English Opening: Anglo-Grünfeld Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
960,262 games: White 48.5% / Draw 6.2% / Black 45.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 706,723707K | ||
| 91,19991K | ||
| 60,20660K | ||
| 41,61342K | ||
| 23,44023K | ||
| 12,43112K | ||
| 10,64811K | ||
| 5,1385,138 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.24 The position is about equal
Best play: 3. cxd5 Nxd5 4. Nf3 c5 5. d4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 g6 7. e4 Bg7
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 49% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up and 39% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 109K | |
| 1400–1799 | 366K | |
| 1800–2199 | 592K | |
| 2200 and up | 138K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,927 |
Master games
- Kramnik, V. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Topalov, V. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Morozevich, A. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Tomashevsky, E. – Morozevich, A.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
English Opening: Anglo-Grünfeld Defense (ECO A16, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Queen's Knight Variation, reached after 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 (2 moves).
In 960,262 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.5%, Black 45.2% and 6.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. cxd5, in 74% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Anglo-Grünfeld Variation and English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Anglo-Grünfeld Variation. In all, 6 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the English Opening: Anglo-Grünfeld Defense
The most played answer, 3. cxd5, also scores best for White: 52.6%, with White winning 49.3% and Black 44.1% of 707K games. Of the main answers, 3. e3 scores lowest: 48.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3. cxd5.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The English Opening: Anglo-Grünfeld Defense has stayed between 0.031% and 0.042% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.036% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.031% | 10,917 |
| 2017 | 0.035% | 19,255 |
| 2018 | 0.04% | 31,162 |
| 2019 | 0.042% | 51,975 |
| 2020 | 0.041% | 119,723 |
| 2021 | 0.037% | 144,620 |
| 2022 | 0.036% | 135,010 |
| 2023 | 0.036% | 136,172 |
| 2024 | 0.036% | 129,912 |
| 2025 | 0.036% | 126,207 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.037% | 40,226 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (3)
All 6 named lines that continue from here
- A16 English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Anglo-Grünfeld Variation 4 moves
- A16 English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Anglo-Grünfeld Variation 5 moves
- A16 English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Anglo-Grünfeld Variation 5 moves
- A17 English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense 5 moves
- A16 Anglo-Grünfeld Variation 4 moves
- A16 English Opening: Anglo-Grünfeld Defense, Korchnoi Variation 6 moves
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “English Opening: Anglo-Grünfeld Defense (A16)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-anglo-grunfeld-defense