Bogo-Indian Defence: free opening course
After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Black gives the check 3...Bb4+. It is a quick, solid way to develop and castle. You learn the main answers to 4.Bd2: 4...Qe7, 4...a5 and the simple trade 4...Bxd2+. You also meet 4.Nbd2. If White plays 4.Nc3, the game becomes a Nimzo-Indian. Two traps show the mistakes Black must avoid.
Key ideas
- The check on b4 develops a piece with tempo and gets Black ready to castle fast.
- After 4.Bd2, either keep the bishop with ...Qe7 or ...a5, or trade it with ...Bxd2+.
- Build the centre with ...d6 and ...e5, or with ...d5. Pick one plan and stick to it.
- If your bishop stays on b4, make sure it has a way back. A white pawn on a3 can trap it.
- When the dark-squared bishops are gone, watch the g7 square. White's queen likes to aim at it.
The 6 variations in the course
- 4.Bd2 Qe7 5.g3 Nc6: main line: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Qe7 5. g3 Nc6 6. Nc3 Bxc3 … — Black keeps the bishop with 4...Qe7 and develops the knight to c6. After 6.Nc3 Black gives the bishop for the knight and jumps to e4. Black then plays ...d6 and ...e5 for a solid, balanced centre.
- 4.Bd2 Qe7 5.Nc3: the knight line: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Qe7 5. Nc3 Bxc3 6. Bxc3 Ne4 … — White develops the knight to c3 and invites Black to take it. Black trades on c3 and then on c3 again with the knight. With ...d6, ...Nd7 and ...e5 Black builds a sound centre.
- 4.Bd2 a5: the Wade-Smyslov line: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 a5 5. g3 O-O 6. Bg2 d6 … — Black keeps the bishop on b4 with 4...a5. If White takes it, the a-pawn recaptures and the a-rook wakes up. After ...d6 the bishop has no way back, so Black trades it on d2 before playing ...Nbd7.
- 4.Bd2 Bxd2+: the exchange line: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Bxd2+ 5. Qxd2 O-O 6. Nc3 d5 … — The simplest choice. Black trades bishops, castles and puts a pawn on d5. Later Black frees the game with ...dxc4 and ...c5 and reaches an equal position.
- 4.Nbd2 O-O 5.a3 Be7: the bishop retreat: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Nbd2 O-O 5. a3 Be7 6. e4 d6 … — White blocks with the knight and chases the bishop with a3. Black drops the bishop back to e7 and meets White's big centre with ...d6 and ...e5. After the trade on d4 Black gets free play.
- 4.Nbd2 b6: the fianchetto answer: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Nbd2 b6 5. a3 Bxd2+ 6. Bxd2 Bb7 … — Black answers 4.Nbd2 with a queenside fianchetto. After 5.a3 Black trades on d2 and puts the bishop on b7. Black castles, plays ...d6 and puts a knight on e4.
Traps you will learn (2)
- 4...a5: the trapped bishop — In the 4...a5 line with ...d6, the b4 bishop has no way back. If Black plays 7...Nbd7, White retreats to c1 and then traps the bishop with c5 and a3.
- 4...Qe7 5.Nc3: the 9.d5 trick — After the trades on c3, White's queen aims at g7. If Black plays 8...Nc6, the push 9.d5 chases the knight away, and the queen grabs g7 and h7.
How the opening courses work
Each course teaches an opening in a few main variations. For every move you read why it is played, which other moves are good, and which tempting moves are mistakes and why. Each course also shows the traps of the opening: the ones you can set and the ones to avoid.
After a lesson you play the moves yourself in a drill. The lines you learn go into your review, which brings them back when you are about to forget them (spaced repetition). 30 line courses add many short lines per opening, a few new ones a day, and every named opening, more than 3,800 lines, has a lesson of its own.
Questions and answers
Is the Bogo-Indian Defence course free?
Yes. The Bogo-Indian Defence course on chessGM is free, with all 6 variations, 2 traps, the drills and the review. There is no paid plan that unlocks more.
Who is the Bogo-Indian Defence course for?
It is a course at intermediate level for Black, written for players rated around 1550.
How do I practise this opening?
After each lesson, play the moves yourself in the drill. The lines you learn go into your review, which brings them back when you are about to forget them, and you can try the opening in games against the bots.