Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
859,150 games: White 46.7% / Draw 5.9% / Black 47.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 491,261491K | ||
| 318,345318K | ||
| 25,37225K | ||
| 8,6218,621 | ||
| 7,0247,024 | ||
| 3,6113,611 | ||
| 1,2971,297 | ||
| 1,0021,002 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.10 The position is about equal
Best play: 4... Bb4 5. e3 O-O 6. Bd3 d5 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Ne5 c5 9. Bd2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 52% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up and 55% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 36K | |
| 1400–1799 | 236K | |
| 1800–2199 | 534K | |
| 2200 and up | 165K | |
| Masters, over the board | 6,692 |
Master games
- Kasparov, G. – Kramnik, V.
- Kasparov, G. – Kramnik, V.
- Kasparov, G. – Kramnik, V.
- Carlsen, M. – Karjakin, S.
- Carlsen, M. – Karjakin, S.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation (ECO E12, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the Queen's Indian Defense, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. Nc3 (4 moves).
In 859,150 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.7%, Black 47.4% and 5.9% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Bb7, in 57% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation, Botvinnik Attack and Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Polovodin Gambit.
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 Variation
4…Bb4 scores best for Black: 51.2%, with Black winning 48.3% and White 45.8% of 318K games. The most played answer, 4…Bb7, scores lowest: 50.2% in 491K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 4…Bb4.
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
Popularity by year
The Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.03% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.04% (its peak: 0.05% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.04% | 14,335 |
| 2017 | 0.045% | 24,975 |
| 2018 | 0.05% | 39,432 |
| 2019 | 0.044% | 54,865 |
| 2020 | 0.038% | 112,395 |
| 2021 | 0.031% | 121,373 |
| 2022 | 0.031% | 116,493 |
| 2023 | 0.031% | 116,516 |
| 2024 | 0.03% | 106,252 |
| 2025 | 0.03% | 104,029 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.03% | 33,132 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (3)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation (E12)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-indian-defense-kasparov-variation