Queen's Indian Defense

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The Queen's Indian Defense is a chess opening defined by the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6.

Since White's third move 3.Nf3, a move commonly played to avoid the Nimzo-Indian Defence, does not threaten to occupy the centre with 4.e4, Black has the option of playing 3...b6. Alternatively Black could play 3...Bb4+ (the Bogo-Indian Defense), 3...d5 (the Queen's Gambit) or 3...c5 (which usually leads to the Benoni Defense).

The play in the Queen's Indian is similar to that of the Nimzo-Indian. The opening is considered a hypermodern one, since Black does not strive to occupy the centre with his pawns immediately. Instead he intends to fianchetto his queen's bishop and put pressure on the e4-square in order to prevent White from occupying that square. With the White centre restrained Black intends to attack it. As in most other hypermodern openings, White will attempt to solidify his centre, prove that it is strong, not weak, and use his advantage in space to crush Black.

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Varaitions

Possible White responses to the Queen's Indian include:

4.a3 which prepares 5.Nc3 without being harassed by ...Bb4 pinning the knight. See (Gurevich, 1992) for an extensive analysis (102 pp.).
4.g3 which prepares to counter Black's fianchetto with a fianchetto of White's king's bishop.
4.Nc3 bringing out the knight, allowing 4...Bb4 with a transposition to the Nimzo-Indian.
4.Bf4 which simply develops the bishop to a good square.

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