Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Tiviakov Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
8,002 games: White 47.9% / Draw 7.3% / Black 44.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 2,5652,565 | ||
| 1,4541,454 | ||
| 1,2461,246 | ||
| 879879 | ||
| 622622 | ||
| 379379 | ||
| 318318 | ||
| 123123 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.49 White is slightly better
Best play: 8. Ne5 d5 9. Bf4 c5 10. Rc1 h6 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Re1 Bd6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Tiviakov Defense (ECO E18, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Nc3 Na6 (7 moves).
In 8,002 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.9%, Black 44.7% and 7.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. a3, in 32% 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: Classical Variation, Tiviakov Defense
8. Re1 scores best for White: 52.7%, with White winning 48.8% and Black 43.4% of 1,454 games. The most played answer, 8. a3, scores lowest: 49.9% in 2,565 games. Stockfish's first choice is 8. Ne5.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Tiviakov Defense (E18)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-indian-defense-classical-variation-tiviakov-defense