Old Indian Defense: Normal Variation is a chess opening with the ECO code A55, part of the Old Indian Defense family. It goes 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nc3 Nbd7 4. e4 e5 5. Nf3. White opens with 1. d4 (the queen's pawn) and Black answers 1... Nf6. After 9 moves it is Black to move. The lesson on the board explains every move of the line and lets you play it yourself; it is free.
The moves
1. d4 – White plays the pawn to d4
1... Nf6 – Black plays the knight to f6
2. c4 – White plays the pawn to c4
2... d6 – Black plays the pawn to d6
3. Nc3 – White plays the knight to c3
3... Nbd7 – Black plays the knight to d7
4. e4 – White plays the pawn to e4
4... e5 – Black plays the pawn to e5
5. Nf3 – White plays the knight to f3
About the Old Indian Defense
Black plays ...d6, ...Nf6 and ...e5 against 1.d4, with the bishop on e7 instead of g7. It is solid but gives White more space.
Black builds with ...Nbd7, ...e5, ...Be7 and ...c6.
The e5 pawn is the key point; Black keeps it strong.
White usually gains space with e4 and d5, then attacks on the queenside.
chessGM