Nimzo-Indian & Bogo-Indian Defense
17. Classical Queen's Indian Defense (4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7)
Anatoly Karpov's choice: a direct clash between the two fianchettoed bishops along the long diagonal.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.O-O O-O 7.Nc3 Ne4 8.Qc2 Nxc3 9.Qxc3 c5 10.Rd1 d6 11.b3 Bf6 12.Bb2 Qe7
Move by move
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 3.Nf3 – White develops the kingside knight instead of Nc3 and avoids the Nimzo-Indian: without the knight on c3, ...Bb4 can't pin anything, but White controls e4 less.
- 3...b6 – The Queen's Indian Defense: Black prepares Bb7 or Ba6 to control e4 and the light squares. Without a knight on c3, ...Bb4 would have no pin.
- 4.g3 – White prepares the fianchetto to oppose Black's bishop on the long diagonal. However, the f1 bishop will no longer defend the c4 pawn.
- 4...Bb7 – The bishop goes to the long diagonal, where it will oppose the g2 bishop and control e4. It's the classical line of the Queen's Indian.
- 5.Bg2 – White completes the fianchetto: the two bishops face each other on the long diagonal. White prepares castling and Nc3.
- 5...Be7 – Black develops the bishop to e7 and prepares castling. It's the most solid choice: the bishop defends f6 and doesn't commit to ...Bb4+, which without a knight on c3 wouldn't pin anything.
- 6.O-O – White castles and puts the king safe. He now prepares Nc3 to control e4 and d5.
- 6...O-O – Black castles and completes the kingside development. The fight is now over the e4 square.
- 7.Nc3 – White develops the knight toward e4 and d5: he threatens Qc2 and e4 to take the center.
- 7...Ne4 – The knight occupies e4 before White plays Qc2 and e4. Black offers to trade knights to lighten the position and control e4.
- 8.Qc2 – The queen attacks the e4 knight and prepares the recapture on c3 with the queen, avoiding doubled pawns.
- 8...Nxc3 – Black trades the knights: after Qxc3 White no longer has the knight to push e4 with force, and Black's position is freer.
- 9.Qxc3 – The queen recaptures on c3, where it controls the long diagonal and the d4 pawn. White now prepares b3 and Bb2.
- 9...c5 – Black attacks d4 and prepares ...cxd4 or ...d6 with a Hedgehog-like structure. The c5 pawn also controls d4 and b4.
- 10.Rd1 – The rook goes to the d-file, behind the d4 pawn. White prepares dxc5 or d5 to open the file against the d-pawn.
- 10...d6 – Black closes the d-file with the pawn on d6, which controls e5 and supports c5. He prepares ...Bf6 and ...Nd7 with a Hedgehog-like structure.
- 11.b3 – White prepares Bb2 on the long diagonal, against Black's future bishop on f6. The b3 pawn also defends c4.
- 11...Bf6 – The bishop goes to f6 and presses on d4 and on the c3 queen from the long diagonal. Black prepares ...Nc6 to increase the pressure on d4.
- 12.Bb2 – White develops the bishop on the long diagonal and defends d4. White has now completed development.
- 12...Qe7 – The queen goes to e7, where it defends the f6 bishop and leaves the d8 square free for the rook. Black prepares ...Nc6 or ...Nd7.
How to exploit the position
Solid position for Black, with a Hedgehog-like structure: White has more space, Black has well-placed pieces and pressure on d4. The game is balanced.
- Develop the knight to c6 or d7: from c6 it attacks d4 together with the f6 bishop and the c5 pawn.
- Bring the rooks to d8 and c8 and keep the ...d5 or ...b5 breaks ready for when White overextends.
- If White pushes d5, answer with ...e5 to close the center or with ...exd5 cxd5 to open the e-file.
- By exchanging on d4 with ...cxd4 and then the bishops on g2, Black simplifies toward a balanced position.
Master tips
Exchange the c3 knight with ...Ne4
The c3 knight is the piece that supports e4: exchanging it frees Black's position.