1...Nf6 is a refusal to mirror White. The classical 1...d5 leads to the Queen's Gambit, where Black holds the centre with pawns. The Indian defences work the other way round: Black hands White a pawn centre in order to attack it later with pieces.
That idea - concede the centre so as to undermine it afterwards - is what hypermodernism means. Hence the family trait: complicated positions, asymmetrical pawn structures and a long fight. There are few drawing exchanges here, which is why the Indian defences appeal to players who want to win with Black.
The name comes from the nineteenth-century Indian masters who were playing 1...Nf6 long before European theory accepted that the approach was sound.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6
The most combative of them all. Black fianchettoes the bishop on g7, lets White build an enormous pawn centre, then blows it open with ...e5 or ...c5 and throws pawns at the king.
Who it suits: players willing to take risks and fond of attacking. The positions are sharp, and a mistaken plan often costs the game on the spot.
Move by move on the board - the King's Indian Defence.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4
The bishop pins the knight on c3 at once and stops White playing e4. Black often trades that bishop for the knight, leaving White with doubled pawns, and then plays against the weakness for the rest of the game.
Who it suits: players who enjoy positional chess and are content to win slowly, off the structure. One of the most respected answers to 1.d4 there is.
Move by move on the board - the Nimzo-Indian Defence.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6
This is what arises when White sidesteps the Nimzo-Indian with 3.Nf3. Black puts the bishop on b7 and fights for e4 with pieces rather than pawns. Its reputation is the soundest in the family.
Who it suits: players who care more about not losing than about winning at any cost. There are more draws here than in the other Indians.
Move by move on the board - the Queen's Indian Defence.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5
It looks like the King's Indian - the same ...g6 - but the idea is the opposite. Black strikes at the centre immediately with ...d5, trades pawns and then leans on White's big centre with the bishop on g7 down the long diagonal.
Who it suits: players who calculate well. There is a lot of theory, and playing it from memory without understanding is hard going.
Move by move on the board - the Grunfeld Defence.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 - the Benoni Defence
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 - the Benko Gambit
Both start with the thrust 2...c5. In the Benoni, Black gets a queenside pawn majority and plays for the ...b5 break while White attacks in the centre and on the kingside. In the Benko, Black gives up a pawn immediately to open the a- and b-files and press on the queenside for the whole game.
Who it suits: anyone who likes asymmetrical play with both sides attacking in different parts of the board. The Benko is the riskiest choice in the family.
Move by move on the board - the Benoni Defence and the Benko Gambit.
| Defence | Character | Theory to learn |
|---|---|---|
| King's Indian | attack on the king, risky | moderate |
| Nimzo-Indian | positional, structural | moderate |
| Queen's Indian | solid, low risk | little |
| Grunfeld | counter-blow in the centre | a lot |
| Benoni | asymmetry, both sides attack | moderate |
| Benko Gambit | a pawn for the initiative | little |
The easiest starting points are the Queen's Indian and the Benko Gambit: the first has few forcing lines, and in the second the plan is clear from the opening moves and barely depends on what White does. The King's Indian and the Grunfeld ask for noticeably more work.
All six can be played through move by move in the openings catalogue, and the traps that catch people out in the first ten moves are collected in opening traps.
A family of openings beginning 1.d4 Nf6, in which Black declines to occupy the centre with a pawn on d5 and instead concedes it to White in order to attack it with pieces. The family covers the King's Indian, the Nimzo-Indian, the Queen's Indian, the Grunfeld, the Benoni and the Benko Gambit.
In character. The King's Indian (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6) is sharp and aimed at the enemy king; the Queen's Indian (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6) is solid and positional, with the bishop fianchettoed on b7.
No. They share the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6, but the Nimzo-Indian follows 3.Nc3 with 3...Bb4, while the Queen's Indian arises after 3.Nf3 b6 - which is precisely how White sidesteps the Nimzo.
The Queen's Indian: few forcing lines and a clear developing scheme. Among the active options the Benko Gambit is the simplest, because the plan is a single idea and hardly changes with White's replies.
The name goes back to the nineteenth-century Indian masters who played 1...Nf6 and the fianchetto long before European theory accepted the approach as sound.
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The whole catalogue - chess openings. The classical reply to 1.d4 - the Queen's Gambit. Traps to watch for - opening traps.
At the board since childhood: hazy about his rating, precise about every rook he has blundered. Counts an evening as a good one if the opponent stayed to talk afterwards instead of rushing off to check with an engine. Message →
