Queen's Indian Defense, with e3 8…Bb7 9. Bd3
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Statistics from Lichess
5,396 games: White 51.8% / Draw 7.1% / Black 41.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 3,0113,011 | ||
| 1,2301,230 | ||
| 420420 | ||
| 272272 | ||
| 179179 | ||
| 7979 | ||
| 6767 | ||
| 3535 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 13, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.23 The position is about equal
Best play: 9... Bd6 10. O-O Nbd7 11. Nb5 Be7 12. Ne5 c5 13. Qf3 a6 14. Nc3
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 chess opening that starts 1. Nf3 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. d4 O-O 6. b3 b6 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Bb2 Bb7 9. Bd3.
In 5,396 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.8%, Black 41.1% and 7.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 9…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 9. Bd3
The most played answer, 9…Nbd7, also scores best for Black: 45.2%, with Black winning 41.5% and White 51.1% of 3,011 games. Of the main answers, 9…a6 scores lowest: 43.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 9…Bd6.
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 13 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-indian-defense-with-e3-12