Chess Opening Tutorial : Nimzo Indian Defense

Home • Learn to Play Chess • Improve Your Game • Chess History • Chess for Fun • Chess Blog

Nimzo Indian Defense - 4.e3

Chess Opening Tutorial

Overview - 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4

A: Introduction
B: Why not 4.e3 Bxc3+?
C: 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.O-O Nc6
D: 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.O-O
E: 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 c5
F: 4.e3 O-O 5.Nge2
G: 4.e3 c5 5.Bd3 (with ...d6)
H: 4.e3 c5 5.Nge2
I: 4.e3 b6
J: 4.e3 (with 4...d5 or 4...Nc6)

A: Introduction

Diagram: After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3
***
One of the best moves to meet the Nimzo Indian Defense (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4) is 4.e3 (ECO E40-59). Many authorities call this the 'Rubinstein Variation'.
Unlike other moves, 4.e3 doesn't attempt to refute Black's setup. White builds a strong center and aims for flexible development. One idea is to continue Ng1-e2, recapturing with the Knight if Black plays ...Bxc3+.
Of Black's several moves, the most common is 4...O-O. Now White has at least three continuations, which also come into consideration after Black's other 4th moves.

5.Bd3 develops the Bishop before playing Nge2. Now 5...d5 6.Nf3 c5 reaches a popular position which can be achieved by other move orders.
Black can also play 5...c5 6.Nf3 reaching a second popular position, where 6...d5 is the same as above. If Black avoids ...d5, it branches into independent lines.

5.Nge2 protects the other Knight but blocks the Bishop. Some authorities consider this to be the real 'Rubinstein Variation'.

5.Nf3 gives up the option of placing the Knight on e2. Now 5...d5 6.Bd3 c5 is the same as above, but Black can also continue 5...c5.

Another good move is 4...c5. It has independent value if Black plays ...d6 instead of ...d5. White again has 5.Bd3, 5.Nge2, and 5.Nf3. The sequence 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Bd3 is the same as above.
Other moves are 4...b6, 4...d5, and 4...Nc6.

B: Why not 4.e3 Bxc3+?

Diagram: Black to move
***
If Ng1-e2 is White's objective after 4.e3, why not play 4...Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 immediately? This is the position shown in the diagram.
The first thing to notice is the weak Pawn on c4, which can't be protected by another Pawn. Black can attack it with ...b6 & ...Ba6, then ...Nc6 & ...Na5, perhaps followed by maneuvering the Queen to a4. The second thing to notice is that if Black can entice White to play d4-d5, Black will get a good square on c5 for a Knight.
Experience has shown that the c4-Pawn is rarely lost. White can protect it as necessary with the Bishop, Knight, and Queen. During this maneuvering, White can also aim to play e3-e4. The Pawn on e4 supports an attack on Black's King castled Kingside, which has been abandoned by its pieces on the a-file (Ba6, Na5, Qa4) chasing the c4-Pawn.
Black would prefer to play ...Bxc3+ only after White has provoked it with a2-a3. Note the difference between the diagram and the continuation 4...O-O 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3. Black has castled while White has played the inconsequential 5.a3. Black has effectively gained a tempo on the diagram.
White in turn can avoid the doubled c-Pawns with 4...O-O 5.Nge2, which we'll look at below. If White waits longer to play a2-a3, as in 4...O-O 5.Bd3 d5 6.a3, Black can retreat 6...Be7 or 6...dxc4 7.Bxc4 Bd6, keeping the dark squared Bishop.

C: 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.O-O Nc6

Diagram: White to move
***
The diagram shows the position after 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.O-O Nc6. This is one of the positions most frequently seen in the Nimzo Indian.
Play normally continues 8.a3 Bxc3 (8...Ba5 is also possible) 9.bxc3. Black has several main lines.

9...dxc4 10.Bxc4 Qc7 White has the Bishop pair and plays to open lines with e3-e4-e5, driving off the Knight. Black has good counterplay in the center and plays to prevent White's e3-e4. Some possible continuations are 11.Bd3 e5 12.Qc2, 11.Re1 intending 12.e4, and 11.Bb2 e5.

9...Qc7 prevents Ne5. White can continue 10.cxd5, 10.Bb2, or 10.Qc2.

9...b6 leads to a cramped game, but hinders e3-e4.

D: 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.O-O

Diagram: Black to move
***
After 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.O-O, as shown in the diagram, Black has moves other than 7...Nc6.

7...dxc4 8.Bxc4, when the continuations 8...Nbd7 (9.Qe2 b6 or 9...a6; 9.a3 cxd4 or 9...Ba5), 8...Nc6, 8...b6, and 8...cxd4 9.exd4 are all playable

7...cxd4 8.exd4, giving White an isolated d-Pawn.

