for Black · advanced
Nimzo-Indian Defense
6/6
1.d4Nf62.c4e63.Nc3Bb4
Black pins the c3 knight and threatens to damage White's pawn structure. Black fights for control of the central e4 square with pieces rather than pawns. It is one of the soundest and most respected defenses to 1.d4.
Key ideas
- Pin the c3-knight to fight for control of e4
- Trade the bishop for the knight to give White doubled c-pawns as targets
- Blockade and pressure White's doubled or hanging pawns
- Choose flexibly between structural and dynamic play
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Nimzo-Indian Defense9.4M games · White to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
15%1.4M49%
2.1%193k51%
Famous games in this line88k master games
Caruana, Fabiano (2835) – Carlsen, Magnus (2863)Caruana, Fabiano (2835) – Carlsen, Magnus (2863)Carlsen, Magnus (2863) – Caruana, Fabiano (2828)Carlsen, M. (2882) – Ding Liren (2805)Ding Liren (2806) – Carlsen, M. (2864)Carlsen, M. (2861) – Ding Liren (2805)Radjabov, Teimour (2793) – Carlsen, Magnus (2872)Carlsen, M. (2843) – Caruana, F. (2822)Heroes of this opening Carlsen, Magnus
Keep exploring
Go deeper — named lines from here
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Mikenas Attack4.Qd3Nimzo-Indian Defense: Dilworth Gambit4.e4Nimzo-Indian Defense: Kmoch Variation4.f3 · 3 deeper linesNimzo-Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation4.a3 · 1 deeper line
Nearby lines in the family
From the archives
Aron Nimzowitsch's ...Bb4 pin was little known when the 1920s began and one of Black's favoured defences by the time they ended; it reached a world-championship match in 1929. Its idea was radical: control the centre with PIECES, trade the bishop for structural damage, and grind.
Study this opening