Grünfeld Defense

The Grünfeld Defense of the Van Geet Opening arises after 1. e4 d5 2. Nc3 dxe4 3. Nxe4 e5, and can equally be reached by the Van Geet order 1. Nc3 d5 2. e4 dxe4 3. Nxe4 e5. Having given up the d-pawn for White's e-pawn, Black uses the tempo White spends on the knight to occupy the center with the e-pawn at once. This frees the dark-squared bishop and the queen. Since the d- and e-files are both half-open, the game turns on rapid development. The pawn on e5 can become a target, and White's centralized knight is exposed to attack.

The usual reply is 4. Nf3, which develops while hitting e5. 4. d4 opens the center and transposes into the Lemberger Countergambit of the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. 4. Ng3 retreats the knight before it can be harassed, and 4. f4 leads to the Steiner Gambit. 4. Bc4, which the engine prefers, aims at f7 and has given White the best practical results. The engine gives White a slight edge, but online results are almost exactly even, with very few draws.