Grünfeld Defence
D85 · Played as black · Advanced · Indian Defences
Invite White to build a huge centre — then spend the game demolishing it
The main line
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 cxd4
Strategic ideas
- Let White build the ideal pawn centre and treat it as a target, not an achievement
- Aim the g7 bishop straight at d4 and the long diagonal from the start
- Hit the centre with …c5 and …Nc6 rather than occupying it with pawns
- Trade on c3 to give White doubled pawns and a fixed target
- Play the ultimate hypermodern opening — control the centre from a distance
Key themes
- Counterattack — Black hands White the whole centre and then attacks it from every direction at once
- Dynamic — The position is razor-sharp — if the centre holds, Black is crushed; if it cracks, White is
- Piece Activity — The g7 bishop, the c-file pressure and the …Nc6 jump all bear on d4 without a single black pawn there
Typical plans
The Grünfeld is the purest expression of hypermodern chess: Black lets White build the imposing d4/e4/c3 centre and then argues it's a weakness rather than a strength. Every black piece points at it — the g7 bishop down the long diagonal, the rook on the c-file, the knight coming to c6, the pawn breaks …c5 and …e5. It's a genuinely difficult opening to play well and it's been a main line at world championship level for decades, from Fischer to Kasparov to Carlsen.
Move by move
- d4 — White claims the centre.
- Nf6 — Black develops and controls e4 with a piece rather than a pawn.
- c4 — White grabs more space and prepares to build the big centre.
- g6 — Black prepares the fianchetto — the g7 bishop is going to spend the game staring at d4.
- Nc3 — White develops and defends e4-square control.
- d5 — Black plays the Grünfeld move, striking at the centre before it gets built.
- cxd5 — White takes, the Exchange Variation and the most testing line.
- Nxd5 — Black recaptures with the knight.
- e4 — White gains a tempo on the knight and builds the imposing pawn centre. This looks fantastic for White — and Black invited every bit of it.
- Nxc3 — Black trades on c3 rather than retreating.
- bxc3 — White recaptures with the pawn, doubling the c-pawns but reaching the full classical centre: pawns on c3, d4 and e4.
- Bg7 — Black completes the fianchetto. The bishop now stares down the long diagonal at d4 and c3 — the two things White just built.
- Nf3 — White develops and defends d4.
- c5 — Black hits the base of the centre. This is the Grünfeld's whole argument: the big centre isn't a strength, it's a target.
- Rb1 — White moves the rook off the diagonal, defending b2 and preparing to support the centre.
- O-O — Black castles, getting the king safe before the fireworks.
- Be2 — White develops and prepares to castle.
- cxd4 — Black takes on d4, opening the centre. White's imposing pawn wall is now down to one pawn on d4 and a doubled pawn on c3 — the Grünfeld has done exactly what it set out to do.