Caissa Codex
E12

Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Hedgehog Variation

Chess diagram: Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Hedgehog Variation after 5…g6

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Statistics from Lichess

10,575 games: White 47.4% / Draw 6.8% / Black 45.7%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
2,8922,892
2,7032,703
2,3162,316
920920
689689
458458
186186
144144

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 26, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.55 White is slightly better

Best play: 6. Qc2 c5 7. e4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nc6 9. Nxc6 Bxc6 10. Bg5 h6

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, Hedgehog 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 g6 (5 moves).

In 10,575 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.4%, Black 45.7% and 6.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Bg5, in 27% of those games.

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How to play against the Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Hedgehog Variation

6. Qc2 scores best for White: 53.3%, with White winning 49.4% and Black 42.9% of 2,316 games. The most played, 6. Bg5, scores 49.3% in 2,892 games, and 6. e3 scores lowest: 45.1%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6. Qc2.

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

Other lines from the same position

Instead of 5…g6, the position after Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation also goes on to:

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Hedgehog Variation (E12)”. Lichess data as of 26 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-indian-defense-kasparov-petrosian-variation-hedgehog-variation

https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-indian-defense-kasparov-petrosian-variation-hedgehog-variation