Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Sämisch Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
94,908 games: White 51.3% / Draw 6.5% / Black 42.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 46,94947K | ||
| 24,66125K | ||
| 12,18212K | ||
| 5,3095,309 | ||
| 3,9873,987 | ||
| 865865 | ||
| 273273 | ||
| 145145 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.77 White is better
Best play: 6. d5 exd5 7. cxd5 Bxd5 8. Nc3 Bb7 9. e4 d6 10. O-O Be7
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, Sämisch Variation (ECO E15, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Traditional Line, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 c5 (5 moves).
In 94,908 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.3%, Black 42.1% and 6.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. O-O, in 49% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Rubinstein Variation and Queen's Indian Defense: Buerger Variation.
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How to play against the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Sämisch Variation
6. d5 scores best for White: 58.9%, with White winning 56.4% and Black 38.6% of 25K games. The most played, 6. O-O, scores 53.8% in 47K games, and 6. e3 scores lowest: 51.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6. d5.
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 (2)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Sämisch Variation (E15)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-indian-defense-fianchetto-variation-samisch-variation