- The moves1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6
- Chosen byBlack
- ECOE12–E19
- Also calledQID
The Queen's Indian Defense comes after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6. By playing 3.Nf3 instead of 3.Nc3, White sidesteps the Nimzo-Indian Defense. Black answers by preparing a fianchetto of the queen's bishop, and that is where the opening gets its name. As in the other Indian defenses, Black wants to control the center with pieces rather than occupy it with pawns.
The word Indian goes back to the Indian player Moheschunder Bannerjee, who played such openings against John Cochrane in the 1800s. In the early 1920s Savielly Tartakower made the term popular, and in a book from 1924 he called the setup with …e6 and …b6 Neo-Indian. The name Queen's Indian, according to Richard Réti, came from Hans Kmoch. Réti himself didn't like it.
The opening counts as solid and safe, perhaps a little drawish. Black makes no concessions, but creating winning chances can be hard. Anatoly Karpov is one of its leading experts.
The main line, move by move
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Be7 7. Bg2 c6 8. Bc3 d5 9. Ne5 Nfd7 10. Nxd7 Nxd7 11. Nd2 O-O 12. O-O Rc8 13. e4
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The ideas
White wants to
- Contest the long diagonal with g3 and Bg2.
- Play e4 at the right moment and take over the center.
- In the Petrosian Variation: stop …Bb4 with a3 and build a big center with Nc3 and e4.
Black wants to
- Control e4 and d5 with the bishop and the knights.
- Strike at the center with …d5 or …c5, preferably before White gets e4 in.
- Set up solidly and wait for White's mistakes. The Queen's Indian is hard to break down.
Important variations
The old main line: 4…Bb7
From the 1950s until the 1980s this was the most common path. The bishop on b7 and the knight on e4 hold the e4-square, and after the trade on c3 Black has no weaknesses. White has a little more space, but the line is known for its drawish tendencies, and today some Black players choose it for exactly that reason.
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Nc3 Ne4 8. Qc2 Nxc3 9. Qxc3
4… Bb7
The classical path. The bishop takes the long diagonal.
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The Petrosian Variation: 4.a3
With 4.a3 White prepares Nc3 without having to worry about …Bb4. The plan is to build a big center with e4. The variation is named after Tigran Petrosian, and Garry Kasparov played it often early in his career. Black usually answers 4…Bb7 and strikes at the center with …d5.
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Bb7 5. Nc3 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Qc2 Nxc3 8. bxc3
4. a3
The Petrosian Variation. White takes the b4-square away from Black's bishop.
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The trap: 6.Nbd2? in the modern main line
After 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 Bb4+, 6.Nbd2 looks like a good way to meet the check, but it is a mistake. Black plays 6…Bc3!, and after 7.Rb1 Bb7 the threat is 8…Be4, which would shut in the rook on b1: a1 and b2 are covered by the bishop on c3, and c1 is occupied. White has no really good answer. The best is 8.Qc2, but after 8…Bxf3 9.exf3 Bxd4 Black has won a pawn. The trap has caught several players, among them Kamran Shirazi. The right way to meet the check is 6.Bd2.
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 Bb4+ 6. Nbd2 Bc3 7. Rb1 Bb7 8. Qc2 Bxf3 9. exf3 Bxd4
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queen's Indian Defense 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 | Club players | 2,173,492 | 48% | 7% | 45% |
| Strong players | 1,439,702 | 48% | 8% | 45% | |
| Queen's Indian Defense, main line, up to 4…Ba6 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 | Club players | 249,724 | 46% | 8% | 46% |
| Strong players | 218,904 | 46% | 8% | 46% | |
| The old main line: 4…Bb7, up to 7.Nc3 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Nc3 | Club players | 416,345 | 49% | 8% | 43% |
| Strong players | 310,563 | 48% | 9% | 43% | |
| The Petrosian Variation: 4.a3, up to 5.Nc3 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Bb7 5. Nc3 | Club players | 313,023 | 50% | 7% | 43% |
| Strong players | 225,003 | 50% | 8% | 42% |
The most common continuations after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6
Club players, share of the games in the position.
- 4.g3 43% (924,051 games)
- 4.Nc3 31% (673,673 games)
- 4.a3 11% (249,644 games)
- 4.Bg5 7% (144,124 games)
- 4.e3 5% (115,459 games)
Source: games on Lichess, fetched November 6–7, 2026. Club players means games where the players average 1600 or more, strong players games where they average 2000 or more. The strong players' games are counted among the club players' too. Each position is counted however it was reached, and a line that goes further than we have numbers for is shown up to its last position with numbers.
Explore the position on the analysis board: the moves club players choose from here, how the games tend to end, and what Lavi thinks of each move.
Is this opening for you?
The Queen's Indian suits Black players who want to stand solid against 1.d4 and like playing with pieces rather than pawns. It goes especially well with the Nimzo-Indian: against 3.Nc3 you play 3…Bb4, against 3.Nf3 you play 3…b6.
If you want to win with Black, you sometimes have to work for it, because the positions are balanced. But learn the plans with …d5 and …c5, and you have a defense that goes a long way.
A famous game
The Queen's Indian Defense was played in the Immortal Zugzwang Game, where Aron Nimzowitsch left Friedrich Sämisch without a single good move in 1923. The Immortal Zugzwang Game
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.
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The main line with all the comments as text
1. d4 White takes space in the center with the queen's pawn. 1… Nf6 Black stops e4. 2. c4 More pressure on the center. 2… e6 Black opens the way for the bishop on f8 and keeps every option open. 3. Nf3 White sidesteps the Nimzo-Indian, which comes after 3.Nc3 Bb4. 3… b6 This is the Queen's Indian. The queen's bishop is headed for the flank, and Black wants to control e4 and d5. 4. g3 White's most popular reply for a long time. White wants the long diagonal too. 4… Ba6 The modern main line, which took over in theory in the 1980s. The bishop attacks the pawn on c4. 5. b3 The most common way to protect c4. But the c3-square becomes a little weaker. 5… Bb4+ Black uses exactly that. The check lures White's bishop to d2. 6. Bd2 The best move. 6.Nbd2? loses material, see the trap below. 6… Be7 The bishop retreats. The check has done its job: White's bishop stands on d2, where the knight on b1 would have liked to go. 7. Bg2 c6 Black prepares …d5 and a new attack on c4. 8. Bc3 The bishop makes room for the knight on d2. 8… d5 Black takes a share of the center, and the pawn on c4 is under attack again. 9. Ne5 The knight takes a strong square in the center. 9… Nfd7 Black challenges the knight at once. 10. Nxd7 Nxd7 11. Nd2 The knight protects c4. 11… O-O 12. O-O Rc8 The rook supports …c5, Black's break in the center. 13. e4 White got the central break in first. The position still counts as equal.
More openings
Nimzo-Indian Defense
3…Bb4: pin the knight, stop e4, and be ready to trade the bishop for doubled pawns.
Catalan Opening
The bishop on g2 presses along the long diagonal. Kramnik's, Anand's and Carlsen's weapon in world championship matches.
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.
Every move on this page has been checked against the rules of chess.
Updated November 6, 2026
3… b6
This is the Queen's Indian. The queen's bishop is headed for the flank, and Black wants to control e4 and d5.