Grünfeld Defence
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| Moves | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ECO | D70–D99 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Origin | Bad Pistyan, Piešťany, 1922 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Named after | Ernst Grünfeld | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parent | King's Indian Defence | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Grünfeld Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:
Black offers White the possibility of 4.cxd5, which may be followed by 4...Nxd5 and 5.e4, giving White an imposing central pawn duo. If White does not take the d5-pawn, Black may eventually play ...dxc4, when a White response of e4 again leads to the same pawn structure. In classical opening theory this imposing pawn centre was held to give White a large advantage, but the hypermodern school, which was coming to the fore in the 1920s, held that a large pawn centre could be a liability rather than an asset. The Grünfeld is therefore a key hypermodern opening, showing in stark terms how a large pawn centre can either be a powerful battering ram or a target for attack.