Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Modern Exchange Variation 7. Nf3 c5
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
799,880 games: White 44.7% / Draw 8.3% / Black 47.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 264,444264K | ||
| Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Modern Exchange Variation | 130,281130K | |
| 119,319119K | ||
| 78,45978K | ||
| 76,04476K | ||
| 38,24738K | ||
| 36,84337K | ||
| Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Modern Exchange Variation, Kramnik's Line | 26,14326K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 28, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.17 The position is about equal
Best play: 8. h3 Nc6 9. Be3 Qa5 10. Bd2 O-O 11. Be2 cxd4 12. cxd4 Qa3
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 56% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up and 45% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 7,275 | |
| 1400–1799 | 146K | |
| 1800–2199 | 474K | |
| 2200 and up | 212K | |
| Masters, over the board | 9,986 |
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, Modern Exchange Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Nf3 c5 (7 moves).
In 799,880 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 44.7%, Black 47.0% and 8.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. Be3, in 33% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Modern Exchange Variation, Pawn Grab Line.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to answer 7…c5
8. Rb1 (Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Modern Exchange Variation) scores best for White: 55.4%, with White winning 51.2% and Black 40.3% of 130K games. The most played, 8. Be3, scores 47.6% in 264K games, and 8. Bc4 scores lowest: 46.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 8. h3.
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
This line peaked in 2018 at 0.038% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.03% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.027% | 9,661 |
| 2017 | 0.033% | 18,038 |
| 2018 | 0.038% | 29,894 |
| 2019 | 0.037% | 45,565 |
| 2020 | 0.034% | 100,212 |
| 2021 | 0.03% | 116,881 |
| 2022 | 0.031% | 115,489 |
| 2023 | 0.03% | 111,900 |
| 2024 | 0.028% | 102,097 |
| 2025 | 0.03% | 103,394 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.031% | 33,880 |
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)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Modern Exchange Variation (D85)”. Lichess data as of 28 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/grunfeld-defense-exchange-variation-modern-exchange-variation-2