Tabiya.
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Grünfeld Defense (Exchange)

D85you play black

Invite White to build the biggest centre in chess — then hit it with ...c5, ...Bg4 and the long diagonal until it collapses.

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The road to the tabiya

Step through the move order. Amber moves carry an idea — read them, don't memorise them.

Why this matters

Invite White to build the biggest centre in chess — then hit it with ...c5, ...Bg4 and the long diagonal until it collapses.

The structure: Grünfeld big centre vs. long diagonal

White: d4, e4 (and no c-pawn) with rooks aimed at b7; Black: fianchetto bishop, queen roaming, a queenside pawn majority. Play is about d4: whether it advances to d5 with tempo, or falls to the pieces aimed at it.

Trades: yes and no

Trade the f3 knight with ...Bxf3 — d4 loses its defender. Trade queens if the extra pawn survives to the endgame (your queenside majority wins it). Never ...Bxd4-style greed while the a1–h8 diagonal matters. Don't trade the g7 bishop for anything less than a rook.

Motifs to watch

  • ...Nc6 hitting d4, then ...Rfd8 doubling on it
  • ...Bxf3 removing d4's defender, then ...Nc6–?xd4
  • White's d5 push with tempo on the c6 knight — keep ...Ne5 available
  • White's Rxb7 — make sure b7 falls only when something falls back
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