7...Nbd7, when White can try 8.a3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 (9.axb4 cxb4), 8.cxd5, or 8.Qe2.

E: 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 c5

Diagram: White to move
***
After 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3, an alternative to 5...d5 is 5...c5, shown in the diagram. The first thing to notice is that the Pawn on c5 blocks any retreat of the Bishop to e7. The second is that after 6.Nf3, the move 6...d5 transposes into the variation we just saw.
After 6.Nf3, Black can instead play 6...Nc6, when a future ...d6 leads to a closed center, or 6...b6. Both moves lead to new struggles over e4.
White can also try 6.Nge2 or 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3, intending 8.e4. This is stopped by 7...Nc6, but not by 7...b6 8.e4.

F: 4.e3 O-O 5.Nge2

Diagram: Black to move
***
The purest form of the Rubinstein Variation is probably the line 4.e3 O-O 5.Nge2, as shown in the diagram. Rubinstein played this variation in several games.
If 5...d5 6.a3, Black is not forced to take the Knight on c3. Better is 6...Be7, when White usually continues 7.cxd5.
Now 7...Nxd5 followed by 8.Qc2, 8.g3, or 8.Bd2 is playable, but Black more often plays 7...exd5. Here White can play to fianchetto the Bishop after 8.g3, or unblock it by 8.Ng3 or 8.Nf4.

G: 4.e3 c5 5.Bd3 (with ...d6)

Diagram: Black to move
***
The diagram shows the board after 4.e3 c5 5.Bd3. Once again, this line only has independent significance if Black plays ...d6 instead of ...d5; for example, 5...d5 6.Nf3 O-O leads to the main line that we've already seen. If Black plays 5...O-O immediately, it transposes into variations that start 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 c5.
If instead 5...Nc6, White can try 6.Nf3. This allows 6...Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 d6. Black blockades the White center with Pawns on the dark squares, which no longer hinder the dark squared Bishop. Continuations like 6...d5 or 6...O-O would lead back to known paths after 7.O-O. White can also play 6.Nge2.
Less sound is 5...b6, which Kasparov condemns as 'a mixture of two different plans'. White can play 6.Nge2 or 6.Nf3 Bb7 7.O-O O-O 8.Na4.

H: 4.e3 c5 5.Nge2

Diagram: Black to move
***
The diagram shows the position after 4.e3 c5 5.Nge2. White could have also continued 5.a3, allowing 5...Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 b6, but 5.Nge2, following Rubinstein's main idea, is stronger.
Now the Bishop's retreat is blocked after both 5...b6 6.a3 and 5...d5 6.a3. If, in that second line, Black tries 6...cxd4, White has 7.axb4 dxc3 8.Nxc3.
Black's best is 5...cxd4 6.exd4. There are still problems to solve after 6...d5 7.c5 or 6...O-O 7.a3 Be7 8.Nf4.

I: 4.e3 b6

Diagram: White to move
***
The position in the diagram, which occurs after 4.e3 b6, is sometimes called the Bronstein Variation. Black waits to commit the c- and d-Pawns, while creating the option of playing the Bc8 to either a6 or b7.
White can play Rubinstein's move with

5.Nge2, answering 5...Ba6 with either 6.a3 Be7 (6...Bxc3+ 7.Nxc3 d5 8.b3), or 6.Ng3. After 6.Ng3, Black can't stop e3-e4 by 6...d5 because of 7.Qa4+. Another move for Black is 5...Bb7 6.a3 or even 5...Ne4, which can be met with 6.Qc2 or 6.Bd2.
Other tries for White are

5.Bd3, when Black has 5...Bb7, 5...c5, or 5...O-O;
5.Nf3, with 5...Bb7, 5...O-O, or 5...Ne4; and
5.a3 intending 5...Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Bb7 7.f3 and 8.e4.

J: 4.e3 (with 4...d5 or 4...Nc6)

Diagram: Black to move
***
We've already seen three possibilities after 4.e3 : 4...O-O, 4...c5, and 4...b6. There are two other moves worth mentioning .
The first move is 4...d5. Now 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Bd3 transposes to a position we've seen, where 6...c5 is the same position that has cropped up again and again. After 5.a3, Black can continue 5...Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5, hindering White's plan to play f2-f3 and e3-e4. Alternatively, Black has 5...Be7. Now 6.Nf3 gives a position similar to the Queen's Gambit Declined, with the additional move a3 for White. In fact, the extra tempo has little importance, while White has shut in the Bc1.
The second move is 4...Nc6. White has the usual replies 5.Bd3, 5.Nge2, and 5.Nf3, while Black has made it more difficult to advance the c-Pawn.

