- ECO code
- E12
- Moves
- 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.a3
- Family
- Queen's Indian Defense
- To move
- Black
- Master games
- 351
- Average game length
- 42 moves
- Years covered
- 1966–2026
Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation is the opening filed under ECO code E12, reached after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.a3. It belongs to the Queen's Indian Defense family and is known as the Petrosian Variation; in the resulting position it is Black to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 351 games on this line — the 274th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1966 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 1990s, with 90 games. An average game here lasts 42 moves.
White wins 29% of those games, 47% end in a draw, and Black wins 24%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores worse here by 4 percentage points. Draws are more common here than usual, by 12 points.
From this position the most popular move is 4...Bb7, played in 273 games, followed by 4...Ba6 (57) and 4...c5 (10). After 4...Bb7 White scores 28% and Black 25%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Mamedyarov,S (23 games); on the Black side, Kortschnoj, Viktor (33).
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Results in master games
- White 29% (103)
- Draws 47% (164)
- Black 24% (84)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4...Bb7 | 273 | 28/47/25 | — |
| 4...Ba6 | 57 | 33/46/21 | — |
| 4...c5 | 10 | 50/30/20 | — |
| 4...d5 | 6 | 0/67/33 | — |
| 4...Be7 | 5 | 60/20/20 | — |
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
Played most often by
As White
- Mamedyarov,S 23
- Kasparov, Gary 22
- Petrosian, Tigran V 10
As Black
- Kortschnoj, Viktor 33
- Karpov, Anatoly 32
- Karjakin,Sergey 19
Games per decade
- 1960s 5
- 1970s 12
- 1980s 52
- 1990s 90
- 2000s 76
- 2010s 51
- 2020s 65
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yakubboev,Nodirbek | Nepomniachtchi,I | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | 75th Ann. Karpov 2026 |
| Rustemov,A | Vachier Lagrave,M | 0-1 | 2026 | Titled Tue 10th Feb 2026 |
| Nie,Xinyang | Caruana,F | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | FIDE World Rapid Team |
| Praggnanandhaa,R | Aravindh,Chithambaram VR. | 1-0 | 2026 | Tata Steel India Blitz |
| Erigaisi,Arjun | Niemann,Hans Moke | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | FIDE World Bl Team Final |
| Oro,Faustino | Aronian,L | 0-1 | 2025 | FIDE World Rapid Team |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation?
It is the opening with ECO code E12, reached after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.a3. It belongs to the Queen's Indian Defense family.
Is the Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation good for White or for Black?
In 351 master games on this line White wins 29%, 47% are drawn and Black wins 24%. 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: Petrosian Variation?
4...Bb7 — played in 273 of the master games on this line.
Which grandmasters play the Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation?
On the White side Mamedyarov,S (23), Kasparov, Gary (22), Petrosian, Tigran V (10); on the Black side Kortschnoj, Viktor (33), Karpov, Anatoly (32), Karjakin,Sergey (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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