Neo-Grünfeld Defense: with Nf3
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Statistics from Lichess
830,627 games: White 50.2% / Draw 5.9% / Black 43.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation | 399,464399K | |
| 157,408157K | ||
| 110,954111K | ||
| 81,19881K | ||
| 36,55437K | ||
| 21,20321K | ||
| 8,7698,769 | ||
| 3,5923,592 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.59 White is slightly better
Best play: 4. cxd5 Bg7 5. Qa4+ c6 6. dxc6 Nxc6 7. e3 O-O 8. Nc3 Bf5
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 48% under 1400, 45% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 83K | |
| 1400–1799 | 318K | |
| 1800–2199 | 521K | |
| 2200 and up | 108K | |
| Masters, over the board | 281 |
Master games
- Le Quang Liem – Maghsoodloo, P.
- Volkov, S. – Lupulescu, C.
- Polugaevsky, L. – Dorfman, J. D.
- Larsen, B. – Ljubojevic, L.
- Landa, K. – L'Ami, E.
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: with Nf3 (ECO D70, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a chess opening that starts 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 d5.
In 830,627 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.2%, Black 43.8% and 5.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. Nc3, in 48% 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: with Nf3
4. cxd5 scores best for White: 57.0%, with White winning 54.0% and Black 39.9% of 157K games. The most played, 4. Nc3, scores 53.0% in 399K games, and 4. e3 scores lowest: 49.3%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. cxd5.
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: with Nf3 peaked in 2018 at 0.042% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.028% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.033% | 11,820 |
| 2017 | 0.036% | 20,075 |
| 2018 | 0.042% | 32,613 |
| 2019 | 0.039% | 49,207 |
| 2020 | 0.038% | 111,279 |
| 2021 | 0.033% | 130,845 |
| 2022 | 0.033% | 123,028 |
| 2023 | 0.03% | 112,931 |
| 2024 | 0.028% | 99,967 |
| 2025 | 0.028% | 95,827 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.027% | 30,051 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Neo-Grünfeld Defense: with Nf3 (D70)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/neo-grunfeld-defense-with-nf3