Queen's Indian Defense, with e3 7…Bb7 8. Bd3
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Statistics from Lichess
14,526 games: White 46.6% / Draw 6.0% / Black 47.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 8,1868,186 | ||
| 3,4523,452 | ||
| 1,4071,407 | ||
| 712712 | ||
| 205205 | ||
| 196196 | ||
| 7979 | ||
| 6969 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 28, 2026
Engine evaluation
0.00 The position is about equal
Best play: 8... Nbd7 9. O-O c5 10. Rc1 cxd4 11. Nxd4 a6 12. cxd5 Nc5 13. Bb1
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Queen's Indian Defense, with e3 (ECO E14, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the Indian Defense: Anti-Nimzo-Indian, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. e3 Be7 5. b3 O-O 6. Bb2 b6 7. Nbd2 Bb7 8. Bd3 (8 moves).
In 14,526 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.6%, Black 47.3% and 6.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 8…Nbd7, in 56% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 8. Bd3
8…dxc4 scores best for Black: 52.3%, with Black winning 49.6% and White 44.9% of 1,407 games. The most played answer, 8…Nbd7, scores lowest: 50.3% in 8,186 games. Stockfish's first choice is 8…Nbd7.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Indian Defense, with e3 (E14)”. Lichess data as of 28 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-indian-defense-with-e3-11