Chess Opening Theory/1. d4/1...Nf6/2. c4/2...g6/3. Nc3/3...d5

Grünfeld Defence
a b c d e f g h 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 a b c d e f g h
Position in Forsyth-Edwards Notation (FEN) rnbqkb1r/ppp1pp1p/5np1/3p4/2PP4/2N5/PP2PPPP/R1BQKBNR w
Moves: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5

Grünfeld Defence

This is the classic starting position of the Grünfeld Defence, although d5 can be delayed if White has delayed e4 which typically happens if Nf3 is played at some stage.

Black plays d5 and challenges White's occupation of the center. White has a range of choices, the main one is to exchange the pawns on d5 to displace Black's pieces.

During the 1920s, European chess was in revolution, with the entry of the Nimzo-Indian Defence into mainstream opening theory. The masters of the day termed this the "Modern style". Then, in 1922, a well-known master named Ernst Grünfeld came up with a new system that started bashing the great masters of the day, including Alekhine, Kostic, Sämisch, and Colle. This came to be known as the new "hypermodern" style, and Grünfeld, true to hypermodern tastes, showed in pure form how the previously accepted classical dogma could be wrong, and that a pawn center could be an object of attack as well as a boon.

The main battleground of philosophies is the Exchange Variation, 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3. White's pawn center gains space, but Black has excellent play along the long, dark diagonal from a1 to h8, and can eventually target d4 with moves like ...Bg7, ...Rd8, ...c5, ...Nc6, and occasionally ...Qa5. Eventually he may also bring a bishop to fianchetto on the other diagonal, targeting e4.

The more classical moves are 4.Nf3, 4.Bf4, and 4.Qb3, which are more conservative ways to fight Black's system. The pawn center still remains, but Black's counterplay is still adequate. The most positional move is 4.Bg5.

Theory table

For explanation of theory tables, see theory table and for notation, see algebraic notation..

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5

	4	5	6	7	8
Exchange Variation	cxd5 Nxd5	e4 Nxc3	bxc3 Bg7	Bc4 O-O	Ne2 Nc6	+/=
Nadanian Variation	cxd5 Nxd5	Na4 Bg7	e4 Nb6	Be3 O-O	Nf3 Bg4	=
Brinckmann Attack	Bf4 Bg7	e3 c5	dxc5 Qa5	Rc1 Ne4	cxd5 Nxc3	+/=
Russian System	Nf3 Bg7	Qb3 dxc4	Qxc4 O-O	e4 Nc6	Be2 Bg4	=
Stockholm Variation	Bg5 Ne4	Bh4 Nxc3	bxc3 dxc4	e3 Be6	Qb1 b6	=
Lutikov Variation	f3 Bg7	e4 dxe4	fxe4 c5	e5 Nh5	+/=
Schlechter Variation, Makogonov Variation	e3 Bg7	=/=

References

de Firmian, Nick. Modern Chess Openings, 15th Edition. New York, NY: Random House, 2008.