Queen's Indian Defense
Initial Moves: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6
Strategic Summary & Main Idea
The Queen's Indian Defence arises from the same move order that produces the Bogo-Indian: when White plays 3.Nf3 instead of 3.Nc3, the Nimzo-Indian disappears, and ...b6 is the reply that contests e4 with a piece instead of with a pin. The position after 3...b6 measures +0.35, and the finding in this entry is that White's two most ambitious lines — the Petrosian with 4.a3 and the setup with 4.Nc3 and Bg5 — measure +0.01 and 0.00. It is the defence Karpov held dozens of match games with, and the measurement explains why: there is no white plan that presses it without a cost.
The pawn structure this opening produces
The Queen's Indian is a defence of squares, not of pawns. Black puts the bishop on b7 (or a6) and contests e4 with a piece, keeping the pawn structure as flexible as possible: ...d5 and ...c5 stay in reserve until White commits. Meanwhile the structure is nearly symmetrical, with black pawns on c7, d7 and e6 against c4, d4 and e2 — and that symmetry is the solidity the defence became famous for. The structural decision comes when Black chooses between ...Bb7 and ...Ba6. With ...Bb7 the long diagonal is the battlefield, and Black's knight heads for e4 supported by ...f5 or ...Be7; with ...Ba6 Black attacks the c4 pawn directly and forces White to defend it with b3, which weakens the c3 square and the very long diagonal White's own g2 bishop occupies. The second possible structure is the isolated pawn, which appears when Black plays ...d5 and White exchanges there: Black gains activity and loses the flexibility that was the point of the defence. The practical rule the structure imposes is simple: ...d5 only after the b7 bishop has a job, and never before.
Typical Plans for White
- Fianchetto with g3 and Bg2 and contest the long diagonal piece by piece
- Play the Petrosian with 4.a3, taking b4 from Black's bishop before Nc3 — though measured it falls to +0.01
- Put the knight on e5 when Black plays ...d5, taking the square the pawn vacated
- Defend c4 with b3 and accept that the c3 square weakens in exchange for the pawn
- Choose 4.e3, the most economical line in this entry, measuring +0.22 with no theory required
Typical Plans for Black
- Put the bishop on b7 and occupy e4 with the knight, supported by ...Be7 and ...f5 where needed
- Choose ...Ba6 to hit c4 directly and force b3, weakening White's dark squares
- Keep ...d5 and ...c5 in reserve until White has decided where the b1 knight goes
- Trade the b7 bishop for the g2 one when the trade leaves White's light squares undefended
- Do not play ...d5 early with White's knight ready for e5 — the square is worth more than the pawn
Main Variations of the Queen's Indian Defense
| Variation | Move Sequence | Evaluation | Style / Characteristic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.g3 Ba6 (modern line) | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7 7.Bg2 c6 8.Bc3 d5 |
+0.31 | Hits c4 at once and forces b3; the main line of the last thirty years |
| 4.g3 Bb7 (classical) | 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 f5 |
+0.32 | A fight for the long diagonal and a knight on e4; the oldest and clearest version |
| Petrosian Variation (4.a3) | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.a3 Bb7 5.Nc3 d5 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.e3 Be7 8.Bb5+ c6 |
+0.01 | Takes b4 from Black's bishop before Nc3; measured, the spent tempo gives the edge back |
| 4.Nc3 Bb7 5.Bg5 | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Nc3 Bb7 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 Be7 7.e3 O-O |
0.00 | A pin instead of a fianchetto; exact equality after ...h6 and ...Be7 |
| Slow line with 4.e3 | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.e3 Bb7 5.Bd3 d5 6.O-O Be7 7.b3 O-O 8.Bb2 Nbd7 |
+0.22 | Simple development without the fianchetto; little theory and a stable edge |
| With ...c5 against the fianchetto | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 c5 6.d5 exd5 7.Nh4 g6 8.Nc3 Bg7 9.O-O O-O 10.cxd5 |
+0.19 | A flank break instead of a central one; a Benoni structure with the bishop on b7 |
Evaluations measured by us with Stockfish 19, depth 22, on 14/09/2026.
Frequently asked questions
Queen's Indian or Nimzo-Indian?
It is not a choice: the move order decides. With 3.Nc3 the Nimzo-Indian exists, with 3.Nf3 it does not — and the Queen's Indian is the natural answer to the second. Measured, the two sit close: +0.22 for the Nimzo-Indian and +0.35 here. The difference is that in the Queen's Indian Black contests e4 with a piece rather than with a pin that a3 will undo.
...Bb7 or ...Ba6?
They measure almost identically — +0.32 and +0.31 — and the choice is one of character. With ...Bb7 the game is about the long diagonal and a knight on e4; with ...Ba6 Black hits c4 at once and forces b3, weakening the opponent's dark squares. The second has been the main line for thirty years, and it is the one that demands less middlegame precision.
What is White's best try for an advantage?
By the numbers measured here, nothing exceeds a third of a pawn, and the two most ambitious tries deliver the least: the Petrosian with 4.a3 measures +0.01 and the setup with 4.Nc3 and Bg5 measures exactly 0.00. The most efficient line is the most modest — 4.e3, at +0.22, with no memorised sequence.
Guides on this opening
Common Mistakes & Where Most Amateurs Go Wrong
- 01 Playing ...d5 and retreating the knight to d7 with White's knight ready for e5. After the exchanges the g2 bishop takes on d5 and Black is left without the central pawn and without the diagonal: +1.53. The line:
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.O-O O-O 7.Nc3 d5 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Ne5 Nfd7 10.Nxd7 Nxd7 11.Bxd5+1.53 - 02 Answering the trade on g2 with the rook instead of the king. After ...Bxg2, the move Rg1 leaves White's king in the centre with the file open against it, and the position collapses to −7.74. The line:
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Ne4 6.Nfd2 Nxd2 7.Nxd2 Bxg2 8.Rg1 Bb7 9.e4−7.74
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