Openings · E20–E59

Nimzo-Indian Defence

Pin the knight and fight for e4 with pieces: the most respected answer to 1.d4 there has ever been.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4played as Black

The idea

The bishop on b4 stops Nc3 from supporting e4, which is the one square the whole opening is about. Black is usually happy to trade it for the knight — giving White doubled c-pawns in exchange for the two bishops — and then play against those pawns for the rest of the game.

That is the bargain, and it only pays if Black keeps the position closed enough that bishops cannot run: blockade c4, put a knight on a5 or e4, and play …b6 and …Ba6 to hit the weak pawn. Open the position instead and White's bishop pair decides the game.

Practise the line

You play Black; the other side answers on its own. Nothing here is saved or graded.

Your move 1 of 30/3

1.d4Nf6
2.c4e6
3.Nc3Bb4

White is answering…

Common mistakes

Three that come up again and again below master level. Each is ordinary opening theory — a named trap, or the error every coach corrects — not a statistic, and not drawn from anybody's games.

Trading on c3 before being asked

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3

The mistake: Playing …Bxc3+ without waiting for a3, and without a blockade in place.
Why it costs: White gets the two bishops for nothing and has not spent a move on a3. The doubled pawns are a weakness only if Black can attack them; traded off this early, they are simply a strong centre with c3 supporting d4.
Instead: Wait for a3, so the trade costs White a tempo — or keep the tension with …O-O, …d5 and …c5 and trade when the structure suits you.

Opening the position for the bishops

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.e3

The mistake: Meeting the Sämisch with …d5 and a symmetrical structure after the exchange on c3.
Why it costs: Every trade in the centre helps the side with two bishops. White plays f3 and e4 in due course, the position opens, and the doubled pawn on c3 stops being a weakness the moment there are open diagonals to compensate for it.
Instead: …c5 first, hitting d4 and keeping the position closed — the Hübner set-up with …d6, …Nc6 and …e5 blockades the pawns instead of freeing the bishops.

Provoking on the kingside

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bg5 h6 5.Bh4 g5 6.Bg3 Ne4 7.Qc2

The mistake: Chasing the bishop with …h6 and …g5 to win the pin, at the cost of the king's cover.
Why it costs: The pawns on g5 and h6 do not come back. White answers Qc2 and e3 with a target to aim at for the rest of the game, and every Black piece is now tied to defending squares that were safe two moves ago.
Instead: …c5 or …h6 and …Bxc3+, keeping the kingside intact. In the Nimzo the play is on the queenside and in the centre; the bishop on g5 is a nuisance, not a threat.

Try it on one of your own

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