Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation

Main line

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Bc4 c5

Diagram shows the position after 6 half-moves of the main line. On SpeakChess you can drill this line move by move — the trainer plays the other side and corrects you instantly, then spaced repetition schedules each variation so you review it right before you would forget it.

Move by move

The first 12 moves of the main line, explained one at a time. Every move of every variation is annotated like this inside the trainer — this page shows the opening moves so you can judge the explanations before signing up.

1. 1.d4 White advances the pawn to d4, staking a claim right in the center and opening lines for the bishop and queen to develop later.
2. 1...Nf6 Black brings the knight out to f6, a great developing move. From this dark square it eyes the middle of the board and gets ready to join the fight. Knights love jumping into action early like this!
3. 2.c4 White pushes the pawn to c4, building a big pawn center alongside d4. Together these two pawns control a lot of important squares.
4. 2...g6 Black moves the pawn to g6, making room for the bishop to slide to g7. This starts the Grunfeld setup — the dragon bishop will be very powerful.
5. 3.Nc3 White develops the knight to c3, where it supports the center pawns and eyes the d5 square. Knights belong in the center early in the game.
6. 3...d5 Black boldly pushes the pawn to d5, challenging White's center directly. This is the heart of the Grunfeld Defense — Black fights back right away.
7. 4.cxd5 White captures the pawn on d5 with cxd5. Now White has a strong pawn in the center and Black must decide how to win it back.
8. 4...Nxd5 Black captures the pawn on d5 with the knight, taking back the material. The knight lands on a strong central square and Black is ready to develop.
9. 5.e4 White pushes the pawn to e4, completing a powerful pawn center. White now has two pawns side by side in the middle controlling lots of space.
10. 5...Nxc3 Black captures the knight on c3 with the knight — trading knights and doubling White's pawns. This is part of Black's plan to attack that big pawn center.
11. 6.bxc3 White recaptures the knight on c3 with the b-pawn. White doubles the pawns but gains an open b-file and keeps a strong center.
12. 6...Bg7 Black develops the bishop to g7, completing the fianchetto. The bishop on g7 is a powerful long-range piece that eyes the center and queenside.

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Win rates by rating

Results from real online games, measured after the line shown in each row. Most opening sites show one aggregate number — how an opening scores depends heavily on who is playing it.

Most played continuations (1400-1600 rating)

After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7:

• Nf3 — played 43.8% of the time (White wins 44.3%, draws 4.6%, Black wins 51.2%)
• Bc4 — played 14.8% of the time (White wins 48.7%, draws 4%, Black wins 47.3%)
• e5 — played 9.9% of the time (White wins 42.3%, draws 3.1%, Black wins 54.7%)

Related openings

• Grünfeld Defense
• Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation

Frequently asked questions

Why does Black give up the centre so willingly?

Because a big pawn centre is a liability as well as an asset. Pawns cannot retreat, so once White commits to c3-d4-e4 those squares are fixed and every one of Black's pieces knows where to aim. Black is not conceding the centre — he is choosing to attack it with pieces rather than occupy it with pawns, which is the whole hypermodern idea.

Is the Grünfeld Exchange good for club players?

It is more demanding than the King's Indian despite looking similar, because the plans are concrete rather than schematic. There is no automatic pawn storm to fall back on — miss the moment for ...c5 or ...Bg4 and White's centre simply advances and wins. Rewarding if you like precise play, punishing if you want a system.

What happens if White's centre survives the opening?

Black is usually just worse, and often lost. That is the honest risk of the variation: the compensation is entirely dynamic, so if White consolidates with pieces on good squares and the pawns intact, Black has no structural asset to fall back on — just a fianchettoed bishop staring at a wall.