Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019

← chickentendie5 / Openings

Playing White · 19 rapid games · 7W 10L 2D · Your opponents choose this

Grunfeld Defense

Good positions out of the opening, then the Grünfeld bites back.

Score42%−6% vs your average
Win chance after move 1251%+3% vs your average
Blunders per game1.11+0.20 vs your average
Clock left at move 109:37−2s vs your average
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Your most common line

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Nc3 d5 5. Bg5 Ne4

What it says about you

Your opponents choose the Grünfeld with ...d5, and you respond with the Bg5 system (4.Nf3 with Bg5) rather than the big exchange-variation main lines. That fits your habit of choosing practical, lower-theory setups. The data says the setup works; the execution afterwards does not.

How you play it

You score 42.1% (7-10-2), below your 48.3%, although the sample is small. The opening itself is fine: 50.7 at move 12 and 48.9 at move 20, both above your baseline. The losses come later: 5 in the middlegame and 4 in the endgame. You blunder 1.11 times per game here, which is high for you. The Petrosian System is your main line (14 games, 50%), and Black's ...Ne4 hitting your Bg5 is the critical test.

Last 90 days: 1 games, 100% score.

What you're missing

  1. 01

    Piece safety in the early middlegame. 11.Ndb5 hung a bishop (52% down to 12%) when 11.Nxe4 was best, with over 9 minutes on your clock.

  2. 02

    Tactics in good positions. 11.cxd4 missed 11.Bxf8 (82% down to 58%), and 16.Nxd4 instead of 16.exd4 cost you from 90% to 52%. Two winning positions gone before move 20.

  3. 03

    Recaptures. 16.Nxd4 versus exd4 and 18.Bxd4 instead of 18.Rfd1 (74% down to 50%) are both recapture decisions. In the Grünfeld, how you recapture on d4 decides the structure.

  4. 04

    Late-game resistance. 3 losses came from missing a 2-3 move combination and 2 from mating attacks. The g7 bishop keeps working long after the opening.

How to improve it

  1. 01

    Know the main answer to 5...Ne4 attacking your bishop. 6.cxd5 Nxg5 7.Nxg5 e6 8.Nf3 exd5 gives you a Carlsbad-like structure where the minority attack (b4-b5) is a clear plan. Alternatively 6.Bh4 keeps more tension.

  2. 02

    When recapturing on d4, prefer the pawn recapture (exd4) when it keeps your centre solid and blunts the g7 bishop. The piece recapture often puts a knight where the Grünfeld bishop wants to hit it.

  3. 03

    Treat the g7 bishop as a permanent threat: before every move, check what it attacks along the long diagonal. Most of your missed combinations come from that line.

  4. 04

    Look at Karpov's and Kramnik's games against the Grünfeld for the calm, structure-first approach that fits your Bg5 system.

Where it goes wrong

Your losses in this opening, by where and how the decisive mistake happened.

Phase of the decisive mistake

opening1n=1
middlegame5n=5
endgame4n=4

What the mistake was

Didn't see opponent's 2–3 move combination3n=3
Missed a tactic / only move2n=2
Endgame technique error2n=2
Allowed a mating attack2n=2
Big positional error (no simple tactic)1n=1

Variations you reach

Petrosian System1450%
Petrosian317%

Winning positions converted here: 60% (6 of 10).

Recent mistakes in this opening

Your move in red, Stockfish's in black.

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Hung a piece · 9:12 left
11. Ndb5? Best was Nxe4. 52% → 12%
vs eyosiasdawit (2145) · 02-07-26 →
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Missed a tactic · 9:30 left
11. cxd4? Best was Bxf8. 82% → 58%
vs AntTan (2100) · 13-04-26 →
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Missed a tactic · 8:00 left
16. Nxd4? Best was exd4. 90% → 52%
vs AntTan (2100) · 13-04-26 →
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Positional error · 7:56 left
18. Bxd4? Best was Rfd1. 74% → 50%
vs AntTan (2100) · 13-04-26 →

Next steps

01

Prep the 5...Ne4 line

Write down the moves after 6.cxd5 Nxg5 7.Nxg5 e6 8.Nf3 exd5 and the minority-attack plan. It is the critical test of your system.

02

Check recaptures on d4

Before recapturing on d4, compare the pawn and piece recaptures. Two recent errors came from choosing the wrong one.

03

Watch the g7 bishop

Before every move, check what the g7 bishop attacks. 3 losses came from missed combinations.