After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 Black pins the c3-knight and fights for e4 with pieces instead of pawns. Black is often willing to give the bishop for the knight to double White's c-pawns, then attacks the weak c4-pawn and keeps the position closed for the knights. This is a advanced opening course for Black (ECO E20-E59) with 6 variations and 2 traps, written for players rated around 1800. Each move is explained and then drilled on a board; it is free.
Key ideas of Nimzo-Indian Defence
Control e4: the pin on c3 plus ...Nf6, ...b6/...Bb7 and sometimes ...Ne4 stop White from playing e4 comfortably.
Trade on c3 when it doubles White's pawns, then target the weak c4-pawn with ...b6, ...Ba6, ...Nc6-a5 and ...Rc8.
Against the bishop pair, keep the centre closed with pawns on dark squares (...d6, ...e5, ...c5) so White's bishops have no open diagonals.
Strike back in the centre with ...c5 and ...d5 at the right moment; Black's lead in development makes these breaks strong.
Watch White's queen on c2 or c3: ...Ne4, ...Qa5+ and ...Bf5 often hit it with tempo.
Castle early: Black's king is safe on g8 long before White finishes development, so central breaks come with tempo.
Variations you learn
Rubinstein 4.e3: Main line with ...O-O, ...d5, ...c5 – 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 …. Against White's solid 4.e3 Black castles, strikes with ...d5 and ...c5 and takes on c3 once White plays a3. After ...dxc4 and ...Qc7 Black prepares ...e5 to free the light-squared bishop and challenge White's centre.
Classical 4.Qc2: ...O-O, ...Bxc3+ and ...b6 – 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ …. White avoids doubled pawns by recapturing on c3 with the queen. Black fianchettoes the queen's bishop, then breaks with ...d5; in the main line Black even trades queens with a neat ...Nxc3 trick.
Classical 4.Qc2 d5: The Noa variation – 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. a3 Bxc3+ …. Black answers 4.Qc2 by fighting for e4 with ...d5 and ...Ne4. After ...c5 and ...Nc6 Black gets rapid development and harasses White's queen; White must play carefully because ...Qh4+ and ...Bf5 tricks are everywhere.
Sämisch 4.a3: ...c5, ...Nc6 and ...b6/...Ba6 – 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. a3 Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 c5 …. White takes the bishop pair at once but accepts doubled c-pawns. Black blocks the centre with ...c5, piles up on the weak c4-pawn with ...b6, ...Ba6 and ...Na5, and prepares ...f5 if White pushes e4 and f4.
Leningrad 4.Bg5: ...h6, ...c5 and ...d6 – 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bg5 h6 5. Bh4 c5 …. White pins the f6-knight and answers ...c5 with d5. Black opens the e-file with ...exd5, builds a solid ...d6 structure and uses the e5-square for a knight.
Kmoch/Gheorghiu 4.f3: ...d5 and ...Qa5 – 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. f3 d5 5. a3 Bxc3+ …. White prepares e4 with f3, Sämisch-style. Black strikes at once with ...d5 and ...c5, and the queen jumps to a5 to hit the weak c3- and c5-pawns while White's kingside is undeveloped.
Traps
Noa Variation: the hanging knight on d4 – In the 4.Qc2 d5 line, Black's bishop on f5 hits White's queen on c2. White's natural-looking 11.Nd4, attacking f5 and c6, simply loses a piece to 11...Nxd4.
Zurich Variation: grabbing on e5 – In the 4.Qc2 Nc6 line Black supports e5 with both the knight and the queen. If White grabs the pawn with Nxe5, the knights trade and Black wins a whole piece because e5 had two defenders.
The line trainer
The line trainer for Nimzo-Indian Defence has 50 lines that grow out of 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4, learned a few new ones a day with spaced-repetition review.
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