All Chess Positions Open the map

E20Opening

Nimzo-Indian Defense

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4

a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1

White to move

Legal moves
27
Games in the next 4 moves
831,371
Different positions among them
290,990
Named lines from here
103

See it on the mapOn the opening map

Named after Aron Nimzowitsch. Black pins the c3 knight to fight for e4; it is one of the most respected defences in chess.

It is reached after 6 moves: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4.

White is to move and has 27 legal moves. Over the next four moves — two for each side — the game can branch into 831,371 different games. Those games reach 290,990 different positions: most positions can be reached in more than one way, 2.9 on average.

The Lichess opening list names 103 further lines after this position, such as Rubinstein System (4. e3) and Classical Variation (4. Qc2).

The same moves can be played in 9 different legal orders that all reach this position. For example 1. c4 Nf6 2. d4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4, which starts as the English Opening.

Map of every game of the next four moves after the Nimzo-Indian Defense
Every game of the next four moves from this position, as the map draws it. Each ring is one more move; the outer ring holds all 831,371 games.

Move by move

  1. 1. d4Queen's Pawn Game
  2. 1... Nf6Indian Defense
  3. 2. c4Indian Defense: Normal Variation
  4. 2... e6—
  5. 3. Nc3—
  6. 3... Bb4Nimzo-Indian Defense

Named lines from here

Famous games through this position

Botvinnik's Bishop SacrificeBotvinnik – Capablanca, AVRO 1938, move 3Botvinnik beats former world champion Capablanca with a bishop sacrifice on move 30.

Related openings

FEN

rnbqk2r/pppp1ppp/4pn2/8/1bPP4/2N5/PP2PPPP/R1BQKBNR w KQkq - 2 4