Queen's Indian Defense, with e3 5…c5 6. c4
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Statistics from Lichess
25,941 games: White 48.5% / Draw 6.6% / Black 44.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 9,7359,735 | ||
| 7,7187,718 | ||
| 3,3643,364 | ||
| 1,9251,925 | ||
| 1,6581,658 | ||
| 446446 | ||
| 291291 | ||
| 182182 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.26 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... d5 7. cxd5 exd5 8. dxc5 bxc5 9. Bb5+ Bc6 10. Qa4 Bxb5 11. Qxb5+
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. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 b6 4. Bd3 Bb7 5. O-O c5 6. c4.
In 25,941 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.5%, Black 44.9% and 6.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…Be7, in 38% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 6. c4
6…d6 scores best for Black: 49.5%, with Black winning 46.4% and White 47.5% of 1,925 games. The most played, 6…Be7, scores 48.7% in 9,735 games, and 6…d5 scores lowest: 46.2%. Stockfish's first choice is 6…d5.
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
Variations (2)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Indian Defense, with e3 (E14)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-indian-defense-with-e3-2