Neo-Grünfeld Defense: Ultra-Delayed Exchange Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
266,699 games: White 49.4% / Draw 9.9% / Black 40.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 201,940202K | ||
| 47,54648K | ||
| 3,2733,273 | ||
| 2,8132,813 | ||
| 2,5222,522 | ||
| 1,8371,837 | ||
| 1,6201,620 | ||
| 1,3331,333 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.21 The position is about equal
Best play: 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. Ne5 Bf5 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Bf4 Rc8 12. Rc1 h5
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 Black: Black scores 49% under 1400, 45% at 2200 and up and 48% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 2,622 | |
| 1400–1799 | 21K | |
| 1800–2199 | 133K | |
| 2200 and up | 118K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,353 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Aronian, L. – Anand, V.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Kasparov, G.
- Grischuk, A. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Ding Liren – Shankland, S.
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: Ultra-Delayed Exchange Variation (ECO D79, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Neo-Grünfeld Defense: Classical Variation, Original Defense, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 c6 6. O-O d5 7. cxd5 cxd5 (7 moves).
In 266,699 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.4%, Black 40.8% and 9.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. Nc3, in 76% of those games.
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: Ultra-Delayed Exchange Variation
8. Ne5 scores best for White: 57.8%, with White winning 52.3% and Black 36.8% of 48K games. The most played answer, 8. Nc3, scores lowest: 54.0% in 202K games. Stockfish's first choice is 8. Nc3.
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: Ultra-Delayed Exchange Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.011% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0079% (its peak: 0.013% in 2020).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0079% | 2,810 |
| 2017 | 0.01% | 5,511 |
| 2018 | 0.012% | 9,603 |
| 2019 | 0.011% | 14,166 |
| 2020 | 0.013% | 36,948 |
| 2021 | 0.0099% | 38,809 |
| 2022 | 0.0092% | 34,604 |
| 2023 | 0.0096% | 35,918 |
| 2024 | 0.0098% | 35,211 |
| 2025 | 0.011% | 37,220 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.011% | 11,786 |
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. “Neo-Grünfeld Defense: Ultra-Delayed Exchange Variation (D79)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/neo-grunfeld-defense-ultra-delayed-exchange-variation