Anglo-Indian Defense, Anti-Anti-Grünfeld

The Anti-Anti-Grünfeld arises after 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. e4. Black's kingside fianchetto prepares the Anglo-Grünfeld break ...d5. White answers by placing pawns on c4 and e4, which together with the knight on c3 cover d5 three times. That takes the strike away and shifts the game toward King's Indian territory. White keeps the d-pawn flexible: it can stay on d3 or d2, or go to d4 later and transpose to a King's Indian Defense. Black must therefore commit to a structure without knowing which version of the center will arise.

The usual reply is 4...d6, chosen in roughly two-thirds of games. It accepts the King's Indian setup and keeps ...e5 and ...c5 in reserve. Castling first with 4...O-O is the main alternative and gives the most comparable results. The immediate 4...c5, aiming at a Symmetrical or Maróczy-type structure, is rare and has scored poorly for Black. The engine gives White a slight edge, and White scores somewhat better than Black in practice. The play is mostly positional and resembles King's Indian middlegames, with the extra option of keeping the d-pawn back.