Nimzo-Indian Defense

ECO E20-E59intermediate

The Nimzo-Indian, 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4, is the defense White players most want to avoid — the reason 3.Nf3 and the Catalan exist. The pin on the c3 knight fights for the e4 square without occupying it, and Black happily trades the bishop for doubled c-pawns that become lifelong targets. It combines complete soundness with real winning chances and teaches the deepest themes in chess: structure vs. bishop pair, blockade, and the fight for one central square.

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Main line

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Diagram shows the position after 6 half-moves of the main line. On SpeakChess you can drill this line move by move — the trainer plays the other side and corrects you instantly, then spaced repetition schedules each variation so you review it right before you would forget it.

Move by move

The first 12 moves of the main line, explained one at a time. Every move of every variation is annotated like this inside the trainer — this page shows the opening moves so you can judge the explanations before signing up.

White advances the pawn to d4, staking a strong claim in the center right from the start. This opens paths for the bishop and queen to join the game.
Black brings the knight to f6, a great central square. The knight eyes the d5 and e4 squares and puts pressure on White's pawn.
White pushes the pawn to c4, building a powerful two-pawn center with d4. Together these pawns control lots of important squares in the middle of the board.
Black steps the pawn to e6, giving the dark-squared bishop room to come out later. This solid pawn move also helps protect the center.
White brings the knight to c3, a strong central square where it supports the d4 and c4 pawns. The knight is well-placed to fight for the center.
Black develops the bishop all the way to b4, pinning the White knight on c3 against the king. This is the key idea of the Nimzo-Indian Defense!
Nudging the pawn to a3, you politely ask the black bishop on b4 to make a decision. It must either trade itself or step back, so this little pawn move puts a friendly question to your opponent right away.
Black captures the knight on c3 with the bishop, and the move delivers check to the White king! By giving up the bishop for the knight, Black doubles White's pawns.
White recaptures on c3 with the b-pawn, taking back the bishop. White now has doubled pawns on c3 and c4, but gains the bishop pair in return.
Black castles kingside, tucking the king safely behind the pawns and bringing the rook to f8 where it can become active later in the game.
White advances the pawn to e3, giving the dark-squared bishop room to come out. This steady move also helps hold the center pawns together.
Black strikes at the center with c5, challenging White's d4 pawn right away. This pawn push opens lines and fights for space in the middle.

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Win rates by rating

Results from real online games, measured after the line shown in each row. Most opening sites show one aggregate number — how an opening scores depends heavily on who is playing it.

Rating	Games	White wins	Draws	Black wins	Position after
400-600	69	47.8%	1.4%	50.7%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4
600-800	49	38.8%	0%	61.2%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3
800-1000	74	44.6%	1.4%	54.1%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 O-O 6.e3
1000-1200	25	52%	4%	44%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 O-O 6.e3
1200-1400	201	50.7%	1.5%	47.8%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 O-O 6.e3 c5
1400-1600	523	49.7%	2.3%	48%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 O-O 6.e3 c5
1600-1800	113	50.4%	6.2%	43.4%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 O-O 6.e3 c5
1800-2000	214	48.6%	1.4%	50%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 O-O 6.e3 c5
2000-2200	201	45.3%	4%	50.7%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 O-O 6.e3 c5
2200-2400	181	50.8%	6.6%	42.5%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 O-O 6.e3 c5

Most played continuations (1400-1600 rating)

After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 O-O 6.e3 c5:

Nf3 — played 51.6% of the time (White wins 50.4%, draws 1.1%, Black wins 48.5%)
Bd3 — played 32.1% of the time (White wins 49.4%, draws 4.2%, Black wins 46.4%)
d5 — played 5.4% of the time (White wins 42.9%, draws 3.6%, Black wins 53.6%)

Related openings

Frequently asked questions

Why is the Nimzo-Indian considered Black's best defense to 1.d4?

It scores better statistically than any other major defense and no White system achieves a stable edge against it. The strategic bargain — bishop pair for structure and control of e4 — creates balanced but unbalanced play where the better player wins, with none of the King's Indian's all-in risk.

What happens after White avoids the Nimzo with 3.Nf3?

Black chooses among the Queen's Indian (3...b6) keeping the same light-square strategy, the Bogo-Indian (3...Bb4+) insisting on the check, or transposing to QGD/Benoni structures. Most Nimzo players pair it with one of these as a complete repertoire against 1.d4.