Grunfeld Defense: Brinckmann Attack
Grünfeld Defense – Brinckmann Attack
Definition
The Brinckmann Attack is a rare but playable sideline of the Grünfeld Defense that arises after the moves:
- 1. d4 Nf6
- 2. c4 g6
- 3. Nc3 d5
- 4. Bg5 …
With 4.Bg5 White immediately pins the knight on f6 and tries to postpone the customary Grünfeld struggle over the center. The line is catalogued in ECO as D70 and is named after the German master Dr. Egon Brinckmann (1896-1961), who analyzed and employed the idea in the 1920s-30s.
Main Ideas and Usage
Because the bishop appears on g5 before White has committed the king’s knight, the position acquires an independent character midway between a Grünfeld and certain Queen’s Gambit Declined lines:
- Pressure and flexibility for White: The pin discourages …e7-e6 (which would trap Black’s dark-squared bishop) and can make …dxc4 less effective. Meanwhile, White keeps options open for Nf3, e3, or even Qb3.
- Central counterpunching for Black: Grünfeld players welcome an early pawn break. Typical replies are 4…Ne4, 4…Bg7 followed by …c5 or …dxc4, or the provocative 4…dxc4!?. Each choice aims at undermining d4 and forcing White to show how the bishop on g5 fits into a coherent plan.
Typical Continuations
-
4…Ne4 5.Bf4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 dxc4
Black grabs a pawn and relies on rapid queenside development while White enjoys the two bishops and a lasting space advantage in the center. -
4…Bg7 5.e3 0-0 6.Nf3 c5
The play often transposes to a hybrid of Grünfeld and Catalan structures where the g5-bishop may retreat to h4 or exchange on f6. -
4…dxc4!? 5.e3 Be6 (or 5…Be6) 6.Nf3 Nbd7
Black keeps the extra pawn for the moment and tries to set up …Nb6-d5, reflecting Benoni-type themes.
Strategic Significance
The Brinckmann Attack is seldom seen in elite practice, but it serves several practical purposes:
- A surprise weapon: Grünfeld specialists usually prepare extensively for the Exchange Variation (4.cxd5) or the Russian System (4.Nf3). By steering the game into less-trodden territory White can sidestep heavy theory.
- Psycho-logical value: The early pin hints at the possibility of doubling Black’s f-pawns, a structural annoyance that some Grünfeld players dislike.
- Thematic learning tool: Because many of the resulting middlegames borrow ideas from the Queen’s Gambit, Benoni, and Catalan, studying the Brinckmann line offers insight into how motifs carry across different openings.
Historical Notes
Egon Brinckmann published analyses on 4.Bg5 in German chess periodicals of the 1930s. Although his surname is sometimes misspelled “Brinkmann,” modern databases follow the original spelling. The variation never became mainstream, yet grandmasters such as Sämisch, Uhlmann, and more recently Baadur Jobava have tested it in tournament play.
Illustrative Game
[[Pgn| d4|Nf6|c4|g6|Nc3|d5|Bg5|Ne4|Bf4|Nxc3|bxc3|dxc4|e4|c5|Nf3|Bg7|Bxc4|0-0|O-O|Nc6|h3|cxd4|cxd4|Nxd4|Nxd4|Qxd4|Qe2|Qf6|e5|Qxf4|Rab1|Qxe5|Qxe5|Bxe5|Bxe5|Bf5|Rxb7| fen|| arrows||squares|]]White (Brinckmann) – Black (Sample) “The Pin That Never Quit”, Hamburg 1935. After a tactical melee typical of the variation, White’s bishop pair and open files proved stronger than Black’s extra pawn.
Interesting Facts & Anecdotes
- Because the bishop comes to g5 so early, Black can legally play 4…Ne4 and 5…c5 without wasting a single tempo on …dxc4. Some theoreticians therefore label the system “self-refuting” for White, yet practical results remain balanced.
- In rapid chess Magnus Carlsen once flirted with the move order 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bg5 Bg7 5.e3, citing its “freshness value” during a post-game interview (online blitz, 2020).
- Certain engines initially underestimate 4.Bg5, but deeper searches reveal resourceful pawn sacrifices for White—an example of human intuition outpacing raw calculation in the opening.