This opening is defined by the position shown on the board below. The moves displayed are a typical sequence that leads to it, but different sequences can reach the same position and still carry the same opening name.
Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation
Moves: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6
This variation of the Queen's Indian Defense is characterized by Black's early ...Ba6 move, targeting White's critical c4 pawn and aiming to exchange off White's dark-squared bishop. By fianchettoing the bishop to a6, Black puts immediate pressure on White's queenside and seeks to challenge White's control of the center indirectly.
From Black's perspective, this line is more dynamic and somewhat aggressive compared to the traditional, more positional Queen's Indian setups. Black seeks active counterplay on the queenside and tries to undermine White's central presence. White, on the other hand, maintains a solid but flexible setup aiming to complete development and secure central space.
Regarding central control, while White occupies the center with pawns on d4 and c4, Black does not directly contest the center with pawns early on but applies pressure on White's center and queenside from the flanks. Therefore, this opening is a mix of indirect center contestation by Black and solid central occupation by White.
Practice puzzles and train your tactics with real positions from games that used the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, and sharpen your opening mastery.
Puzzle 1 of 3 - Move #8 black
You can also discover how top players used Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation to leverage key strategies to secure victories in these classic matchups.