Queen's Indian Defense, with e3 6. b3 b6
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
26,264 games: White 45.7% / Draw 6.8% / Black 47.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 13,46213K | ||
| 6,7816,781 | ||
| 2,4762,476 | ||
| 2,2962,296 | ||
| 386386 | ||
| 250250 | ||
| 195195 | ||
| 145145 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.08 The position is about equal
Best play: 7. Bb2 Bb7 8. Rc1 Nbd7 9. Be2 Ne4 10. O-O Nxc3 11. Bxc3 Bd6
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. Nc3 O-O 6. b3 b6 (6 moves).
In 26,264 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.7%, Black 47.6% and 6.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. Bb2, in 51% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to answer 6…b6
7. cxd5 scores best for White: 52.8%, with White winning 48.7% and Black 43.1% of 2,476 games. The most played, 7. Bb2, scores 49.2% in 13K games, and 7. Be2 scores lowest: 48.7%. Stockfish's first choice is 7. Bb2.
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, with e3 (E14)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-indian-defense-with-e3-6