Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation, Botvinnik Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
2,856 games: White 47.8% / Draw 4.1% / Black 48.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,3191,319 | ||
| 656656 | ||
| 640640 | ||
| 6464 | ||
| 3939 | ||
| 3333 | ||
| 2727 | ||
| 1717 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.20 The position is about equal
Best play: 8. e3 Nxg3 9. hxg3 Bg7 10. Qc2 Qe7 11. O-O-O Nc6 12. a3 Na5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation, Botvinnik Attack (ECO E12, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. Nc3 Bb7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 g5 7. Bg3 Nh5 (7 moves).
In 2,856 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.8%, Black 48.1% and 4.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. e3, in 46% 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 Variation, Botvinnik Attack
8. Be5 scores best for White: 52.7%, with White winning 51.1% and Black 45.6% of 640 games. The most played, 8. e3, scores 50.0% in 1,319 games, and 8. e4 scores lowest: 46.3%. Stockfish's first choice is 8. 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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation, Botvinnik Attack (E12)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-indian-defense-kasparov-variation-botvinnik-attack