Nimzo-Indian & Bogo-Indian Defense

8. Kasparov Variation with 4.Nf3 c5 5.g3

Garry Kasparov's favorite weapon: combining the Nimzo with the g3 fianchetto in Catalan style.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 c5 5.g3 cxd4 6.Nxd4 O-O 7.Bg2 d5 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Qb3 Nc6 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.O-O Qa5 12.Bd2 Bxc3

Move by move

  1. 1.d4 – White occupies the center with the d-pawn, protected by the queen, and frees the c1 bishop. This is the move that starts Queen's Gambit, Catalan and Nimzo-Indian games.
  2. 1...Nf6 – Black develops the knight toward the center and immediately prevents 2.e4. With Nf6 Black stays flexible: he can choose between the Nimzo-Indian, Queen's Indian, King's Indian or the Queen's Gambit Declined.
  3. 2.c4 – White gains space on the queenside and attacks the d5 square from a distance. White now threatens Nc3 and e4 to build a big pawn center.
  4. 2...e6 – Black opens the diagonal for the f8 bishop and prepares both d5 and Bb4. Compared with 2...d5, Black stays elastic: he waits to see whether White plays Nc3, which allows the Nimzo-Indian.
  5. 3.Nc3 – White develops the knight and prepares e4: if Black doesn't react, 4.e4 would give White the ideal center with pawns on c4, d4 and e4.
  6. 3...Bb4 – The move of the Nimzo-Indian: the bishop pins the c3 knight to the king, so Nc3 no longer controls e4 and the e4 push becomes difficult. Black is ready to capture on c3 to double White's pawns.
  7. 4.Nf3 – White develops the knight and keeps many paths open: g3 in Catalan style, Qb3 or Bg5. For now he gives up e3 and f3.
  8. 4...c5 – Black immediately attacks d4: without a pawn on e3, White can't recapture on d4 with a pawn and White's center is reduced.
  9. 5.g3 – White prepares the fianchetto: the g2 bishop will press on the long diagonal toward d5, c6 and b7. It's Kasparov's favorite system against the Nimzo.
  10. 5...cxd4 – Black exchanges on d4 to eliminate White's central pawn. White recaptures with the knight, which however will be exposed on d4.
  11. 6.Nxd4 – The knight recaptures on d4, where it controls b5, c6 and e6. White has more development, but the d4 knight can be attacked by ...Nc6 or ...e5.
  12. 6...O-O – Black castles and prepares ...d5: before opening the center he puts the king safe, since White's g2 bishop will soon aim along the long diagonal.
  13. 7.Bg2 – The bishop completes the fianchetto and aims at d5, c6 and b7. White can now castle and strike at Black's queenside.
  14. 7...d5 – Black occupies the center and attacks c4: now that the king is safe, Black wants to open the center before White castles.
  15. 8.cxd5 – White exchanges on d5 to open the g2 bishop's diagonal toward d5 and b7. Black must recapture in a way that doesn't leave the light squares weak.
  16. 8...Nxd5 – Black recaptures with the knight: on d5 it is central and attacks c3, which is pinned by the b4 bishop. White must now defend the c3 knight.
  17. 9.Qb3 – The queen attacks the b4 bishop and the d5 knight, which are under double pressure. It is White's strongest move in this position.
  18. 9...Nc6 – Black develops the knight with a tempo: on c6 it defends the b4 bishop and attacks the d4 knight. The d5 knight stays protected by the queen and the e6 pawn.
  19. 10.Nxc6 – White exchanges the knights to avoid ...Nxd4 and to leave Black with a doubled or isolated c-pawn after the recapture.
  20. 10...bxc6 – Black recaptures with the b-pawn: it opens the b-file against the b3 queen and the c6 pawn reinforces the d5 knight, which in turn defends the b4 bishop. The c8 bishop now has a free diagonal.
  21. 11.O-O – White castles and keeps up the pressure: the b4 bishop is defended only by the d5 knight, which is attacked by the g2 bishop and the b3 queen.
  22. 11...Qa5 – The queen reinforces the b4 bishop and sits behind it on the diagonal toward c3: if the bishop exchanges on c3, the queen supports the recapture. The c3 knight stays pinned.
  23. 12.Bd2 – White defends the c3 knight with the bishop and breaks the pin. Now if Black doesn't act, White will play Rfc1 or e4.
  24. 12...Bxc3 – Black exchanges on c3 to simplify: after bxc3 White has weak pawns on a2 and c3, while after Bxc3 Black exchanges again on c3.

How to exploit the position

After 13.bxc3 or 13.Bxc3 the position is balanced: Black has the isolated c6 pawn but active pieces, White has the g2 bishop on the long diagonal.

Master tips

Answer Qb3 with ...Nc6

The queen on b3 attacks both the b4 bishop and the d5 knight.

Model games