Defense – 4.Bf4-Variation

The 4.Bf4-Variation starts after the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5
4.Bf4. White develops his bishop on a natural square and targets Black’s
pawn on c7. In the following, you can see how to play against this chess
opening setup with Black.

Grunfeld Defense – Russian System

The Russian System in the Grunfeld Defense starts after the moves 1.d4
Nf6 2.c4 g63.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3. This is an aggressive setup for
White and Black needs to be familiar with the theory here. One advantage
for Black is that he has several good systems to choose from and White has
to be able to cope with plenty of different pawn structures in different
variations. Black can decide the course of the game here.

Grunfeld Defense – 5.Bd2 Variation

The 5.Bd2 Variation of the Grunfeld Defense arises from the Exchange
Variation. However, it is frequently played and therefore should be
analyzed separately. White falls behind in development in this line and
Black is fine if he strikes back in the center quickly.

The 5. Bd2 line offers White a solid center and there are more pieces on
the board than in the Exchange Variation. This usually favors the side with
the big center. What’s more, the b-pawn remains on b2 which means that
Black has no potential for an outside passed pawn.

However, in this line, White moves his bishop on d2 twice and plays h3, so
he is likely to fall behind in development. Moves like …e5 and …f5 can be
considered in order to open the position up. This gives Black the
opportunity to make use of his lead in development.

Grunfeld Defense – Variations with g3

The variations with g3 (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3) are extremely popular
nowadays and Black should be prepared to meet these systems. The g3-
systems usually lead to positional struggles.

Grunfeld Defense – Anti Grunfeld with 3.f3

This system arises after the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.f3. The “Anti
Grunfeld” is an interesting practical weapon, but from a theoretical point
of view, Black should have adequate resources.

Black can answer the move 3.f3 with 3. …d5 – played like a true Grunfeld
Defense devotee. Alternatives are:

a) 3. …c5 4.d5 b5 leads to the “f3 variation” of the Benko Gambit after
5.cxb5 a6 6.e4 etc.
b) 3. …Bg7 4.e4 0–0 5. Nc3 and White has reached a Saemisch
variation of the Kings Indian Defense.

Opening Experts:
If you want to become an expert on your chess opening, it is a wise decision
to regularly check the games of the world’s leading experts in this
chess opening. You can watch their approaches against different opening
setups and become familiar with the latest trends, fashionable move orders
or opening novelties. If you choose to play the Gruenfeld Defense, your
experts to follow are GM Svidler, GM Areshenko, GM Ftacnik or GM
Vachier-Lagrave.

Greatest Games In The Grunfeld Defense

Many great games have been played in the Grunfeld Defense and it’s
definitely worth studying them. Here are the two greatest games which
probably have been played in the Grunfeld Defense. You can play through
them and simply enjoy them.

Donald Byrne – Robert James Fischer (1956) – The

Game Of The Century

Vladimir Kramnik – Alexei Shirov (2008) – Fire

On Board

Conclusion – Play The Grunfeld Defense

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The Grunfeld Defense is one of the best openings for club players,
and you should consider giving it a try with both colors to better
understand the defensive and attacking ideas. Many great players
including Bobby Fischer, Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov, Vladimir
Kramnik and Boris Gelfand have played this opening with great success.

It was played in multiple World Championship Matches, including the

Kasparov-Karpov matches in 1986, ’87 and ’90. The Grunfeld is a
tactically rich chess opening with straightforward attacking ideas and
unlimited defensive possibilities.

If you’ve been looking for a new weapon against 1.d4 or want to

understand this chess opening at a much deeper level then you’ll benefit
from watching Sam Shankland’s (2727) brand new chess DVD on the
Grunfeld Defense. Click here to get instant access with 25% off.