Tree path 5 levels Nimzo-Indian Defense › Rubinstein System › Nimzo-Indian Defense: Rubinstein System › Rubinstein Variation › Main Line
- Caissa Codex
- Nimzo-Indian Defense E20
- Rubinstein System E40
- Nimzo-Indian Defense: Rubinstein System E41
- Rubinstein Variation E42
- Main Line E42 you are here
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Rubinstein System, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line
Overview
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Rubinstein System, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line is a variation within the Indian Defenses family, indexed as ECO E42.
The Indian Defenses group covers Indian defences — hypermodern lines where Black challenges the centre with pieces rather than pawns.
Play reaches this position via 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 c5 5. Ne2 cxd4 6. exd4 O-O 7. a3, after 13 plies of opening development.
It is a variation of Nimzo-Indian Defense: Rubinstein System, Rubinstein Variation, which itself descends from the root opening Nimzo-Indian Defense.
Step through the moves on the interactive board below, review the live Lichess statistics, or play this position against Stockfish at one of six difficulty levels.
- ECO code
- E42
- Group
- Indian Defenses (E)
- Plies
- 13
This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.
Statistics from Lichess
13,324 games · White 47.1% / Draw 7.5% / Black 45.3%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Be7 | 10,725 | |
| Bxc3+ | 1,951 | |
| Ba5 | 566 | |
| Qa5 | 35 | |
| Bd6 | 26 | |
| d5 | 16 | |
| h6 | 4 | |
| Bc5 | 1 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 02:53:43
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