Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Modern Exchange Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
1,118,096 games: White 45.5% / Draw 8.1% / Black 46.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 734,227734K | ||
| 342,445342K | ||
| 23,84624K | ||
| 4,6644,664 | ||
| 4,3604,360 | ||
| 2,3782,378 | ||
| 2,2452,245 | ||
| 1,4081,408 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.19 The position is about equal
Best play: 7... c5 8. Bb5+ Nc6 9. Rb1 O-O 10. d5 Ne5 11. O-O Nxf3+ 12. Qxf3
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 better this line does for White: White scores 50% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up and 55% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 22K | |
| 1400–1799 | 237K | |
| 1800–2199 | 669K | |
| 2200 and up | 275K | |
| Masters, over the board | 10K |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Carlsen, M. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Kramnik, V. – Kasparov, G.
- Kramnik, V. – Kasparov, G.
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: Exchange Variation, Modern Exchange Variation (ECO D85, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Nf3 (7 moves).
In 1,118,096 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.5%, Black 46.5% and 8.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…c5, in 66% of those games.
It continues into one named variation. In all, 2 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: Exchange Variation, Modern Exchange Variation
The most played answer, 7…c5, also scores best for Black: 51.2%, with Black winning 47.0% and White 44.7% of 734K games. Of the main answers, 7…O-O scores lowest: 50.0%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7…c5.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black'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: Exchange Variation, Modern Exchange Variation peaked in 2018 at 0.055% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.04% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.039% | 13,996 |
| 2017 | 0.048% | 26,593 |
| 2018 | 0.055% | 42,830 |
| 2019 | 0.052% | 64,968 |
| 2020 | 0.05% | 145,919 |
| 2021 | 0.043% | 166,637 |
| 2022 | 0.043% | 159,999 |
| 2023 | 0.041% | 153,160 |
| 2024 | 0.039% | 139,830 |
| 2025 | 0.04% | 140,029 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.042% | 46,152 |
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 (1)
All 2 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Modern Exchange Variation (D85)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/grunfeld-defense-exchange-variation-modern-exchange-variation