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Nimzo-Indian Defense

The bishop on b4 trades itself for the c3 knight and saddles White with doubled pawns

5 Chapters · 21 exercises

Origin

It arises after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 and bears the name of Aron Nimzowitsch, who developed and championed it in the 1920s as a banner of the hypermodern school. Instead of occupying the centre with pawns, Black attacks it with pieces and with the pin of the bishop on b4. It has since been played by virtually every world champion, from Capablanca and Botvinnik to Karpov, Kasparov and Carlsen.

Why it works

The pin on b4 immediately stops e2-e4, the natural plan for White after 1.d4 and 2.c4. If White forces the exchange on c3, they end up with doubled pawns on the c-file, and Black plays against that weakness with ...c5, ...b6, ...Ba6 and a light-square blockade. If White avoids the doubled pawns with 4.Qc2 or 4.Nf3, they pay in time or in development, and Black gets in ...d5 or ...c5 on good terms. It is an opening of clear structures: whoever understands the bishop-for-knight trade and the trade-off between the bishop pair and a sound pawn structure can play it well without memorising dozens of lines.

In its favour

  • +It stops e2-e4 at once and denies White the big pawn centre.
  • +The theme is structural — doubled pawns on c3 versus the bishop pair — and is learned by understanding, not memorisation.
  • +It meshes with the Queen's Indian and the Ragozin, since 2...e6 covers several White tries.
  • +It has held a rock-solid top-level reputation for a century, with no refuted lines.

The price

  • −Giving up the dark-squared bishop leaves lasting holes if Black fails to close or blockade the centre.
  • −After 3.Nf3 White simply sidesteps the Nimzo, so you need a second repertoire (Queen's Indian, Bogo or Queen's Gambit).
  • −The Sämisch (4.a3) and 4.f3 hand White the centre and the bishop pair: sharp positions where one inaccuracy is expensive.
  • −White's fourth-move choices are many — Qc2, e3, Nf3, a3, Bg5, f3, Qb3, Bd2 — and each demands its own plan.

Chapters

  1. 1The Pin on b4 and the Hypermodern IdeaHere you see 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 and learn why the bishop goes to b4: to pin the c3 knight and forbid e2-e4. You also meet the minor tries 4.Bd2 and 4.Qb3, where White defends the knight without weakening anything, and how Black gains time against them.0/4
  2. 2Rubinstein: 4.e3, the Main Line4.e3 is the most-played move: quiet development, committing to nothing. You learn Black's two basic schemes — ...d5 with ...c5 against the bishop on d3, and the ...b6/...Bb7 setup controlling e4 — plus the Taimanov line with ...Nc6.0/4
  3. 3Classical 4.Qc2: Avoiding the Doubled PawnsWith 4.Qc2 White guards the knight with the queen and can recapture on c3 without doubling pawns — the price is time and slow kingside development. You work through Black's three main reactions: ...d5, ...c5 and ...Nc6.0/4
  4. 44.Nf3 and 4.Bg5: Transpositions and Pressure4.Nf3 is flexible and can transpose to the Ragozin when Black plays ...d5; 4.Bg5 (Leningrad) pins the f6 knight and seeks sharp play. The chapter also covers the Kmoch, so you recognise move-order deviations.0/4
  5. 5Sämisch, 4.f3 and the Hübner BlockadeThe most demanding material: 4.a3 forces the exchange on c3 and White accepts doubled pawns for the bishop pair and the centre; 4.f3 prepares e2-e4 outright. You see the ...d5 and ...b6 replies, and finish with the Hübner system, where Black locks the centre with ...c5 and ...d6 to suffocate the bishop pair.0/5
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