Indian Defense: Anti-Nimzo-Indian
The Anti-Nimzo-Indian is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3, where White develops the king's knight and sidesteps the ...Bb4 pin that Nc3 would allow. Black now picks a system: ...d5 for a Queen's Gambit Declined, ...b6 for a Queen's Indian, or ...Bb4+ for a Bogo-Indian.
- Moves
- 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3
- ECO
- E10
- Engine
- +0.17 · level (Stockfish 17.1, depth 20)
- Played
- 2,246 games in our lichess sample
- White scores
- 52.6%
Key ideas for both sides
White
- After ...d5, Nc3, Bf4 and e3 give a solid Queen's Gambit setup, and c5 can grab queenside space later.
- Against ...b6, fianchetto with g3 and Bg2 to contest Black's light-squared bishop on the long diagonal.
- Meet ...Bb4+ with Bd2 and keep the question of the bishop pair for later.
Black
- 3...d5 is the engine's top choice, heading for the Queen's Gambit Declined with ...Be7 and ...O-O.
- 3...b6 aims ...Bb7 at e4; with ...Bb4+ and ...a5, Black can annoy a bishop that lands on d2.
- ...c5 leads to a Benoni, a sharper choice where Black accepts less space for queenside play.
Plans and pawn structure
Each Black choice sets a different structure. In Queen's Gambit lines, White aims for Bf4, e3 and sometimes c5 to gain queenside space, and Black answers with ...Nbd7 and a ...c5 or ...e5 break. In Queen's Indian lines, the fight is over e4 and the long diagonal, with g3 and Bg2 facing ...Bb7. Against a Benoni, White gets central space with d5 and Black plays on the queenside with ...a6 and ...b5.
What the engine plays from here
Stockfish 17.1 at depth 20 rates the position +0.17: level. Its three top choices for Black:
- +0.17 3...d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 O-O 6.e3
- +0.20 3...Be7 4.Bf4 O-O 5.Nc3 d5 6.e3
- +0.31 3...b6 4.g3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 a5 6.Bg2
Pawns, from White's side.
How it scores on lichess
2,246 rated lichess games reached this position; White scored 52.6%.
Light: White wins. Grey: draws. Dark: Black wins. About the sample.
Where it goes next
- Three Knights Variation3...d5 · 3,642 games
- Queen's Indian Defense3...b6 · 2,822 games
- Bogo-Indian Defense3...Bb4+ · 1,459 games
- Classical Variation3...c5 · 585 games
- Dzindzi-Indian Defense3...a6 · rare
- Döry Indian3...Ne4 · rare
- Queen's Indian Defense, with e33...Bb4+ · rare
- Monticelli Trap3...b6 · rare
- Orthodox Defense, Classical Variation3...d5 · rare
- Classical Variation, Czerniak Defense3...c5 · rare
How to play against it
As Black, choose the system you know best. 3...d5 is solid, and ...Be7 with ...O-O first keeps options open against Bf4. 3...b6 is good if you like light-square play. Avoid sidelines like ...Ne4 and ...a6, which spend time without fighting for the center.
Questions
What are the moves of the Indian Defense: Anti-Nimzo-Indian?
The Indian Defense: Anti-Nimzo-Indian starts 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3. Its ECO code is E10.
Is the Indian Defense: Anti-Nimzo-Indian good for White?
Stockfish 17.1 rates the position +0.17 at depth 20, which is level. In 2,246 lichess games from our sample, White scored 52.6%. A practical crossroads for both sides; it suits players who know at least one of the Queen's Gambit, Queen's Indian or Bogo-Indian well.
What is the main idea of the Indian Defense: Anti-Nimzo-Indian?
White avoids the Nimzo-Indian by playing Nf3 instead of Nc3. Black then chooses a structure: ...d5 for a Queen's Gambit Declined, ...b6 for a Queen's Indian or ...Bb4+ for a Bogo-Indian.
What should Black play next?
The engine's first choice is d5, with Be7 and b6 close behind. 3...d5 heads for a Queen's Gambit Declined, where ...Be7 and ...O-O give Black a sturdy, well-known setup.
Related lines
- Indian Defense (1.d4 Nf6 sidelines)
- Wade-Tartakower Defense
- Normal Variation
- Knights Variation
- Spielmann-Indian
- West Indian Defense
Updated October 2026. Sources and method.