Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Szabo Variation
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
25,209 games: White 51.9% / Draw 6.4% / Black 41.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 14,46614K | ||
| 3,0093,009 | ||
| 1,9611,961 | ||
| 1,7561,756 | ||
| 1,1101,110 | ||
| 899899 | ||
| 737737 | ||
| 577577 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.68 White is slightly better
Best play: 8. Be2 b5 9. Qb3 Qa5 10. e5 Be6 11. Qc2 Nfd7 12. O-O b4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Szabo 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 c6 (7 moves).
In 25,209 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.9%, Black 41.7% and 6.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. Be2, in 57% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Szabo Variation
The most played answer, 8. Be2, also scores best for White: 56.8%, with White winning 53.6% and Black 40.0% of 14K games. Of the main answers, 8. Be3 scores lowest: 52.2%. Stockfish's first choice is also 8. Be2.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Szabo Variation (D97)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/grunfeld-defense-russian-variation-szabo-variation