- ECO code
- E15
- Moves
- 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7
- Family
- Queen's Indian Defense
- To move
- White
- Master games
- 515
- Average game length
- 41 moves
- Years covered
- 1923–2026
Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Traditional Line is the opening filed under ECO code E15, reached after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7. It belongs to the Queen's Indian Defense family and is known as the Fianchetto Variation, Traditional Line; in the resulting position it is White to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 515 games on this line — the 206th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1923 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2010s, with 111 games. An average game here lasts 41 moves.
White wins 28% of those games, 53% end in a draw, and Black wins 19%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores worse here by 9 percentage points. Draws are more common here than usual, by 18 points.
From this position the most popular move is 5.Bg2, played in 515 games. After 5.Bg2 White scores 28% and Black 19%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Karpov, Anatoly (25 games); on the Black side, Kortschnoj, Viktor (30).
1 named variation branch off this position and have their own page here, among them Queen's Indian Defense: Traditional Variation.
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Results in master games
- White 28% (142)
- Draws 53% (275)
- Black 19% (98)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.Bg2 | 515 | 28/53/19 | — |
Variations from this position
- Queen's Indian Defense: Traditional Variation · 5.Bg2 Be7 · 370 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 25
- Ding Liren 20
- Aronian,L 19
As Black
- Kortschnoj, Viktor 30
- Karpov, Anatoly 26
- Keres, Paul 19
Games per decade
- 1920s 16
- 1930s 27
- 1940s 17
- 1950s 20
- 1960s 38
- 1970s 39
- 1980s 43
- 1990s 41
- 2000s 76
- 2010s 111
- 2020s 87
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nihal,Sarin | Abdusattorov,Nodirbek | 1-0 | 2026 | Chess.com Open Loser Playoffs |
| Nakamura,Hi | Mitra,Roman | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 30th Jun 2026 |
| Ding Liren | Abdusattorov,Nodirbek | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | FIDE World Bl Team Final |
| Ding Liren | Andreikin,D | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | FIDE World Bl Team Final |
| Ding Liren | Tsaruk,Maksim | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | 8th SCO Int Team Final |
| Ivanchuk,V | Nagy,Ga1 | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | 2nd Bundesliga Nord 25-26 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Traditional Line?
It is the opening with ECO code E15, reached after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7. It belongs to the Queen's Indian Defense family.
Is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Traditional Line good for White or for Black?
In 515 master games on this line White wins 28%, 53% are drawn and Black wins 19%. 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, Traditional Line?
5.Bg2 — played in 515 of the master games on this line.
Which grandmasters play the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Traditional Line?
On the White side Karpov, Anatoly (25), Ding Liren (20), Aronian,L (19); on the Black side Kortschnoj, Viktor (30), Karpov, Anatoly (26), Keres, Paul (19).
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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