The Queen's Indian Defence is one of the most solid hypermodern openings: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6. Black fianchettoes the light-squared bishop on b7 and fights for control of the central light squares, above all e4. The main branches are gathered here: the main system with g3, the Ba6 variation, the Classical System and the Petrosian System. At each branching point, choose which line to play.
The dimmed moves are the rest of the main line, and the dots mark branching points. Click any move to jump to that position.
The thin arrow on the board shows the next move.
You can also play the move on the board: pick the piece up and put it on the square.
The starting position. Choose your moves - at a branching point several continuations are available.
The Queen's Indian arises after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6. Instead of fighting for the centre with pawns, Black fianchettoes the bishop on b7 and aims it at e4 and the long diagonal. A textbook hypermodern approach: control the centre with pieces, not pawns.
The main idea is solidity and control of the light squares. Black gets a flexible position free of weaknesses in which it is hard to lose. That is why the Queen's Indian has been in the repertoire of careful, precise players for decades.
It is often paired with the Nimzo-Indian: if White plays 3.Nc3 Black answers 3...Bb4 (the Nimzo), and against 3.Nf3 he switches to the Queen's Indian with 3...b6 - two related systems in one repertoire.
The main road is 4.g3 with a fianchetto: White puts the bishop on g2 facing the one on b7, and two long-range bishops stare at each other down the long diagonal. Black has two main plans: the classical 4...Bb7 and the modern 4...Ba6, pressing on the c4 pawn at once.
The Classical System 4.Nc3 leads to more direct piece play with pressure on e4, while the Petrosian System 4.a3 takes b4 under control in advance so the knight can go to c3 without the awkward pin.
The Queen's Indian is the most reliable of the Indian defences. After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 Black puts the bishop on b7 and fights for e4 with pieces rather than pawns. A position without weaknesses - which is exactly why the opening is chosen when a draw would do.
The main set-ups: ...Bb7 with ...Be7 and ...0-0, or the sharp ...Ba6, attacking the c4 pawn at once and stopping White from developing the f1 bishop in peace. The latter has become the main move in modern practice.
The middlegame plan is the ...d5 or ...c5 break at a convenient moment. Until then Black simply finishes developing: in this opening there are no quick disasters unless you force matters.
The main line is 4.g3 with a fianchetto: the g2 bishop faces the b7 bishop and the fight is for the long diagonal. Whoever wins control of it gets the edge; White usually presses with Nc3, Qc2 and d5 at the right moment.
The alternative is 4.Nc3 with the idea of a quick e4, taking the key square with a pawn rather than pieces. The game then goes into big-centre structures where White has the space.
A realistic expectation: against precise play by Black the edge will be minimal. The Queen's Indian is an opening you play for long-term pressure and technique, not for an opening advantage.
The typical set-ups this opening leads to - learn them, and the plan follows by itself.
Black presses on the c4 pawn with two pieces at once and stops White from fianchettoing in peace. The modern treatment of the Queen's Indian.
These are the main named variations. Click any one of them and it loads straight onto the board above, where you can play it out move by move. The trainer itself holds more lines than this: it also covers main-line continuations and transpositions that have no name of their own.
What to avoid, and what catches an unprepared opponent.
The bishop on b7 is not always good: if White has shored up the centre, it stares into his own pieces. The modern line with ...Ba6 hits a concrete weakness instead.
Advancing in the centre without enough control of e4 lets Black trade off and get excellent piece play.
Traps in other openings - the 12 most common opening traps.
In order to press on the central light squares, above all e4, down the a8-h1 diagonal. It is the hypermodern idea: control the centre with a long-range piece rather than occupying it with pawns. The b7 bishop is the hero of the whole opening.
They are parts of a single repertoire against 1.d4. Against 3.Nc3 Black plays the Nimzo-Indian (3...Bb4), and against 3.Nf3 the Queen's Indian (3...b6). So they are usually learned together: they complement each other by move order.
Yes, it is one of the most solid defences for Black: a flexible position with almost no weaknesses, in which losing is very hard. The drawback is that playing for a win is not easy, so the opening appeals above all to those who value reliability.
It is the move 4.a3, devised by Tigran Petrosian: White takes b4 under control in advance so that the knight can go to c3 without the ...Bb4 pin. A subtle piece of prophylaxis in the style of the most cautious of world champions.
Want the tactics that decide these positions? Start with the 12 most common opening traps and tactics for beginners. If you are just starting out, read the rules of chess and how to set up the board.
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