Nimzo Indian Defense - 4.e3
Chess Opening Tutorial
Overview - 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 A: Introduction B: Why not 4.e3 Bxc3+? C: 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.O-O Nc6 D: 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.O-O E: 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 c5 F: 4.e3 O-O 5.Nge2 G: 4.e3 c5 5.Bd3 (with ...d6) H: 4.e3 c5 5.Nge2 I: 4.e3 b6 J: 4.e3 (with 4...d5 or 4...Nc6) A: Introduction Diagram: After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 * One of the best moves to meet the Nimzo Indian Defense (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4) is 4.e3 (ECO E40-59). Many authorities call this the 'Rubinstein Variation'. Unlike other moves, 4.e3 doesn't attempt to refute Black's setup. White builds a strong center and aims for flexible development. One idea is to continue Ng1-e2, recapturing with the Knight if Black plays ...Bxc3+. Of Black's several moves, the most common is 4...O-O. Now White has at least three continuations, which also come into consideration after Black's other 4th moves. 5.Bd3 develops the Bishop before playing Nge2. Now 5...d5 6.Nf3 c5 reaches a popular position which can be achieved by other move orders. Black can also play 5...c5 6.Nf3 reaching a second popular position, where 6...d5 is the same as above. If Black avoids ...d5, it branches into independent lines. 5.Nge2 protects the other Knight but blocks the Bishop. Some authorities consider this to be the real 'Rubinstein Variation'. 5.Nf3 gives up the option of placing the Knight on e2. Now 5...d5 6.Bd3 c5 is the same as above, but Black can also continue 5...c5. Another good move is 4...c5. It has independent value if Black plays ...d6 instead of ...d5. White again has 5.Bd3, 5.Nge2, and 5.Nf3. The sequence 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Bd3 is the same as above. Other moves are 4...b6, 4...d5, and 4...Nc6. B: Why not 4.e3 Bxc3+? Diagram: Black to move * If Ng1-e2 is White's objective after 4.e3, why not play 4...Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 immediately? This is the position shown in the diagram. The first thing to notice is the weak Pawn on c4, which can't be protected by another Pawn. Black can attack it with ...b6 & ...Ba6, then ...Nc6 & ...Na5, perhaps followed by maneuvering the Queen to a4. The second thing to notice is that if Black can entice White to play d4-d5, Black will get a good square on c5 for a Knight. Experience has shown that the c4-Pawn is rarely lost. White can protect it as necessary with the Bishop, Knight, and Queen. During this maneuvering, White can also aim to play e3-e4. The Pawn on e4 supports an attack on Black's King castled Kingside, which has been abandoned by its pieces on the a-file (Ba6, Na5, Qa4) chasing the c4-Pawn. Black would prefer to play ...Bxc3+ only after White has provoked it with a2-a3. Note the difference between the diagram and the continuation 4...O-O 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3. Black has castled while White has played the inconsequential 5.a3. Black has effectively gained a tempo on the diagram. White in turn can avoid the doubled c-Pawns with 4...O-O 5.Nge2, which we'll look at below. If White waits longer to play a2-a3, as in 4...O-O 5.Bd3 d5 6.a3, Black can retreat 6...Be7 or 6...dxc4 7.Bxc4 Bd6, keeping the dark squared Bishop. C: 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.O-O Nc6 Diagram: White to move * The diagram shows the position after 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.O-O Nc6. This is one of the positions most frequently seen in the Nimzo Indian. Play normally continues 8.a3 Bxc3 (8...Ba5 is also possible) 9.bxc3. Black has several main lines. 9...dxc4 10.Bxc4 Qc7 White has the Bishop pair and plays to open lines with e3-e4-e5, driving off the Knight. Black has good counterplay in the center and plays to prevent White's e3-e4. Some possible continuations are 11.Bd3 e5 12.Qc2, 11.Re1 intending 12.e4, and 11.Bb2 e5. 9...Qc7 prevents Ne5. White can continue 10.cxd5, 10.Bb2, or 10.Qc2. 9...b6 leads to a cramped game, but hinders e3-e4. D: 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.O-O Diagram: Black to move * After 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.O-O, as shown in the diagram, Black has moves other than 7...Nc6. 