Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Burille Variation
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. e3
The Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Burille Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO D94, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. e3. It is a line of the Grünfeld Defense. Black is to move. 4 named lines continue from this position.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 411 times by this move order. White won 49%, 5% were drawn and Black won 46%. The most popular continuation is 5… O-O (83% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.08 (Stockfish, depth 50; best line 5… O-O 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bc4 Nb6 8. Be2)
- ECO
- D94
- Moves
- 9 plies
- FEN
rnbqk2r/ppp1ppbp/5np1/3p4/2PP4/2N1PN2/PP3PPP/R1BQKB1R b KQkq - 0 5- PGN
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. e3
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 16 | |
| 1500-1999 | 236 | |
| 2000+ | 159 | |
| All | 411 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 5… O-O | 341 (83%) | |
| 5… c5 | 26 (6%) | |
| 5… Bg4 | 17 (4%) | |
| 5… c6 | 14 (3%) | |
| 5… Bf5 | 3 (1%) | |
| 5… e6 | 3 (1%) | |
| 5… a6 | 3 (1%) | |
| 5… dxc4 | 2 (0%) |
Master games
597 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 36%, draw 27%, Black 37%). The strongest:
- GM Magnus Carlsen (2862) – GM Anish Giri (2764) 1/2-1/2 · Airthings Masters Prelim · 2020-12-27
- GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2759) – GM Magnus Carlsen (2864) 1-0 · SuperUnited Rapid 2022 · 2022-07-21
- GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2771) – GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda (2750) 1/2-1/2 · Oslo Esports Cup 2022 · 2022-04-25
- GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2759) – GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (2760) 1-0 · SuperUnited Blitz 2022 · 2022-07-23
- GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2764) – GM Peter Svidler (2747) 1-0 · FIDE GP Tashkent · 2012-11-24
Highest-rated Lichess games
- khvichachess (2664) – IM IljaSir (2582) 1-0 · 2026-09-03 · 180 + 0s
- Your_Waterloo (2662) – XuBofang (2530) 1-0 · 2026-09-01 · 180 + 0s
- chaaa116 (2661) – SagarSisodia (2520) 1/2-1/2 · 2026-09-06 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation (4. Nf3 Bg7) 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7
Continuations
- Grünfeld Defense: Makogonov Variation D94 · 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. e3 O-O 6. b4
- Grünfeld Defense: Opocensky Variation D94 · 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. e3 O-O 6. Bd2
- Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Paris Variation D94 · 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. e3 O-O 6. Bd3
- Grünfeld Defense: Three Knights Variation, Vienna Variation D95 · 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. e3 O-O 6. Qb3
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.