Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Smyslov Variation (8… Nfd7 9. Qb3)
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. Qb3
The Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Smyslov Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO D99, 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. Qb3. It is a line of the Grünfeld Defense. Black is to move. 1 named line continues from this position.
This exact move order didn't appear in our sample of 12.6 million Lichess games: it's a rare line.
Engine evaluation: +0.30 (Stockfish, depth 27; best line 9… Nc6 10. Qxb7 Na5 11. Qa6 c5 12. dxc5)
- ECO
- D99
- Moves
- 17 plies
- FEN
rn1q1rk1/pppnppbp/6p1/8/3PP1b1/1QN1BN2/PP3PPP/R3KB1R b KQ - 4 9- 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. Qb3
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Master games
23 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 39%, draw 35%, Black 26%). The strongest:
- GM Santosh Gujrathi Vidit (2643) – GM Vladislav Artemiev (2660) 1-0 · Lake Sevan 2015 · 2015-07-13
- GM Davit Jojua (2579) – GM Ian Nepomniachtchi (2714) 1/2-1/2 · 16th ch-EUR Indiv 2015 · 2015-02-25
- GM Nicolas Checa (2552) – GM Nihal Sarin (2620) 0-1 · chess.com Junior Speed · 2021-07-10
- GM Sam Shankland (2581) – GM Aleksandr Rakhmanov (2588) 1/2-1/2 · 14th Sants Open A · 2012-08-26
- GM Mustafa Yilmaz (2576) – IM Jonah B Willow (2450) 1-0 · 25th ch-EUR Indiv 2025 · 2025-03-22
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
Continuations
- Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Yugoslav Variation D99 · 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. Qb3 c5
More Grünfeld Defense lines (all)
- Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Burille Variation, Reversed Tarrasch A56
- Grünfeld Defense D80
- Grünfeld Defense: Gibbon Gambit D80
- Grünfeld Defense: Lundin Variation D80
- Grünfeld Defense: Lutikov Variation D80
- Grünfeld Defense: Lutikov Variation, Murrey Attack D80
- Grünfeld Defense: Stockholm Variation D80
- Grünfeld Defense: Zaitsev Gambit D80
- Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Accelerated Variation D81
- Grünfeld Defense: Brinckmann Attack D82
- Grünfeld Defense: Brinckmann Attack, Grünfeld Gambit D83
- Grünfeld Defense: Brinckmann Attack, Grünfeld Gambit, Botvinnik Variation D83
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.