Neo-Grünfeld Defense: Delayed Exchange Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
107,350 games: White 52.4% / Draw 7.6% / Black 40.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 27,50828K | ||
| 21,49221K | ||
| 20,46220K | ||
| D76 | 15,76716K | |
| 5,3965,396 | ||
| 4,2614,261 | ||
| 2,8632,863 | ||
| 2,3602,360 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 13, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.25 The position is about equal
Best play: 7... Nb6 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. d5 Na5 10. e4 c6 11. Re1 Re8 12. Bf4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Neo-Grünfeld Defense: Delayed Exchange Variation (ECO D74, 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 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. O-O.
In 107,350 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.4%, Black 40.0% and 7.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…Nc6, in 26% of those games.
It continues into one named 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: Delayed Exchange Variation
7…Nb6 scores best for Black: 48.8%, with Black winning 44.1% and White 46.5% of 16K games. The most played, 7…Nc6, scores 45.0% in 28K games, and 7…Bg4 scores lowest: 40.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7…Nb6.
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
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Neo-Grünfeld Defense: Delayed Exchange Variation (D74)”. Lichess data as of 13 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/neo-grunfeld-defense-delayed-exchange-variation