Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Spassky Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
323,577 games: White 47.6% / Draw 7.3% / Black 45.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 200,325200K | ||
| 112,278112K | ||
| 3,0753,075 | ||
| 2,9262,926 | ||
| 1,2681,268 | ||
| 1,0601,060 | ||
| 919919 | ||
| 644644 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.21 The position is about equal
Best play: 9. Be3 Nc6 10. O-O b6 11. Rc1 Bb7 12. d5 Ne5 13. Bb3 c4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 278 | |
| 1400–1799 | 18K | |
| 1800–2199 | 215K | |
| 2200 and up | 92K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,438 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Caruana, F. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Topalov, V. – Anand, V.
- Aronian, L. – Mamedyarov, S.
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, Spassky Variation (ECO D87, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Classical Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8. Ne2 O-O (8 moves).
In 323,577 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.6%, Black 45.1% and 7.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 9. O-O, in 62% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Sokolsky Variation.
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, Spassky Variation
The most played answer, 9. O-O, also scores best for White: 51.5%, with White winning 47.8% and Black 44.8% of 200K games. Of the main answers, 9. Be3 scores lowest: 51.1%. Stockfish's first choice is 9. Be3.
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: Exchange Variation, Spassky Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.011% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.014% (its peak: 0.019% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.014% | 4,905 |
| 2017 | 0.018% | 9,769 |
| 2018 | 0.019% | 14,961 |
| 2019 | 0.017% | 20,705 |
| 2020 | 0.016% | 47,317 |
| 2021 | 0.012% | 47,431 |
| 2022 | 0.012% | 44,654 |
| 2023 | 0.011% | 41,955 |
| 2024 | 0.011% | 38,141 |
| 2025 | 0.011% | 36,444 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.011% | 11,597 |
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)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Spassky Variation (D87)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/grunfeld-defense-exchange-variation-spassky-variation