Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation 6…O-O 7. e4
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Statistics from Lichess
112,180 games: White 48.3% / Draw 6.7% / Black 45.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Hungarian Variation | 28,20828K | |
| Byrne Variation | 20,48520K | |
| Szabo Variation | 17,76918K | |
| Prins Variation | 12,12912K | |
| Smyslov Variation | 10,12810K | |
| 5,7115,711 | ||
| Levenfish Variation | 5,1075,107 | |
| 5,0685,068 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.17 The position is about equal
Best play: 7... a6 8. Qb3 b5 9. Be2 c5 10. dxc5 Be6 11. Qc2 Nbd7 12. Be3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation (ECO D97, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qb3 dxc4 6. Qxc4 O-O 7. e4 (7 moves).
In 112,180 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.3%, Black 45.0% and 6.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…a6, in 25% of those games.
It branches into 6 named variations; the most played are Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Hungarian Variation and Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Szabo Variation. In all, 9 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 answer 7. e4
7…Nc6 (Byrne Variation) scores best for Black: 52.0%, with Black winning 48.2% and White 44.3% of 20K games. The most played, 7…a6, scores 50.0% in 28K games, and 7…Nbd7 scores lowest: 43.6%. Stockfish's first choice is 7…a6.
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
Variations (6)
All 9 named lines that continue from here
- D97 Byrne Variation 7 moves
- D97 Hungarian Variation 7 moves
- D97 Levenfish Variation 7 moves
- D97 Prins Variation 7 moves
- D98 Smyslov Variation 7 moves
- D97 Szabo Variation 7 moves
- D98 Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Keres Variation 11 moves
- D99 Smyslov Variation 9 moves
- D99 Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Yugoslav Variation 9 moves
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation (D97)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/grunfeld-defense-russian-variation-2