Learn
The big idea
What the Queen's Indian Defence is really about.
A calm, hypermodern reply to 3.Nf3. Instead of grabbing the centre with pawns, Black fianchettoes the light-squared bishop to b7 (sometimes a6) and fights for the key e4-square from a distance. The result is a solid, flexible position that is famously hard to crack.
- White's plan: Fianchetto with g3 and Bg2 to contest the long diagonal, castle, and use the central space and the c-file to build slow, lasting pressure.
- Black's plan: Develop the bishop to b7 (or a6 to hit c4), control e4, complete development with ...Be7 and castling, and look for the freeing ...d5 or ...c5 breaks at the right moment.
What single square is the whole Queen's Indian struggle about?
Answer the question to keep going!