Queen's Indian Defense
Encyclopedia
The Queen's Indian Defense is a chess opening
defined by the moves
The move 3...b6 increases Black's control over the central light squares e4 and d5 by preparing to fianchetto
the queen's bishop
, with the opening deriving its name from this manoeuvre. As in the other Indian defenses, Black attempts to control the center with their pieces
, instead of occupying it with their pawns
in classical style.
By playing 3.Nf3, White sidesteps the Nimzo-Indian Defense
that arises after 3.Nc3 Bb4. The Queen's Indian is regarded as the sister opening of the Nimzo-Indian, since both openings aim to impede White's efforts to gain full control of the center by playing e2–e4. Together, they form one of Black's most well-respected responses to 1.d4.
If Black does not wish to play the Queen's Indian in response to 3.Nf3, alternatives include: 3...d5, transposing to the Queen's Gambit Declined
; 3...Bb4+, the Bogo-Indian Defense
; and 3...c5, which typically leads to a Modern Benoni or a Symmetrical English
.
. White's best move is therefore 6. Bd2. However, after 6... Be7 7. Bg2 c6 Black is ready to play ...d7–d5, again attacking the c-pawn. If White captures on d5 then ...cxd5 is considered to equalize for Black. Thus White usually plays 8. Bc3 to clear this square, and the main line continues 8... d5 9. Ne5 Nfd7 10. Nxd7 Nxd7 11. Nd2 0-0 12. 0-0. The effect of Black's check has been to lure White's bishop to c3 where it blocks the c-file. This, the current main line of the entire Queen's Indian, is considered equal.
After 5. b3, Black also has several playable moves other than 5...Bb4+. The most common alternative is 5... Bb7 6. Bg2 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 a5. When White plays Nc3, Black will exchange bishop for knight in order to enhance their control over the central light squares, and play on the queenside with moves such as ...a5–a4 and ...b5. Other possibilities for Black include 5...d5 and 5...b5.
More recently, several grandmasters, including Alexander Beliavsky
, Ni Hua
, Veselin Topalov
, and Magnus Carlsen
, have played 5. Qc2. The idea is to allow Black's counterthrust ...c5, the main line running 5... Bb7 6. Bg2 c5. The fashion is for White to sacrifice a pawn with 7. d5, gaining active play. This idea has scored well for White, and new ideas have been cropping up into 2008. The 5.Qc2 lines had previously scored poorly for White according to Emms.
tendencies and 4... Bb7 is nowadays often employed by Black as a drawing weapon. Therefore White has tried various deviations from the main line in an attempt to unbalance the play. These include:
the knight
. See Gurevich (1992) for an extensive analysis. This variation was often used by Garry Kasparov
early in his career.
. This apparently quiet development may lead to complex middlegame play.
Variation, which simply develops the bishop to a good square; despite some success by its originator, this idea has never been popular.
classifies the Queen's Indian under codes E12 to E19 according to the following scheme:
Chess opening
A chess opening is the group of initial moves of a chess game. Recognized sequences of opening moves are referred to as openings as initiated by White or defenses, as created in reply by Black. There are many dozens of different openings, and hundreds of named variants. The Oxford Companion to...
defined by the moves
- 1. d4 Nf6
- 2. c4 e6
- 3. Nf3 b6
The move 3...b6 increases Black's control over the central light squares e4 and d5 by preparing to fianchetto
Fianchetto
In chess the fianchetto is a pattern of development wherein a bishop is developed to the second rank of the adjacent knight file, the knight pawn having been moved one or two squares forward....
the queen's bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
, with the opening deriving its name from this manoeuvre. As in the other Indian defenses, Black attempts to control the center with their pieces
Chess piece
Chess pieces or chessmen are the pieces deployed on a chessboard to play the game of chess. The pieces vary in abilities, giving them different values in the game...
, instead of occupying it with their pawns
Pawn (chess)
The pawn is the most numerous and weakest piece in the game of chess, historically representing infantry, or more particularly armed peasants or pikemen. Each player begins the game with eight pawns, one on each square of the rank immediately in front of the other pieces...
in classical style.
