Queen's Indian Defense, with e3 5…Bd6 6. Bd3
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Statistics from Lichess
5,675 games: White 47.3% / Draw 4.4% / Black 48.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 2,5042,504 | ||
| 1,6701,670 | ||
| 364364 | ||
| 250250 | ||
| 206206 | ||
| 198198 | ||
| 140140 | ||
| 8585 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
0.00 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... Bb7 7. O-O O-O 8. b3 Nbd7 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Nb5 Bb4 11. Ba3
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 b6 5. Nc3 Bd6 6. Bd3 (6 moves).
In 5,675 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.3%, Black 48.4% and 4.4% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…Bb7, in 44% of those games.
It continues into one named variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 6. Bd3
The most played answer, 6…Bb7, also scores best for Black: 53.8%, with Black winning 51.6% and White 44.0% of 2,504 games. Of the main answers, 6…O-O scores lowest: 49.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6…Bb7.
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 (1)
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-e3-3