Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Andersson Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
23,045 games: White 46.9% / Draw 8.5% / Black 44.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 9,5969,596 | ||
| 9,0249,024 | ||
| 978978 | ||
| 863863 | ||
| 835835 | ||
| 623623 | ||
| 577577 | ||
| 368368 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.32 White is slightly better
Best play: 6. Nxe4 Bxe4 7. Nd2 Bb7 8. e4 g6 9. Bd3 Bg7 10. Nf3 O-O
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Andersson Variation (ECO E12, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Bb7 5. Nc3 Ne4 (5 moves).
In 23,045 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.9%, Black 44.6% and 8.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Nxe4, in 42% 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: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Andersson Variation
The most played answer, 6. Nxe4, also scores best for White: 53.8%, with White winning 48.9% and Black 41.3% of 9,596 games. Of the main answers, 6. Qc2 scores lowest: 50.0%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6. Nxe4.
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: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Andersson Variation (E12)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-indian-defense-kasparov-petrosian-variation-andersson-variation