Scandinavian Defense: Grünfeld Variation
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
14,390 games: White 56.6% / Draw 5.0% / Black 38.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 6,9176,917 | ||
| 4,0264,026 | ||
| 2,9582,958 | ||
| 357357 | ||
| 6969 | ||
| 2929 | ||
| 1414 | ||
| 66 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.18 The position is about equal
Best play: 7... Be6 8. Bc4 Nbd7 9. Qe2 Nxe5 10. Bxe6 Ng6 11. Bb3 e6 12. Bd2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Scandinavian Defense: Grünfeld Variation (ECO B01, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation, reached after 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bf5 6. Ne5 c6 7. g4 (7 moves).
In 14,390 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 56.6%, Black 38.4% and 5.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…Bg6, in 48% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Scandinavian Defense: Grünfeld Variation
7…Be6 scores best for Black: 53.1%, with Black winning 50.1% and White 44.0% of 2,958 games. The most played answer, 7…Bg6, scores lowest: 36.2% in 6,917 games. Stockfish's first choice is also 7…Be6.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Scandinavian Defense: Grünfeld Variation (B01)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/scandinavian-defense-grunfeld-variation