Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Hungarian Variation
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
453,716 games: White 46.6% / Draw 6.3% / Black 47.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 219,897220K | ||
| 97,22197K | ||
| 35,67936K | ||
| 21,32521K | ||
| 14,59015K | ||
| 13,00813K | ||
| 10,64911K | ||
| 9,0419,041 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 11, 2026
Engine evaluation
0.00 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... c5 7. dxc5 Ne4 8. Rc1 Nd7 9. cxd5 Qa5 10. Qc2 Nxc3 11. bxc3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 53% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up and 51% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 26K | |
| 1400–1799 | 137K | |
| 1800–2199 | 285K | |
| 2200 and up | 77K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,058 |
Master games
- Ivanchuk, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Kramnik, V. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Radjabov, T. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Radjabov, T. – So, W.
- Yu Yangyi – Vachier Lagrave, M.
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: Three Knights Variation, Hungarian Variation (ECO D93, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Hungarian Attack, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 (6 moves).
In 453,716 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.6%, Black 47.1% and 6.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…c5, in 48% 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: Three Knights Variation, Hungarian Variation
The most played answer, 6…c5, also scores best for Black: 55.2%, with Black winning 51.9% and White 41.5% of 220K games. Of the main answers, 6…Bg4 scores lowest: 44.6%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6…c5.
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
Popularity by year
The Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Hungarian Variation peaked in 2018 at 0.024% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.015% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.017% | 5,933 |
| 2017 | 0.019% | 10,496 |
| 2018 | 0.024% | 19,148 |
| 2019 | 0.022% | 27,551 |
| 2020 | 0.022% | 63,878 |
| 2021 | 0.019% | 73,468 |
| 2022 | 0.017% | 63,978 |
| 2023 | 0.016% | 59,425 |
| 2024 | 0.015% | 53,580 |
| 2025 | 0.015% | 52,494 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.016% | 17,104 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Hungarian Variation (D93)”. Lichess data as of 11 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/grunfeld-defense-three-knights-variation-hungarian-variation