Zukertort Opening: Reversed Grünfeld
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Statistics from Lichess
620,956 games: White 55.9% / Draw 6.5% / Black 37.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 218,268218K | ||
| 130,146130K | ||
| 118,843119K | ||
| 48,70249K | ||
| 40,75241K | ||
| 35,85736K | ||
| 7,4517,451 | ||
| 6,5766,576 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 9, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.16 The position is about equal
Best play: 4... Nf6 5. O-O e6 6. c4 dxc4 7. Qa4 Bd7 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc3
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 better this line does for White: White scores 52% under 1400, 60% at 2200 and up and 60% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 22K | |
| 1400–1799 | 112K | |
| 1800–2199 | 406K | |
| 2200 and up | 137K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,286 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Aronian, L.
- Ding Liren – Caruana, F.
- Carlsen, M. – Firouzja, A.
- Giri, A. – So, W.
- Vachier Lagrave, M. – Anand, V.
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
Zukertort Opening: Reversed Grünfeld (ECO A08, Flank Openings) is a variation of the King's Indian Attack: French Variation, reached after 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. d4 (4 moves).
In 620,956 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 55.9%, Black 37.6% and 6.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…cxd4, in 35% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations. In all, 3 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Zukertort Opening: Reversed Grünfeld
4…Bg4 scores best for Black: 43.6%, with Black winning 41.3% and White 54.0% of 49K games. The most played, 4…cxd4, scores 38.5% in 218K games, and 4…c4 scores lowest: 37.3%. Stockfish's first choice is 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
Popularity by year
The Zukertort Opening: Reversed Grünfeld has gained ground since 2016: 0.028% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.02%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.02% | 7,151 |
| 2017 | 0.024% | 13,241 |
| 2018 | 0.025% | 19,837 |
| 2019 | 0.024% | 30,348 |
| 2020 | 0.022% | 63,337 |
| 2021 | 0.02% | 76,945 |
| 2022 | 0.023% | 85,188 |
| 2023 | 0.024% | 91,480 |
| 2024 | 0.026% | 92,813 |
| 2025 | 0.028% | 96,470 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.03% | 32,425 |
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
Variations (2)
All 3 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Zukertort Opening: Reversed Grünfeld (A08)”. Lichess data as of 9 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/zukertort-opening-reversed-grunfeld