Queen's Indian Defense, with e3 6…Bb7 7. e3
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Statistics from Lichess
7,652 games: White 50.3% / Draw 8.5% / Black 41.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 3,4283,428 | ||
| 1,8391,839 | ||
| 1,5641,564 | ||
| 394394 | ||
| 130130 | ||
| 126126 | ||
| 7575 | ||
| 4949 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.31 White is slightly better
Best play: 7... O-O 8. Be2 d5 9. O-O dxc4 10. Bxc4 Nbd7 11. b4 a5 12. b5
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 Bogo-Indian Defense: Grünfeld Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Nbd2 b6 5. a3 Bxd2+ 6. Qxd2 Bb7 7. e3 (7 moves).
In 7,652 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.3%, Black 41.3% and 8.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…O-O, in 45% 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 7. e3
7…d6 scores best for Black: 46.8%, with Black winning 42.3% and White 48.7% of 1,839 games. The most played, 7…O-O, scores 45.1% in 3,428 games, and 7…a5 scores lowest: 44.7%. Stockfish's first choice is 7…O-O.
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 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-indian-defense-with-e3-9