Chess opening · ECO E12
Queen's Indian Defense
Playing 3.Nf3 instead of 3.Nc3, which sidesteps the pin on the c3 knight, leads to the Queen's Indian Defense. Black answers with 3...b6 and prepares ...Bb7, a bishop that looks down the long light diagonal at e4 and d5. Black keeps the center pawns back and tries to control those two squares with pieces instead of occupying them early.
- Rank by weighted share
- #138 of 159
Key moves
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6
- 3. Nf3The knight comes out to f3 rather than c3. With nothing on c3, a check on b4 pins no white knight, and White keeps the option of Nc3 for later, once the queen's bishop or a pawn on a3 can deal with ...Bb4.
- 3... b6Opens b7 for the light-squared bishop. From there it covers e4 together with the f6 knight, so White finds it hard to push e2-e4 without a fight. The pawn on b6 also supports a later ...c5 strike at the d4 pawn.
Two bishops on the long diagonal
White's main answer is a fianchetto of its own with g3 and Bg2. The two bishops then face each other along a8-h1, and much of the play turns on whether either side can trade them off on favorable terms or win control of e4.
Black often plays ...Ne4 at some point, using the b7 bishop as backup. A knight on e4 asks White to spend time challenging it with Nfd2 or Qc2.
The ...Ba6 jab at c4
After 4.g3, Black does not have to go to b7. The bishop can go to a6 instead, where it attacks the c4 pawn at once. The f1 bishop cannot help because the e2 pawn blocks it, so White usually spends a move on b3, Qa4 or Nbd2 to hold the pawn.
Hitting c4 before castling
4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Be7
Black attacks c4 first, then checks on b4 to draw White's bishop to d2 before dropping back to e7. On d2 the bishop takes that square from the b1 knight, a small detail Black is happy to provoke before castling.
Top replies by rating
Nc3 leads both bands from 1400 to 1799. From 1800 up, g3 takes over and its lead grows in the 2000 and up band.
| Rating | Top | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1400–1599 | Nc3 41% | e3 19% | Bg5 18% |
| 1600–1799 | Nc3 36% | g3 30% | a3 12% |
| 1800–1999 | g3 42% | Nc3 35% | a3 10% |
| 2000 and up | g3 59% | Nc3 29% | Bg5 8% |
Related openings
Try it on the board. The first coached game and three analyses are free.