As Black
Queen's Indian Defence
The Queen's Indian Defence is a chess opening for Black that starts with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6.
The queen's bishop goes to b7 (or a6) to control e4 from afar. Solid and flexible, popular at the very top.
Reviewed on November 6, 2026 · Prepared by Josep Serrano Ballestero
5 lines
Against 4.e3
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.e3 Bb7 5.Bd3 Bb4+ 6.Nbd2 O-O 7.O-O d5
Main line: 4...Ba6
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7 7.Bg2 c6 8.Bc3 d5
Petrosian Variation: 4.a3
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.a3 Bb7 5.Nc3 d5 6.cxd5 Nxd5
Classical line: 4...Bb7
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.O-O O-O 7.Nc3 Ne4
Against 4.Nc3
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Bg5 Bb7 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4 g5 8.Bg3 Ne4
Frequently asked questions
Is the Queen's Indian Defence good for beginners?
It is better suited to experienced players. On OpeningCraft it is aimed at players with Elo 1600 – 1800. It suits players who prefer long-term plans and pawn structure.
How many lines of the Queen's Indian Defence do you need to learn?
OpeningCraft teaches 5, in blocks of 5. They come from real Lichess games at each rating band, and the traps and opponent mistakes most common at your level come first.