Chess opening · ECO E20
Nimzo-Indian Defense
In the Nimzo-Indian Defense, Black meets 3.Nc3 with 3...Bb4, pinning the knight to the white king. The knight on c3 was White's main helper for the e2-e4 push, so the pin goes straight at that plan. Black is often willing to give up the bishop on c3, accepting a knight against a bishop in return for doubled white c-pawns or a lead in development.
- Rank by weighted share
- #98 of 159
Key moves
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4
- 3. Nc3White develops toward e4 and d5. Behind the c4 and d4 pawns, the knight is the piece that would support e2-e4 and complete a full pawn center.
- 3... Bb4The bishop pins the c3 knight against the king on e1. While the pin holds, the knight cannot take anything on e4, so a quick e2-e4 would simply drop a pawn to ...Nxe4. Black can also take on c3 whenever doubling White's c-pawns looks useful.
Why e4 is the target
Black's pieces gather around one square. The f6 knight, the pin on c3 and a later ...b6 with ...Bb7 all work against e4. If White never gets that pawn to e4 safely, its center stays at c4 and d4 and Black has room to choose between ...d5, ...c5 and ...b6 setups.
The test is easy to check: after 4.e4, the reply 4...Nxe4 picks up the e4 pawn because the pinned knight cannot recapture.
Four fourth moves against the pin
4.Qc2 lets White take back on c3 with the queen, so the pawns stay intact. 4.e3 opens the f1 bishop and prepares Bd3 and quick castling. 4.a3 asks the bishop right away and accepts doubled pawns for the two bishops. 4.Bd2 simply unpins by putting a piece between the knight and the king.
Each choice changes Black's plan. Against Qc2 the doubled pawns never appear, so Black usually hits the center with ...d5 or ...c5 instead of playing against c4.
Recapturing with the queen
4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3
White spends Qc2 and a3 to get the bishop pair without doubled pawns. In return Black is castled while White still has the f1 bishop and g1 knight at home.
Top replies by rating
Bd2 leads every band below 1800. From 1800 up, Qc2 has the largest share, with e3 second.
Questions
Why would Black give up the bishop for a knight?
Taking on c3 can leave White with doubled c-pawns and a weak c4 pawn that Black can attack with ...b6, ...Ba6 and ...Nc6-a5. Black accepts facing two bishops because the pawn damage is permanent.
Related openings
Try it on the board. The first coached game and three analyses are free.