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Queen's Indian Defence
The Queen's Indian Defence begins after the moves 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6. It is one of Black's most solid defences against 1. d4, and is a favourite of players who want to control the centre with pieces.
- For black
- Solid
- Flexible
Written by:
The Essentials
- Early moves:
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6
- Colour:
- Played by Black
- Style:
- Solid and flexible
- Difficulty to learn:
- Moderate
- Named after:
- The fianchetto of Black's queen's bishop, and the Indian player Moheschunder Bannerjee, whose games first gave Indian openings their name.
- Trivia:
- Richard Réti credited Hans Kmoch with the name Queen's Indian Defence, although Réti himself never liked it.
- Variations:
- Fianchetto Variation. Petrosian Variation. Kasparov-Petrosian Variation. Spassky System.
- Good for:
- BlitzRapidClassical
Best suited for rating
1200-2800
Why play the Queen's Indian Defence?
The Queen's Indian controls the centre without occupying it.
After 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6, the bishop heads for b7, where it joins the f6-knight in watching the e4-square, or for a6, where it hits the c4-pawn.
White's 3. Nf3 sidesteps the pin of the Nimzo-Indian, so Black needs another way to stop e4. Instead of putting a pawn on d5, as in the Queen's Gambit Declined, Black restrains the centre with pieces and keeps the pawns compact.
White chooses the type of struggle: the quiet Fianchetto Variation, the Petrosian Variation, which stops ...Bb4 to prepare a big centre, or the direct 4. Nc3. Masters favour the fianchetto, while online players most often meet 4. Nc3.
Move order matters. With pieces rather than pawns holding the centre, one slow move can let White play e4 or d5 for free, gaining space and shutting the b7-bishop out.
What Black earns is a sound position in which every piece has a useful square, including the light-squared bishop, so often passive in the Queen's Gambit Declined.
Try the Queen's Indian Defence yourself!
Why the Queen's Indian Defence is good with the:
Extra space - With pawns on c4 and d4, and the e4 push as a goal, White's pieces get more room to manoeuvre.
Choice of systems - White picks the character of the game, from the quiet g3 fianchetto to the more ambitious a3 and Nc3 setups.
Central lever - Pushing d4-d5 at the right moment gains space and blunts Black's bishop on b7.
Suited for - Patient players who like a space advantage and know when to push in the centre.
Why the Queen's Indian Defence is good with the white pieces
Extra space - With pawns on c4 and d4, and the e4 push as a goal, White's pieces get more room to manoeuvre.
Choice of systems - White picks the character of the game, from the quiet g3 fianchetto to the more ambitious a3 and Nc3 setups.
Central lever - Pushing d4-d5 at the right moment gains space and blunts Black's bishop on b7.
Suited for - Patient players who like a space advantage and know when to push in the centre.
Why the Queen's Indian Defence is good with the black pieces
Long-range bishop - On b7 or a6, the light-squared bishop finds an active diagonal at once instead of waiting behind its own pawns.
Natural partner - The Queen's Indian answers 3. Nf3, the move White uses to avoid the Nimzo-Indian, so the two defences share one repertoire.
Choice of breaks - Black can strike at the centre later with ...c5 or ...d5, depending on how White sets up.
Suited for - Positional players who want a sound defence in which every piece finds a good square.
Strategy
Typical plans, pawn breaks, and key squares.
White's pawn breaks
White's central breaks are e2-e4, which builds a big centre, and d4-d5, which blunts the b7-bishop.
Black's pawn breaks
Black hits d4 with ...c5 and contests e4 with ...d5 or ...f5, keeping a grip on the central light squares.
Key squares
Black aims to hold e4 and d5, both sides fight over d4, c5 and e5, and the bishops target g2, g7 and h7.
The fight for e4
The b7-bishop and the ...f5 push back up Black's knight on e4, while White prepares e2-e4 to challenge it.
Traps and tactics
Four traps every Queen's Indian player should know.
Themes
Open centre, open king
Once the centre opens, White's bishops can aim at h7 and g7 with no black bishop to oppose them, so Black has to watch the kingside.
Trouble on b4
A check or pin from b4 disrupts White's development, which is why White sometimes spends a move on a3 just to prevent it.
Light-square grip
Black's hold on e4 and d5 rests on pieces, so every trade of the b7-bishop or the f6-knight loosens it, and a free e4 push cramps Black.
The right moment
Black keeps the centre pawns back until White commits, because ...d5 too early can block the b7-bishop and too late lets White push e4 or d5.
History
The history of the Queen's Indian Defence, from its origins to modern play.
1920s
What's in a name
Savielly Tartakower popularises the term Indian Defence, and Richard Réti later credits Hans Kmoch with names such as Queen's Indian, though he dislikes them himself.
1923
Out of moves
Aron Nimzowitsch beats Friedrich Sämisch in Copenhagen with the Queen's Indian, in a game that becomes known as the Immortal Zugzwang Game.
1950 to 1979
Bishop on b7
4... Bb7 is Black's standard answer to the fianchetto, while Tigran Petrosian turns 4. a3 into White's main alternative to it.
1984
Marathon match
Nine of the 48 games in the first world championship match between Karpov and Kasparov are Queen's Indians, and Karpov wins game six with Black.
2020s
Equal terms
Engines find no advantage for White, and the Queen's Indian remains a solid, respected answer when White avoids the Nimzo-Indian with 3. Nf3.
Model Games
Four games from Nimzowitsch to Kasparov.
FAQ
The Queen's Indian Defence begins after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6. Black prepares ...Bb7 or ...Ba6 and controls the e4-square with pieces instead of occupying the centre with pawns.
Yes. Black develops quickly, castles early and fights for the centre, but online you will meet 3. Nc3 far more often than 3. Nf3, so learn the Nimzo-Indian alongside it.
Solid. Black keeps a compact pawn structure and gives White few early targets, although the quieter lines with ...Bb7 can lead to drawish positions.
Control of the e4-square. Black fights for it with the f6-knight and the b7-bishop, then strikes at White's centre with ...c5 or ...d5 once White has committed.
The Petrosian Variation is 4. a3, which stops ...Bb4 so that White can play Nc3 and aim for e4. Tigran Petrosian made it popular, and Garry Kasparov won famous games with it.
Both begin with 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 and fight for e4 with pieces. After 3. Nc3 Black pins the knight with 3... Bb4, the Nimzo-Indian, while after 3. Nf3 Black plays 3... b6, the Queen's Indian.
There is no single best line. The Fianchetto Variation with 4. g3 is the masters' most common choice, the Petrosian Variation with 4. a3 aims for a big centre, and 4. Nc3 can lead into the Nimzo-Indian.
Anatoly Karpov, Vladimir Kramnik, Viswanathan Anand, Magnus Carlsen, Michael Adams, Judit Polgar, Peter Leko, Sergei Tiviakov, Viktor Korchnoi, and Jan Timman have all used it.
Choose the Queen's Gambit Declined if you want a pawn on d5 that stakes out the centre from the first moves. Choose the Queen's Indian if you want to control the centre with pieces and give your light-squared bishop an active diagonal at once.