with Nf3

In this line White develops the king's knight before Black strikes with 3...d5. The knight move is solid, but it rules out the f-pawn advances behind systems such as the Goglidze Attack with f3, so White's practical choice narrows to bringing out the queen's knight or fianchettoing the king's bishop. Classified under ECO D70, the position functions mainly as a transpositional crossroads rather than as an independent system.

Nearly half of all games continue 4. Nc3, which reaches the Three Knights Variation of the Grünfeld Defense proper (ECO D90) and restores the possibility of knight exchanges on c3. The other two common moves keep the game in Neo-Grünfeld territory. 4. cxd5 releases the central tension immediately and gives White the best practical results of the main options, while 4. g3 prepares Bg2 and can transpose to the fianchetto lines with Nf3 and g3 covered under the parent opening, such as the Delayed Exchange Variation. Engines also rate the modest 4. e3 highly, a quieter setup that supports d4. The engine assessment favors White slightly, and White outscores Black in practice.