Neo-Grünfeld Defense: Classical Variation, Original Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
942,448 games: White 49.9% / Draw 7.9% / Black 42.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 396,756397K | ||
| 229,614230K | ||
| 98,12798K | ||
| 66,23866K | ||
| 33,03533K | ||
| 31,48331K | ||
| 29,97330K | ||
| 10,56611K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.11 The position is about equal
Best play: 7. b3 Bf5 8. Bb2 Nbd7 9. Nc3 dxc4 10. bxc4 Nb6 11. c5 Nc4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 48% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up and 44% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 13K | |
| 1400–1799 | 101K | |
| 1800–2199 | 557K | |
| 2200 and up | 311K | |
| Masters, over the board | 5,208 |
Master games
- Ding, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Anand, V.
- Carlsen, M. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Carlsen, M. – Aronian, L.
- Giri, A. – So, W.
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, Original Defense (ECO D78, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a chess opening that starts 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 c6 6. O-O d5.
In 942,448 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.9%, Black 42.2% and 7.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. Nc3, in 42% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Neo-Grünfeld Defense: Ultra-Delayed Exchange 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, Original Defense
7. cxd5 scores best for White: 55.3%, with White winning 50.5% and Black 39.9% of 230K games. The most played, 7. Nc3, scores 53.4% in 397K games, and 7. Nbd2 scores lowest: 53.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 7. b3.
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
Popularity by year
The Neo-Grünfeld Defense: Classical Variation, Original Defense has gained ground since 2016: 0.039% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.027%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.027% | 9,778 |
| 2017 | 0.034% | 18,841 |
| 2018 | 0.04% | 31,753 |
| 2019 | 0.04% | 49,464 |
| 2020 | 0.041% | 118,690 |
| 2021 | 0.033% | 129,648 |
| 2022 | 0.035% | 132,212 |
| 2023 | 0.035% | 131,621 |
| 2024 | 0.035% | 127,181 |
| 2025 | 0.039% | 134,677 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.04% | 43,476 |
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 (1)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Neo-Grünfeld Defense: Classical Variation, Original Defense (D78)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/neo-grunfeld-defense-classical-variation-original-defense