Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Modern Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
35,035 games: White 47.3% / Draw 8.2% / Black 44.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Kasparov Attack | 15,10315K | |
| Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Petrosian Attack | 9,2049,204 | |
| Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Polovodin Gambit | 2,1122,112 | |
| 2,0942,094 | ||
| Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Romanishin Attack | 2,0452,045 | |
| 1,9971,997 | ||
| 1,6541,654 | ||
| Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Rashkovsky Attack | 352352 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.18 The position is about equal
Best play: 7. e3 Nxc3 8. bxc3 Be7 9. Bd3 c5 10. O-O O-O 11. e4 Nc6
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, Modern Variation (ECO E12, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Main Line, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Bb7 5. Nc3 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 (6 moves).
In 35,035 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.3%, Black 44.5% and 8.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. Qc2, in 43% of those games.
It branches into 4 named variations; the most played are Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Kasparov Attack and Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Petrosian Attack.
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How to play against the Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Modern Variation
7. Bd2 (Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Romanishin Attack) scores best for White: 53.1%, with White winning 48.8% and Black 42.6% of 2,045 games. The most played, 7. Qc2, scores 52.4% in 15K games, and 7. Bg5 scores lowest: 45.5%. Stockfish's first choice is 7. e3.
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 (4)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Modern Variation (E12)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-indian-defense-kasparov-petrosian-variation-modern-variation