Caissa Codex
A56

Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Burille Variation, Reversed Tarrasch

Chess diagram: Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Burille Variation, Reversed Tarrasch after 8…Nc6

Type a move and press Enter: e4, Nf3, O-O, or from and to squares like g1f3 (e7e8q to promote). The board is also played with the mouse.

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Statistics from Lichess

93,775 games: White 41.3% / Draw 7.6% / Black 51.1%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
20,65621K
13,64814K
13,24913K
11,78112K
10,96511K
5,8585,858
5,3915,391
4,9094,909

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026

Engine evaluation

0.00 The position is about equal

Best play: 9. Be3 Be6 10. c5 Ne4 11. Qc2 Bf5 12. Qa4 Bd7 13. Qc2

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

Overview

Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Burille Variation, Reversed Tarrasch (ECO A56, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Benoni Defense, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. e3 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 cxd4 7. exd4 d5 8. O-O Nc6 (8 moves).

In 93,775 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 41.3%, Black 51.1% and 7.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 9. h3, in 22% of those games.

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How to play against the Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Burille Variation, Reversed Tarrasch

9. c5 scores best for White: 47.7%, with White winning 44.0% and Black 48.7% of 13K games. The most played, 9. h3, scores 47.6% in 21K games, and 9. a3 scores lowest: 41.5%. 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

Other lines from the same position

Instead of 3. e3 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 cxd4 7. exd4 d5 8. O-O Nc6, the position after Benoni Defense also goes on to:

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Burille Variation, Reversed Tarrasch (A56)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/grunfeld-defense-three-knights-variation-burille-variation-reversed-tarrasch

https://chesscodex.org/openings/grunfeld-defense-three-knights-variation-burille-variation-reversed-tarrasch