Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Petrosian System
The Petrosian System of the Grünfeld Defense, also called the Taimanov Variation, is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bg5. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
750,786 games: White 48.1% / Draw 6.1% / Black 45.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 313,954314K | ||
| 148,555149K | ||
| 128,185128K | ||
| 101,220101K | ||
| 14,78915K | ||
| 14,18714K | ||
| 7,1177,117 | ||
| 6,7126,712 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.05 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... Ne4 6. Bf4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 c5 8. e3 O-O 9. cxd5 Qxd5 10. Bd3
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 52% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up and 51% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 41K | |
| 1400–1799 | 255K | |
| 1800–2199 | 437K | |
| 2200 and up | 145K | |
| Masters, over the board | 3,881 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Grischuk, A.
- Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M.
- Kramnik, V. – Caruana, F.
- Eljanov, P. – Caruana, F.
- Artemiev, V. – Carlsen, 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
Description
The Petrosian System of the Grünfeld Defense, also called the Taimanov Variation, is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bg5. Yasser Seirawan has favoured this line.
5...Ne4
Black's reply is nearly always 5...Ne4. White then plays 6.Bh4 or 6.cxd5.
- After 6.Bh4 Black can play 6...Nxc3 7.bxc3 dxc4.
- After 6.cxd5 Black usually plays 6...Nxg5 7.Nxg5 e6; 7...c6 is sometimes tried instead.
- Grabbing the pawn with 6.Nxd5 loses a piece after 6...Nxg5 7.Nxg5 e6.
- After 6.cxd5 Nxg5 7.Nxg5 e6 White has 8.Qd2 exd5 9.Qe3+, with attacking chances; the interpolation 8...h6 9.Nf3 exd5 is a significant alternative for Black.
The usual structure
The more usual 8.Nf3 exd5 leads to play like the Exchange Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined. White carries out a minority attack on the queenside with b2–b4–b5 and bxc6, while Black aims for the traditional kingside play with f7–f5–f4 and, in this case, g6–g5.
The numbers
On Lichess White wins 48.1% of the 750,786 games and Black 45.9%. From 2200 up White's lead grows to 48.7% against 42.3%. Among masters the results are nearly even: in 3,881 games over the board White won 28.5%, Black 27.4%, and 44.1% were drawn.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Petrosian System
The most played answer, 5…Ne4, also scores best for Black: 52.8%, with Black winning 49.4% and White 43.9% of 314K games. Of the main answers, 5…dxc4 scores lowest: 45.4%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5…Ne4.
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, Petrosian System peaked in 2018 at 0.037% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.025% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.029% | 10,219 |
| 2017 | 0.032% | 17,880 |
| 2018 | 0.037% | 29,390 |
| 2019 | 0.036% | 45,201 |
| 2020 | 0.034% | 98,600 |
| 2021 | 0.031% | 120,296 |
| 2022 | 0.029% | 110,046 |
| 2023 | 0.027% | 101,615 |
| 2024 | 0.025% | 90,804 |
| 2025 | 0.025% | 87,756 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.025% | 27,536 |
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
Sources
- History and theory: adapted from the Wikipedia article Grünfeld Defence, version of 22 September 2026, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Results: Lichess opening explorer, figures collected from September to November 2026.
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Petrosian System (D91)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/grunfeld-defense-three-knights-variation-petrosian-system