By playing 3.Nf3, White sidesteps the Nimzo-Indian Defense
Nimzo-Indian Defence
The Nimzo-Indian Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:This hypermodern opening was developed by Grandmaster Aron Nimzowitsch who introduced it to master-level chess in the early 20th century. Unlike most Indian openings the Nimzo-Indian does not involve an immediate fianchetto,...
that arises after 3.Nc3 Bb4. The Queen's Indian is regarded as the sister opening of the Nimzo-Indian, since both openings aim to impede White's efforts to gain full control of the center by playing e2–e4. Together, they form one of Black's most well-respected responses to 1.d4.
If Black does not wish to play the Queen's Indian in response to 3.Nf3, alternatives include: 3...d5, transposing to the Queen's Gambit Declined
Queen's Gambit Declined
The Queen's Gambit Declined is a chess opening in which Black declines a pawn offered by White in the Queen's Gambit:This is known as the Orthodox Line of the Queen's Gambit Declined...
; 3...Bb4+, the Bogo-Indian Defense
Bogo-Indian Defence
The Bogo-Indian Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:-Variations:White has three viable moves to meet the check. 4.Nc3 is a transposition to the Kasparov Variation of the Nimzo-Indian, therefore the main independent variations are 4.Bd2 and 4.Nbd2.-4...
; and 3...c5, which typically leads to a Modern Benoni or a Symmetrical English
English Opening
In chess, the English Opening is the opening where White begins:A flank opening, it is the fourth most popular and, according to various databases, anywhere from one of the two most successful to the fourth most successful of White's twenty possible first moves. White begins the fight for the...
.
4.g3
This has long been White's most popular line against the Queen's Indian. It contests the long diagonal by preparing to fianchetto the light-squared bishop. The standard response for Black through the 1970s was 4...Bb7, but 4...Ba6 has since become the topical line. A rarer third option is 4...Bb4+, which aims to exchange the less useful dark-squared bishop, though this line tends to leave Black with a slightly passive position.4...Ba6: the modern main line
White can defend the pawn at c4 with a piece by playing 5.Nbd2, 5.Qa4, 5.Qc2 or 5.Qb3, but these moves all diminish control of d4, making ...c7–c5 a potentially effective reply for Black; therefore 5. b3 is White's most common response. However, it weakens the dark squares slightly, which Black can take advantage of by playing 5... Bb4+. Now 6.Nbd2? loses material after 6...Bc3 7.Rb1 Bb7 threatening 8...Be4, an opening trap which has ensnared players such as Kamran ShiraziKamran Shirazi
Kamran Shirazi is an International Master of chess. Born in Tehran, he has represented Iran, the United States, and France...
. White's best move is therefore 6. Bd2. However, after 6... Be7 7. Bg2 c6 Black is ready to play ...d7–d5, again attacking the c-pawn. If White captures on d5 then ...cxd5 is considered to equalize for Black. Thus White usually plays 8. Bc3 to clear this square, and the main line continues 8... d5 9. Ne5 Nfd7 10. Nxd7 Nxd7 11. Nd2 0-0 12. 0-0. The effect of Black's check has been to lure White's bishop to c3 where it blocks the c-file. This, the current main line of the entire Queen's Indian, is considered equal.
After 5. b3, Black also has several playable moves other than 5...Bb4+. The most common alternative is 5... Bb7 6. Bg2 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 a5. When White plays Nc3, Black will exchange bishop for knight in order to enhance their control over the central light squares, and play on the queenside with moves such as ...a5–a4 and ...b5. Other possibilities for Black include 5...d5 and 5...b5.
More recently, several grandmasters, including Alexander Beliavsky
Alexander Beliavsky
-External links:...
, Ni Hua
Ni Hua
Ni Hua is one of China's top chess grandmasters and is the national team captain. In 2003, he became China's 15th Grandmaster at the age of 19. On April 2008, Ni Hua and Bu Xiangzhi both became the second and third Chinese players to pass the 2700 Elo rating line, after Wang Yue...
, Veselin Topalov
Veselin Topalov
Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov is a Bulgarian chess grandmaster. He currently has the sixth highest rating in the world, and was the challenger facing world champion Viswanathan Anand in the World Chess Championship 2010, losing the match 6½–5½....
, and Magnus Carlsen
Magnus Carlsen
Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen is a Norwegian chess Grandmaster and chess prodigy who is currently the number-one ranked player in the world. In January 2010 he became the seventh player ranked number one in the world on the official FIDE rating list...
