- ECO code
- E12
- Moves
- 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6
- Family
- Queen's Indian Defense
- To move
- White
- Master games
- 2,185
- Average game length
- 42 moves
- Years covered
- 1921–2026
Queen's Indian Defense is the opening filed under ECO code E12, reached after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6. It belongs to the Queen's Indian Defense family; in the resulting position it is White to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 2,185 games on this line — the 56th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1921 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2000s, with 577 games. An average game here lasts 42 moves.
White wins 29% of those games, 50% end in a draw, and Black wins 21%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores worse here by 7 percentage points. Draws are more common here than usual, by 15 points.
From this position the most popular move is 4.g3, played in 1,453 games, followed by 4.a3 (351) and 4.Nc3 (259). 4.g3 leads into Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation. After 4.g3 White scores 29% and Black 19%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Karpov, Anatoly (103 games); on the Black side, Karpov, Anatoly (141).
8 named variations branch off this position and have their own page here, among them Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation; Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation; Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Traditional Line.
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Results in master games
- White 29% (634)
- Draws 50% (1,092)
- Black 21% (459)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.g3 | 1,453 | 29/52/19 | Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation |
| 4.a3 | 351 | 29/47/24 | Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation |
| 4.Nc3 | 259 | 28/48/24 | — |
| 4.e3 | 93 | 31/49/20 | — |
| 4.Bf4 | 20 | 35/20/45 | — |
| 4.Bg5 | 9 | 11/67/22 | — |
Variations from this position
- Fianchetto Variation · 4.g3 · 1,453 games
- Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation · 4.g3 Ba6 · 842 games
- Fianchetto Variation, Traditional Line · 4.g3 Bb7 · 515 games
- Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Quiet Line · 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 · 486 games
- Traditional Variation · 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 · 370 games
- Petrosian Variation · 4.a3 · 351 games
- Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation · 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 Bb4+ · 344 games
- Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line · 4.g3 Ba6 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
Played most often by
As White
- Karpov, Anatoly 103
- Mamedyarov,S 77
- Kasparov, Gary 61
As Black
- Karpov, Anatoly 141
- Kortschnoj, Viktor 108
- Karjakin,Sergey 102
Games per decade
- 1920s 25
- 1930s 37
- 1940s 20
- 1950s 56
- 1960s 97
- 1970s 104
- 1980s 242
- 1990s 329
- 2000s 577
- 2010s 407
- 2020s 291
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nihal,Sarin | Abdusattorov,Nodirbek | 1-0 | 2026 | Chess.com Open Loser Playoffs |
| Praggnanandhaa,R | Wei Yi | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Tata Steel India Blitz |
| Praggnanandhaa,R | Rapport,R | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | FIDE World Rapid Team |
| Artemiev,V | Nepomniachtchi,I | 1-0 | 2026 | 75th Ann. Karpov 2026 |
| Nakamura,Hi | Mitra,Roman | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 30th Jun 2026 |
| So,W | Aronian,L | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | American Cup Blitz 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Queen's Indian Defense?
It is the opening with ECO code E12, reached after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6. It belongs to the Queen's Indian Defense family.
Is the Queen's Indian Defense good for White or for Black?
In 2,185 master games on this line White wins 29%, 50% are drawn and Black wins 21%. 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?
4.g3 — played in 1,453 of the master games on this line, which leads into Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation.
Which grandmasters play the Queen's Indian Defense?
On the White side Karpov, Anatoly (103), Mamedyarov,S (77), Kasparov, Gary (61); on the Black side Karpov, Anatoly (141), Kortschnoj, Viktor (108), Karjakin,Sergey (102).
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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