Queen's Indian Defense, with e3 6…O-O 7. Nc3
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
47,304 games: White 47.6% / Draw 5.7% / Black 46.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 19,80520K | ||
| 12,50413K | ||
| 8,1688,168 | ||
| 2,3182,318 | ||
| 860860 | ||
| 738738 | ||
| 701701 | ||
| 604604 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.23 The position is about equal
Best play: 7... d5 8. cxd5 exd5 9. b3 Nbd7 10. Bb2 Bd6 11. Nb5 Be7 12. Rc1
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 Be7 6. c4 O-O 7. Nc3.
In 47,304 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.6%, Black 46.6% and 5.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…d5, in 42% 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 7. Nc3
The most played answer, 7…d5, also scores best for Black: 50.7%, with Black winning 47.5% and White 46.0% of 20K games. Of the main answers, 7…c5 scores lowest: 49.3%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7…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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Indian Defense, with e3 (E14)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-indian-defense-with-e3-8