, have played 5. Qc2. The idea is to allow Black's counterthrust ...c5, the main line running 5... Bb7 6. Bg2 c5. The fashion is for White to sacrifice a pawn with 7. d5, gaining active play. This idea has scored well for White, and new ideas have been cropping up into 2008. The 5.Qc2 lines had previously scored poorly for White according to Emms.
4...Bb7: the old main line
The classical main line of the Queen's Indian, usually the game continues: 5. Bg2 Be7 6. 0-0 0-0 7. Nc3 Ne4 8. Qc2 Nxc3 9. Qxc3. White has the freer game, but Black has no weaknesses and can choose from a variety of ways to create counterplay, such as 9... c5, 9... f5 or 9... Be4. These lines are well known for their drawishDraw (chess)
In chess, a draw is when a game ends in a tie. It is one of the possible outcomes of a game, along with a win for White and a win for Black . Usually, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.For the most part,...
tendencies and 4... Bb7 is nowadays often employed by Black as a drawing weapon. Therefore White has tried various deviations from the main line in an attempt to unbalance the play. These include:
- 8. Bd2, which defends the knight on c3 and threatens a d4–d5 push.
- 7. d5!?, introduced by Arturo PomarArturo PomarArturo Pomar Salamanca is a Spanish chess Grandmaster .A chess prodigy , and a pupil of Alexander Alekhine, he became quite famous...
, and rejuvenated by Lev PolugaevskyLev PolugaevskyLev Abramovich Polugaevsky was an International Grandmaster of chess and frequent contender for the world chess championship, although he never achieved that title...
's continuation 7... exd5 8. Nh4! threatening to regain the pawn on d5 or to play Nf5. - 6. Nc3, which postpones castling in favour of preparing action in the centre with the d4–d5 and e2–e4 thrusts.
4.a3
The Petrosian Variation, prepares 5.Nc3 without being harassed by ...Bb4 pinningPin (chess)
In chess, a pin is a situation brought on by an attacking piece in which a defending piece cannot move without exposing a more valuable defending piece on its other side to capture by the attacking piece...
the knight
Knight (chess)
The knight is a piece in the game of chess, representing a knight . It is normally represented by a horse's head and neck. Each player starts with two knights, which begin on the row closest to the player, one square from the corner...
. See Gurevich (1992) for an extensive analysis. This variation was often used by Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov
Garry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
early in his career.
4.Nc3
- 4... Bb4 transposesTransposition (chess)A transposition in chess is a sequence of moves that results in a position which may also be reached by another, more common sequence of moves. Transpositions are particularly common in opening, where a given position may be reached by different sequences of moves...
to the Nimzo-Indian. The position after 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 g5 7. Bg3 Ne4 8. Qc2 was heavily played and analysed in the 1980s. - 4... Bb7 5. a3 became the more common move order to reach the Petrosian system by the mid-1980s, where White has avoided 4. a3 c5 5. d5 Ba6 and 4. a3 Ba6.
- 4... Bb7 5. Bg5 is an older line which gives Black good equalizing chances after 5... h6 6. Bh4 g5 7. Bg3 Nh5 8. e3 Nxg3 9. hxg3 Bg7.
4.e3
Preparing to develop the king's bishop and castle kingside, was also a favorite of Tigran PetrosianTigran Petrosian
Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian was a Soviet-Armenian grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his playing style because of his almost impenetrable defence, which emphasised safety above all else...
. This apparently quiet development may lead to complex middlegame play.
4.Bf4
The MilesTony Miles
Anthony John Miles was an English chess Grandmaster.- Early achievements in chess :Miles was born in Edgbaston, a suburb of Birmingham...
Variation, which simply develops the bishop to a good square; despite some success by its originator, this idea has never been popular.
ECO codes
The Encyclopaedia of Chess OpeningsEncyclopaedia of Chess Openings
The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings is a classification system for the opening moves in a game of chess. It is presented as a five volume book collection describing chess openings...
classifies the Queen's Indian under codes E12 to E19 according to the following scheme:
- E12 – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6
- E13 – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Nc3 Bb7 5.Bg5
- E14 – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.e3
- E15 – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3
- E16 – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7
- E17 – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7
- E18 – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.0-0 0-0 7.Nc3
- E19 – 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.0-0 0-0 7.Nc3 Ne4 8.Qc2