Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Keres Variation

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qb3 dxc4 6. Qxc4 O-O 7. e4 Bg4 8. Be3 Nfd7 9. Be2 Nb6 10. Qd3 Nc6 11. O-O-O

Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Keres Variation after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qb3 dxc4 6. Qxc4 O-O 7. e4 Bg4 8. Be3 Nfd7 9. Be2 Nb6 10. Qd3 Nc6 11. O-O-O 87654321abcdefgh

The Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Keres Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO D98, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qb3 dxc4 6. Qxc4 O-O 7. e4 Bg4 8. Be3 Nfd7 9. Be2 Nb6 10. Qd3 Nc6 11. O-O-O. It is a line of the Grünfeld Defense. Black is to move.

This exact move order didn't appear in our sample of 12.6 million Lichess games: it's a rare line.

Engine evaluation: +0.03 (Stockfish, depth 30; best line 11… Qd7 12. Qb5 Bxf3 13. gxf3 e6 14. Rd2)

ECO
D98
Moves
21 plies
FEN
r2q1rk1/ppp1ppbp/1nn3p1/8/3PP1b1/2NQBN2/PP2BPPP/2KR3R b - - 8 11
PGN
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qb3 dxc4 6. Qxc4 O-O 7. e4 Bg4 8. Be3 Nfd7 9. Be2 Nb6 10. Qd3 Nc6 11. O-O-O

Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess

Comes from

Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Smyslov Variation (7. e4 Bg4) 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qb3 dxc4 6. Qxc4 O-O 7. e4 Bg4

More Grünfeld Defense lines (all)

Opening names and moves from the Lichess openings dataset; statistics from the Lichess open database, 2026-09 (CC0), sample of 12.6 million games, bots excluded; evaluations from Lichess cloud analysis (all CC0). Master games from The Week in Chess #920–#1664 by Mark Crowther, used with permission.