- The moves1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4
- Chosen byBlack
- ECOE20–E59
The Nimzo-Indian Defense comes after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4. The bishop pins the knight on c3, and together with the knight on f6 it stops White from playing e4. Black is often ready to trade the bishop for the knight and give White doubled pawns on the c-file, in return for control of the light squares in the center.
The opening is named after Aron Nimzowitsch, who brought it into master chess in the early 1900s. He was one of the great names of hypermodernism, the idea that the center can be controlled with pieces instead of pawns. The Nimzo-Indian has been played by every world champion since Capablanca, and it has been called the 1.d4 player's counterpart to the Ruy Lopez.
The main line, move by move
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. Nf3 c5 7. O-O Nc6 8. a3 Bxc3 9. bxc3 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Qc7
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The ideas
White wants to
- Keep the bishop pair and open the position so the bishops come to life.
- Build a strong pawn center and prepare an attack on Black's kingside.
- Make up for the doubled pawns with active piece play.
Black wants to
- Stop e4 with the pieces and control the light squares e4 and d5.
- Trade on c3 when White gets doubled pawns, and then attack them, for example the pawn on c4 with Ba6, Na5 and Rc8.
- Keep the position closed so White's bishops don't come into their own.
Important variations
Classical Variation: 4.Qc2
Also called the Capablanca Variation. White wants the bishop pair without the doubled pawns: after Bxc3 the queen takes back. The price is that the queen moves several times and the kingside develops late. The line was popular when the Nimzo-Indian was new, was overshadowed by 4.e3, and came back in the 1990s.
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 b6 7. Bg5 Bb7
4. Qc2
The queen protects the knight so that White can take back on c3 with the queen.
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Sämisch Variation: 4.a3
Named after Friedrich Sämisch. White puts the question to the bishop at once. Black usually trades on c3, and White gets the bishop pair at the cost of a doubled pawn. The line was used in the world championship matches between Mikhail Botvinnik and Mikhail Tal in 1960 and 1961. Black often attacks the pawn on c4, while White builds a center and aims at the kingside.
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. a3 Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 c5 6. e3 O-O 7. Bd3 Nc6 8. Ne2
Kasparov Variation: 4.Nf3
White develops naturally and waits before committing. The line got its name when Garry Kasparov used it with success against Anatoly Karpov in the 1985 world championship match. It is also called the Three Knights Variation.
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 c5 5. g3 cxd4 6. Nxd4 O-O 7. Bg2 d5
How it goes in real games
How the games ended once the position had come up on the board, in blitz, rapid and classical games. White wins, draws and Black wins, as a percentage of the games.
| Position | Level | Games | White wins | Draw | Black wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nimzo-Indian Defense 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 | Club players | 11,649,058 | 48% | 6% | 46% |
| Beginners | 2,061,032 | 50% | 4% | 46% | |
| Nimzo-Indian Defense, main line 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. Nf3 c5 7. O-O Nc6 8. a3 Bxc3 9. bxc3 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Qc7 | Club players | 8,212 | 43% | 7% | 50% |
| Beginners | 105 | too few games for percentages | |||
| Classical Variation: 4.Qc2 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 b6 7. Bg5 Bb7 | Club players | 17,030 | 47% | 9% | 44% |
| Beginners | 939 | 47% | 5% | 48% | |
| Sämisch Variation: 4.a3 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. a3 Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 c5 6. e3 O-O 7. Bd3 Nc6 8. Ne2 | Club players | 12,151 | 51% | 5% | 44% |
| Beginners | 222 | 49% | 1% | 50% | |
The most common continuations after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4
Club players, share of the games in the position.
- 4.Qc2 21% (2,400,441 games)
- 4.Nf3 16% (1,809,728 games)
- 4.e3 15% (1,744,076 games)
- 4.Bg5 13% (1,566,301 games)
- 4.Bd2 13% (1,531,779 games)
Source: games on Lichess, fetched October 28, 2026. Club players means games where the players average 1600 or more, beginners games where they average 1000–1599.
Is this opening for you?
The Nimzo-Indian suits players who want a solid but active opening against 1.d4, with lots of strategy: the bishop pair against doubled pawns, light squares against dark. It is an opening you can play all your life and still learn new things in.
It requires White to play 3.Nc3. Many White players avoid it with 3.Nf3 or 3.g3, so if you play the Nimzo-Indian you also need an answer to those, for example the Bogo-Indian after 3.Nf3 Bb4+.
A famous game
Botvinnik against Capablanca at the AVRO tournament in 1938 began as a Nimzo-Indian, with 4.e3 d5 5.a3. Botvinnik vs. Capablanca, AVRO 1938
Practice the main line
Choose a color and one of the house players. Your opponent follows the main line, and you try to find your moves. If you play something else, you'll see the main line's move, but the game goes on. When the main line ends, you play freely.
Rather play freely? Choose an opponent · Play right away
The main line with all the comments as text
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 Black opens the way for the bishop on f8. 3. Nc3 Bb4 The Nimzo-Indian move. The knight on c3 is pinned, and 4.e4 no longer works: the pawn would fall. 4. e3 The Rubinstein System, after Akiba Rubinstein, White's most common reply. White develops the kingside before deciding on a plan. 4… O-O The most flexible move. 5. Bd3 The bishop aims at Black's kingside. 5… d5 Black takes a share of the center. 6. Nf3 c5 Black presses on d4 from the other side. 7. O-O Both kings are safe, and the center is full of tension. 7… Nc6 The main line. Another piece against d4. 8. a3 White puts the question to the bishop: trade or retreat. 8… Bxc3 Black trades and gives White doubled pawns. In return White gets the bishop pair. 9. bxc3 dxc4 Black takes on c4, so White's bishop has to spend a tempo taking back. 10. Bxc4 Qc7 The queen supports e5, Black's plan for challenging White's center.
More openings
Queen's Gambit
2.c4 challenges d5. The classical d4 opening, with a Swedish variation among its lines.
King's Indian Defense
Let White take the center, strike back with e5 and storm the kingside.
Grünfeld Defense
Black lets White build a center and then goes after it. Hypermodern and sharp.
English Opening
1.c4: control of d5 from the flank, with many roads into the middlegame.
Every move on this page has been checked against the rules of chess.
Updated November 6, 2026
3… Bb4
The Nimzo-Indian move. The knight on c3 is pinned, and 4.e4 no longer works: the pawn would fall.