- ECO code
- E15
- Moves
- 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6
- Family
- Queen's Indian Defense
- To move
- White
- Master games
- 842
- Average game length
- 43 moves
- Years covered
- 1925–2026
Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation is the opening filed under ECO code E15, reached after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6. It belongs to the Queen's Indian Defense family and is known as the Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation; in the resulting position it is White to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 842 games on this line — the 128th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1925 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2000s, with 326 games. An average game here lasts 43 moves.
White wins 30% of those games, 50% end in a draw, and Black wins 20%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores worse here by 8 percentage points. Draws are more common here than usual, by 15 points.
From this position the most popular move is 5.b3, played in 486 games, followed by 5.Qc2 (110) and 5.Nbd2 (105). 5.b3 leads into Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Quiet Line. After 5.b3 White scores 30% and Black 20%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Karpov, Anatoly (57 games); on the Black side, Karjakin,Sergey (69).
3 named variations branch off this position and have their own page here, among them Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Quiet Line; Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation; Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line.
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Results in master games
- White 30% (252)
- Draws 50% (419)
- Black 20% (171)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.b3 | 486 | 30/50/20 | Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Quiet Line |
| 5.Qc2 | 110 | 40/33/27 | — |
| 5.Nbd2 | 105 | 30/57/13 | — |
| 5.Qa4 | 103 | 24/54/22 | — |
| 5.Qb3 | 37 | 19/62/19 | — |
| 5.Bg2 | 1 | 0/0/100 | — |
Variations from this position
- Quiet Line · 5.b3 · 486 games
- Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation · 5.b3 Bb4+ · 344 games
- Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line · 5.b3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7 · 334 games
How the position is reached
- Queen's Pawn Game · 1.d4 · 45,810 games
- Indian Defense · 1.d4 Nf6 · 29,631 games
- Indian Defense: Normal Variation · 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 · 22,243 games
- Indian Defense: Anti-Nimzo-Indian · 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 · 7,325 games
- Queen's Indian Defense · 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 · 2,185 games
- Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation · 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 · 1,453 games
Played most often by
As White
- Karpov, Anatoly 57
- Topalov,V 37
- Kramnik,V 33
As Black
- Karjakin,Sergey 69
- Karpov, Anatoly 56
- Carlsen,M 45
Games per decade
- 1920s 1
- 1930s 4
- 1940s 2
- 1950s 6
- 1960s 10
- 1970s 14
- 1980s 62
- 1990s 137
- 2000s 326
- 2010s 180
- 2020s 100
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Praggnanandhaa,R | Wei Yi | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Tata Steel India Blitz |
| Artemiev,V | Nepomniachtchi,I | 1-0 | 2026 | 75th Ann. Karpov 2026 |
| So,W | Aronian,L | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | American Cup Blitz 2026 |
| Chen,Jonathan | Anand,V | 0-1 | 2026 | FIDE World Bl Team Pool A |
| Nguyen,Thai Dai Van | Gukesh,D | 0-1 | 2026 | 88th Tata Steel Masters |
| Samadov,Read | Caruana,F | 0-1 | 2026 | Titled Tue 17th Mar 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation?
It is the opening with ECO code E15, reached after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6. It belongs to the Queen's Indian Defense family.
Is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation good for White or for Black?
In 842 master games on this line White wins 30%, 50% are drawn and Black wins 20%. The collection average is White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28% — so this line is no worse than usual for White than the field as a whole.
What is the main continuation of the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation?
5.b3 — played in 486 of the master games on this line, which leads into Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Quiet Line.
Which grandmasters play the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation?
On the White side Karpov, Anatoly (57), Topalov,V (37), Kramnik,V (33); on the Black side Karjakin,Sergey (69), Karpov, Anatoly (56), Carlsen,M (45).
Every number on this page is computed from Katuranga's master game collection; names and ECO codes follow the lichess opening book (CC0).
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