Neo-Grünfeld Defense: Classical Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
799,154 games: White 50.1% / Draw 7.6% / Black 42.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Neo-Grünfeld Defense: Classical Variation, Original Defense | 408,409408K | |
| Modern Defense | 208,150208K | |
| 76,62877K | ||
| 37,28237K | ||
| Polgar Variation | 23,34323K | |
| 11,39611K | ||
| 9,9399,939 | ||
| 7,5567,556 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.14 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... c6 7. b3 Bf5 8. Bb2 Ne4 9. e3 Nd7 10. Nc3 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 55% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up and 54% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 17K | |
| 1400–1799 | 93K | |
| 1800–2199 | 451K | |
| 2200 and up | 283K | |
| Masters, over the board | 4,955 |
Master games
- Ding, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Giri, A. – So, W.
- Nakamura, H. – Caruana, F.
- So, W. – Caruana, F.
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
Neo-Grünfeld Defense: Classical Variation (ECO D77, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a chess opening that starts 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. O-O d5 6. c4.
In 799,154 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.1%, Black 42.3% and 7.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…c6, in 51% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Neo-Grünfeld Defense: Classical Variation, Modern Defense and Neo-Grünfeld Defense: Classical Variation, Polgar Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Neo-Grünfeld Defense: Classical Variation
6…dxc4 (Modern Defense) scores best for Black: 47.9%, with Black winning 44.5% and White 48.6% of 208K games. The most played answer, 6…c6, scores lowest: 45.6% in 408K games. Stockfish's first choice is 6…c6.
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 Neo-Grünfeld Defense: Classical Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.031% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.022% (its peak: 0.037% in 2020).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.022% | 7,950 |
| 2017 | 0.028% | 15,505 |
| 2018 | 0.035% | 27,139 |
| 2019 | 0.034% | 42,484 |
| 2020 | 0.037% | 108,992 |
| 2021 | 0.029% | 115,052 |
| 2022 | 0.031% | 114,748 |
| 2023 | 0.03% | 111,173 |
| 2024 | 0.029% | 104,579 |
| 2025 | 0.031% | 105,923 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.031% | 34,067 |
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
Variations (2)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Neo-Grünfeld Defense: Classical Variation (D77)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/neo-grunfeld-defense-classical-variation