Grünfeld Defense: Brinckmann Attack, Grünfeld Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
214,900 games: White 46.6% / Draw 6.4% / Black 47.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Hungarian Variation | 105,180105K | |
| 24,09824K | ||
| Capablanca Variation | 23,17923K | |
| 21,51822K | ||
| 11,79412K | ||
| 8,8748,874 | ||
| 5,3585,358 | ||
| 4,8414,841 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 23, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.15 The position is about equal
Best play: 6. Rc1 c5 7. dxc5 Nbd7 8. cxd5 Nxc5 9. Nf3 Qa5 10. Ne5 Nxd5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for Black: Black scores 50% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up and 46% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 9,964 | |
| 1400–1799 | 63K | |
| 1800–2199 | 132K | |
| 2200 and up | 40K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,292 |
Master games
- Giri, A. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- So, W. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Gelfand, B. – Grischuk, A.
- Giri, A. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- So, W. – Giri, 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
Grünfeld Defense: Brinckmann Attack, Grünfeld Gambit (ECO D83, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a gambit in the Grünfeld Defense: Brinckmann Attack, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bf4 Bg7 5. e3 O-O (5 moves).
In 214,900 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.6%, Black 47.0% and 6.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Nf3, in 49% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Grünfeld Defense: Brinckmann Attack, Grünfeld Gambit, Capablanca Variation and Grünfeld Defense: Brinckmann Attack, Grünfeld Gambit Accepted. In all, 3 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 Grünfeld Defense: Brinckmann Attack, Grünfeld Gambit
6. Rc1 (Capablanca Variation) scores best for White: 57.0%, with White winning 53.1% and Black 39.0% of 23K games. The most played, 6. Nf3, scores 49.3% in 105K games, and 6. c5 scores lowest: 48.2%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6. Rc1.
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 Grünfeld Defense: Brinckmann Attack, Grünfeld Gambit peaked in 2018 at 0.011% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.0072% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0081% | 2,876 |
| 2017 | 0.0096% | 5,296 |
| 2018 | 0.011% | 8,942 |
| 2019 | 0.01% | 12,784 |
| 2020 | 0.01% | 29,965 |
| 2021 | 0.0087% | 34,092 |
| 2022 | 0.0081% | 30,279 |
| 2023 | 0.0076% | 28,450 |
| 2024 | 0.0072% | 25,755 |
| 2025 | 0.0072% | 24,824 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0076% | 8,325 |
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 (2)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Grünfeld Defense: Brinckmann Attack, Grünfeld Gambit (D83)”. Lichess data as of 23 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/grunfeld-defense-brinckmann-attack-grunfeld-gambit