English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Queen's Indian Formation 3. Nf3 b6
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Statistics from Lichess
96,695 games: White 50.0% / Draw 6.1% / Black 43.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 42,75743K | ||
| Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation | 21,39121K | |
| 16,28416K | ||
| 8,7918,791 | ||
| 3,5593,559 | ||
| 1,8321,832 | ||
| 1,3281,328 | ||
| 453453 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 26, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.25 The position is about equal
Best play: 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 c5 6. O-O Be7 7. d4 cxd4 8. Qxd4 O-O
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Queen's Indian Formation (ECO A17, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening: Agincourt Defense, reached after 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 b6 (3 moves).
In 96,695 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.0%, Black 43.8% and 6.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. g3, in 44% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Queen's Indian Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 3…b6
4. e4 scores best for White: 56.8%, with White winning 54.0% and Black 40.3% of 16K games. The most played, 4. g3, scores 53.7% in 43K games, and 4. e3 scores lowest: 50.1%. Stockfish's first choice is 4. g3.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Variations (1)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Queen's Indian Formation (A17)”. Lichess data as of 26 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-anglo-indian-defense-queens-indian-formation-2