Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Paris Variation
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
231,648 games: White 42.1% / Draw 6.1% / Black 51.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 86,15286K | ||
| 53,83654K | ||
| 33,33833K | ||
| 23,44223K | ||
| 9,2919,291 | ||
| 5,8775,877 | ||
| 5,7315,731 | ||
| 4,2744,274 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.12 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... c5 7. O-O cxd4 8. exd4 Nc6 9. h3 b6 10. Qa4 Qd6 11. Bg5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for White: White scores 47% under 1400, 43% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 24K | |
| 1400–1799 | 101K | |
| 1800–2199 | 152K | |
| 2200 and up | 14K | |
| Masters, over the board | 43 |
Master games
- Garcia Palermo, C. H. – Ricardi, P.
- Disconzi da Silva, R. – Lima, D.
- Vokac, M. – Gross, S.
- Poulenard, R. – Kouatly, B.
- Miralles, G. – Kouatly, B.
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, Paris Variation (ECO D94, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Burille Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. e3 O-O 6. Bd3 (6 moves).
In 231,648 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 42.1%, Black 51.8% and 6.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…c5, in 37% 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, Paris Variation
The most played answer, 6…c5, also scores best for Black: 59.4%, with Black winning 56.1% and White 37.4% of 86K games. Of the main answers, 6…Bg4 scores lowest: 49.2%. 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, Paris Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.007% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.013% (its peak: 0.015% in 2017).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.013% | 4,678 |
| 2017 | 0.015% | 8,025 |
| 2018 | 0.014% | 11,320 |
| 2019 | 0.013% | 15,665 |
| 2020 | 0.011% | 32,274 |
| 2021 | 0.0092% | 36,128 |
| 2022 | 0.0086% | 32,351 |
| 2023 | 0.0077% | 28,962 |
| 2024 | 0.0071% | 25,604 |
| 2025 | 0.007% | 24,390 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0069% | 7,590 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Paris Variation (D94)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/grunfeld-defense-three-knights-variation-paris-variation