Ep. 48: The Nimzo & Queen's Indian Defenses: A Complete System Against 1. d4

This episode is a primer on the Nimzo & Queen's Indian Defenses for adult improvers and club-level players. These two openings can be used as a complete system against 1. d4. Fighting for control of the e4-square is a major theme. Lines discussed include the following: NIMZO-INDIAN: Rubenstein Variation with 4...b6: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 b6 5. Bd3 Bb7 (5. Nge2 Ne4!) 6. Nf3 Ne4! Classical Variation with 4...0-0: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 0-0 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 Ne4! 7. Qc2 f5 Leningrad Variation: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bg5 h6 5. Bh4 c5 6. d5 d6 Samisch Variation with 4. a3: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. a3 Bxc3 5. bxc3 and Black can begin an attack on the weak c4-pawn (...Nc6-a5, ...b6, ...Ba6, etc.) QUEEN'S INDIAN: Main Line:  1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. 0-0 0-0 7. Nc3 Ne4! 8. Qc2 Nxc3 9. Qxc3 (9. Ng5?? Nxe2! 10. Qxe2 Bxg2 11. Qh5 h6 -+) c5 (9...Be4 is also good in the main line) Petrosian System with 4. a3:  1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Bb7 5. Nc3 d5! (stopping 6. d5 by White) Errata: When discussing odds & ends,  I mentioned that you can sometimes trick your opponent into playing the French Defense after 1. d4 e6! 2. e4 d5. I said 2. ...e5 by mistake (though I suspect most of you knew what I meant).  RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Starting Out: The Nimzo-Indian (Amazon) Starting Out: The Queen's Indian (Amazon) The Fierce Nimzo-Indian by WFM Maaike Keetman (Chessable) Our links: Website Twitter YouTube Facebook Support the Show E-mail: [email protected] The Amazon links above are affiliate links, which earn us a commission on qualifying purchases. This helps support the podcast at no additional cost to you.