Against the Nimzo-Indian and Queen's Indian: free opening course
A repertoire for White against the Nimzo-Indian and the Queen's Indian. Against the Nimzo you play the Classical Variation with the queen on c2, and the Rubinstein with e3 as a second weapon. Against the Queen's Indian you learn the fianchetto with b3 and the Petrosian with a3.
Key ideas
- In the Nimzo the queen on c2 guards c3. White can take back with the queen and keep a healthy pawn structure.
- Ask the b4 bishop with the a-pawn. If Black takes on c3, White keeps the bishop pair.
- Fight for e4. A pawn on f3 or e4 takes the best square away from Black's knight and bishop.
- Against the Queen's Indian, meet the bishop on a6 with b3. Then put your own bishop on g2.
- With the a-pawn on a3, the b4 check is gone. Then White builds a big centre with e4.
The 6 variations in the course
- 4.Qc2 O-O 5.a3: the main line with 6...b6: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 b6 … — Black castles and gives the bishop for the knight. White takes back with the queen and keeps the bishop pair. Then White pins with the bishop on g5 and fights for e4 with the f-pawn.
- 4.Qc2 d5: the Noa Variation: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 h6 … — Black hits the centre at once. White takes on d5 and pins the knight. After the trades White has healthy pawns and plays on the queenside.
- 4.Qc2 c5: the Berlin Variation: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 c5 5. dxc5 O-O 6. a3 Bxc5 … — Black hits d4 with the c-pawn. White takes on c5 and asks the bishop. White puts the bishop on f4 and the rook on d1, and Black's d-pawn has a hard time.
- 4.e3: the Rubinstein Variation: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. Nf3 c5 … — White develops calmly with e3, the bishop on d3 and the knight on f3. After the trades in the centre White gets an isolated d-pawn with active pieces.
- Queen's Indian: 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Be7 … — Black's bishop goes to a6 to attack c4. White guards it with b3, puts the bishop on g2 and trades knights on d7. Then White grabs the centre with e4.
- Queen's Indian: 4.a3, the Petrosian: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Bb7 5. Nc3 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 … — With a3 White stops the bishop check. After the trades on d5 and c3 White builds a big centre with pawns on c3, d4 and e4. The bishop on d3 aims at h7.
Traps you will learn (2)
- Greedy queen: 7...Qxd4? — In the 4...d5 line Black's bishop on b4 is attacked by the c3 pawn. Grabbing the d4 pawn with the queen fails. White checks on a4, takes the bishop, and the queen on d4 is lost.
- Watch out: 8.f3? Qh4+ — After 6...Ne4 7.Qc2 f5, chasing the knight with the f-pawn is a big mistake. The queen checks on h4, the knight takes on g3, and the h1 rook is lost.
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 Against the Nimzo-Indian and Queen's Indian course free?
Yes. The Against the Nimzo-Indian and Queen's Indian 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 Against the Nimzo-Indian and Queen's Indian course for?
It is a course at advanced level for White, written for players rated around 1850.
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.