7...dxc4 8.Bxc4, when the continuations 8...Nbd7 (9.Qe2 b6 or 9...a6; 9.a3 cxd4 or 9...Ba5), 8...Nc6, 8...b6, and 8...cxd4 9.exd4 are all playable 7...cxd4 8.exd4, giving White an isolated d-Pawn. 7...Nbd7, when White can try 8.a3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 (9.axb4 cxb4), 8.cxd5, or 8.Qe2. E: 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 c5 Diagram: White to move * After 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3, an alternative to 5...d5 is 5...c5, shown in the diagram. The first thing to notice is that the Pawn on c5 blocks any retreat of the Bishop to e7. The second is that after 6.Nf3, the move 6...d5 transposes into the variation we just saw. After 6.Nf3, Black can instead play 6...Nc6, when a future ...d6 leads to a closed center, or 6...b6. Both moves lead to new struggles over e4. White can also try 6.Nge2 or 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3, intending 8.e4. This is stopped by 7...Nc6, but not by 7...b6 8.e4. F: 4.e3 O-O 5.Nge2 Diagram: Black to move * The purest form of the Rubinstein Variation is probably the line 4.e3 O-O 5.Nge2, as shown in the diagram. Rubinstein played this variation in several games. If 5...d5 6.a3, Black is not forced to take the Knight on c3. Better is 6...Be7, when White usually continues 7.cxd5. Now 7...Nxd5 followed by 8.Qc2, 8.g3, or 8.Bd2 is playable, but Black more often plays 7...exd5. Here White can play to fianchetto the Bishop after 8.g3, or unblock it by 8.Ng3 or 8.Nf4. G: 4.e3 c5 5.Bd3 (with ...d6) Diagram: Black to move * The diagram shows the board after 4.e3 c5 5.Bd3. Once again, this line only has independent significance if Black plays ...d6 instead of ...d5; for example, 5...d5 6.Nf3 O-O leads to the main line that we've already seen. If Black plays 5...O-O immediately, it transposes into variations that start 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 c5. If instead 5...Nc6, White can try 6.Nf3. This allows 6...Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 d6. Black blockades the White center with Pawns on the dark squares, which no longer hinder the dark squared Bishop. Continuations like 6...d5 or 6...O-O would lead back to known paths after 7.O-O. White can also play 6.Nge2. Less sound is 5...b6, which Kasparov condemns as 'a mixture of two different plans'. White can play 6.Nge2 or 6.Nf3 Bb7 7.O-O O-O 8.Na4. H: 4.e3 c5 5.Nge2 Diagram: Black to move * The diagram shows the position after 4.e3 c5 5.Nge2. White could have also continued 5.a3, allowing 5...Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 b6, but 5.Nge2, following Rubinstein's main idea, is stronger. Now the Bishop's retreat is blocked after both 5...b6 6.a3 and 5...d5 6.a3. If, in that second line, Black tries 6...cxd4, White has 7.axb4 dxc3 8.Nxc3. Black's best is 5...cxd4 6.exd4. There are still problems to solve after 6...d5 7.c5 or 6...O-O 7.a3 Be7 8.Nf4. I: 4.e3 b6 Diagram: White to move * The position in the diagram, which occurs after 4.e3 b6, is sometimes called the Bronstein Variation. Black waits to commit the c- and d-Pawns, while creating the option of playing the Bc8 to either a6 or b7. White can play Rubinstein's move with 5.Nge2, answering 5...Ba6 with either 6.a3 Be7 (6...Bxc3+ 7.Nxc3 d5 8.b3), or 6.Ng3. After 6.Ng3, Black can't stop e3-e4 by 6...d5 because of 7.Qa4+. Another move for Black is 5...Bb7 6.a3 or even 5...Ne4, which can be met with 6.Qc2 or 6.Bd2. Other tries for White are 5.Bd3, when Black has 5...Bb7, 5...c5, or 5...O-O; 5.Nf3, with 5...Bb7, 5...O-O, or 5...Ne4; and 5.a3 intending 5...Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Bb7 7.f3 and 8.e4. J: 4.e3 (with 4...d5 or 4...Nc6) Diagram: Black to move * We've already seen three possibilities after 4.e3 : 4...O-O, 4...c5, and 4...b6. There are two other moves worth mentioning . The first move is 4...d5. Now 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Bd3 transposes to a position we've seen, where 6...c5 is the same position that has cropped up again and again. After 5.a3, Black can continue 5...Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5, hindering White's plan to play f2-f3 and e3-e4. Alternatively, Black has 5...Be7. Now 6.Nf3 gives a position similar to the Queen's Gambit Declined, with the additional move a3 for White. In fact, the extra tempo has little importance, while White has shut in the Bc1. The second move is 4...Nc6. White has the usual replies 5.Bd3, 5.Nge2, and 5.Nf3, while Black has made it more difficult to advance the c-Pawn.