Van Geet Opening: Grünfeld Defense, Steiner Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
73,119 games: White 47.3% / Draw 4.3% / Black 48.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 45,65546K | ||
| 7,9337,933 | ||
| 6,5396,539 | ||
| 5,8775,877 | ||
| 3,6653,665 | ||
| 1,8891,889 | ||
| 479479 | ||
| 239239 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.43 Black is slightly better
Best play: 4... Nf6 5. Qe2 Nc6 6. c3 Qd5 7. Nf2 Be6 8. fxe5 Nxe5 9. d4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Van Geet Opening: Grünfeld Defense, Steiner Gambit (ECO C31, Open Games) is a gambit in the King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Milner-Barry Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 (4 moves).
In 73,119 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.3%, Black 48.4% and 4.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…exf4, in 62% 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 Van Geet Opening: Grünfeld Defense, Steiner Gambit
4…Nf6 scores best for Black: 55.0%, with Black winning 52.5% and White 42.5% of 6,539 games. The most played, 4…exf4, scores 50.6% in 46K games, and 4…Bf5 scores lowest: 44.0%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4…Nf6.
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Van Geet Opening: Grünfeld Defense, Steiner Gambit (C31)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/van-geet-opening-grunfeld-defense-steiner-gambit