Queen's Indian Defense: Buerger Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
730 games: White 60.8% / Draw 4.8% / Black 34.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 402402 | ||
| 110110 | ||
| 7070 | ||
| 5454 | ||
| 3636 | ||
| 1919 | ||
| 1717 | ||
| 99 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.35 White is slightly better
Best play: 7... h6 8. Nh3 g6 9. cxd5 Bg7 10. O-O d6 11. e4 O-O 12. Na3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Queen's Indian Defense: Buerger Variation (ECO E15, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Sämisch Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 c5 6. d5 exd5 7. Ng5 (7 moves).
In 730 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 60.8%, Black 34.4% and 4.8% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…h6, in 55% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Queen's Indian Defense: Buerger Variation
The most played answer, 7…h6, also scores best for Black: 37.6%, with Black winning 35.6% and White 60.4% of 402 games. Of the main answers, 7…Ne4 scores lowest: 34.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7…h6.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Indian Defense: Buerger Variation (E15)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-indian-defense-buerger-variation