Chess opening · ECO A41
Old Indian Defense
After 1.d4 d6 2.c4, Black's usual path is ...Nf6, ...Nbd7 and ...e5, with the dark-squared bishop going to e7. That bishop choice separates the Old Indian from the King's Indian, where it sits on g7. The structure is compact: Black holds e5 with pawns and pieces and waits for White to commit in the center.
- Rank by weighted share
- #108 of 159
Key moves
1. d4 d6 2. c4
- 1... d6A modest pawn move that prepares ...e5 and opens the c8 bishop's diagonal. It does not block White from expanding, but it gives Black a firm point on e5 once the e-pawn arrives.
- 2. c4White claims d5 and b5 with the c-pawn and makes room for Nc3. This is the move that defines the Old Indian; without c4 the game goes into other queen's pawn systems.
Why the bishop goes to e7
Black skips ...g6, so the bishop takes the short route to e7 and Black can castle short quickly. From e7 it guards the kingside behind the d6 and e5 pawns and can later drop back to f8 after ...Re8 if the center locks.
Black often adds ...c6 to watch d5 and to give the queen access to c7 or a5.
The direct 2...e5
Black can push the e-pawn at once. After 3.dxe5 dxe5 4.Qxd8+ Kxd8 the queens are gone and Black's king has lost the right to castle. With queens off the board, the king on d8 faces no mating attack, and Black can bring it to c7 or e7 later.
White can avoid the trade with 3.Nf3, keeping the tension and leaving Black to decide whether to push to e4.
The classical setup
2... Nf6 3. Nc3 Nbd7 4. e4 e5 5. Nf3 Be7 6. Be2 O-O 7. O-O c6
Both sides have castled and White owns more space. Black's pawn triangle on c6, d6 and e5 holds the center, and later plans include ...Qc7, ...Re8 and ...Bf8 if White pushes d5.
Top replies by rating
e5 tops the under 1200 band, then drops out of the top three, returning at 1800 to 1999. At 2000 and up it sits just behind Nf6.
| Rating | Top | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1200 | e5 45% | e6 14% | Nc6 13% |
| 1200–1399 | Nf6 18% | e6 18% | g6 11% |
| 1400–1599 | e6 22% | Nf6 22% | g6 12% |
| 1600–1799 | Nf6 28% | g6 15% | c6 12% |
| 1800–1999 | Nf6 34% | g6 22% | e5 15% |
| 2000 and up | Nf6 36% | e5 33% | g6 18% |
Related openings
Try it on the board. The first coached game and three analyses are free.