English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Grünfeld Formation
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
20,103 games: White 49.9% / Draw 6.6% / Black 43.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 13,00913K | ||
| 4,9864,986 | ||
| 1,2561,256 | ||
| 422422 | ||
| 147147 | ||
| 128128 | ||
| 5050 | ||
| 2828 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 24, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.32 White is slightly better
Best play: 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. d4 Nb6 6. Bg2 Bg7 7. Nc3 Nc6 8. e3 O-O
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Grünfeld Formation (ECO A15, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, King's Indian Formation, reached after 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. g3 d5 (3 moves).
In 20,103 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.9%, Black 43.5% and 6.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. Bg2, in 65% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Grünfeld Formation
4. cxd5 scores best for White: 54.5%, with White winning 51.1% and Black 42.0% of 4,986 games. The most played answer, 4. Bg2, scores lowest: 52.9% in 13K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. 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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Grünfeld Formation (A15)”. Lichess data as of 24 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-anglo-indian-defense-grunfeld-formation