Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Quiet Line
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Statistics from Lichess
96,540 games: White 44.9% / Draw 8.7% / Black 46.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation | 66,65367K | |
| 10,09410K | ||
| 7,3927,392 | ||
| 6,0756,075 | ||
| 2,6202,620 | ||
| 1,6181,618 | ||
| 1,5101,510 | ||
| 248248 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.25 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... d5 6. Bg2 Bb4+ 7. Nbd2 O-O 8. O-O Nbd7 9. Bb2 Rc8 10. Rc1
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Quiet Line (ECO E15, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 (5 moves).
In 96,540 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 44.9%, Black 46.4% and 8.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…Bb4+, in 69% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation. In all, 3 named lines continue from it.
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: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Quiet Line
The most played answer, 5…Bb4+ (Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation), also scores best for Black: 51.3%, with Black winning 46.8% and White 44.2% of 67K games. Of the main answers, 5…Bb7 scores lowest: 48.7%. Stockfish's first choice is 5…d5.
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
Variations (1)
All 3 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Quiet Line (E15)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-indian-defense-fianchetto-variation-nimzowitsch-variation-quiet-line