Indian Defence
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| Moves | 1.d4 Nf6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Parent | Queen's Pawn Game | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In chess, Indian Defence or Indian Game is a broad term for a group of openings characterised by the moves:
They are all to varying degrees hypermodern defences, where Black invites White to establish an imposing presence in the centre with the plan of undermining and ultimately destroying it. Although the Indian defences were championed in the 1920s by players in the hypermodern school, they were not fully accepted until Russian players showed in the late 1940s that these systems are sound for Black. Since then, the Indian defences have become a popular way for Black to respond to 1.d4 because they often offer a balanced game with winning chances for both sides.
Within Indian defences, transpositions are important. Many variations can be reached by several move orders. It is also possible to transpose back into classical openings with 1...d5 such as the Queen's Gambit Declined, Slav Defence, and Semi-Slav Defence; these are not considered "Indian" openings.
The usual second move for White is 2.c4, grabbing a larger share of the centre and preparing for 3.Nc3, which itself prepares for moving the e-pawn to e4 without blocking the c-pawn with the knight. Black's most popular reply is 2...e6, freeing the king's bishop and leading to the Nimzo-Indian Defence, Queen's Indian Defence, Bogo-Indian Defence, Catalan Opening, and others.
Black's main second-move alternative is 2...g6, preparing a fianchetto of the king's bishop and leading to the King's Indian Defence or Grünfeld Defence. Another possibility is 2...c5, a counterstrike in the centre known as the Benoni Defence. Also seen are 2...c6, which usually transposes to the Slav Defence, and 2...d6, the Old Indian Defence.
White's main second-move alternative is 2.Nf3. Black's most common replies are 2...d5, most often transposing to the Queen's Gambit after 3.c4, though White may avoid this by avoiding or delaying c2-c4, often instead playing the London System, Colle System, or Torre Attack; 2...e6, which retains possibilities of transposing to a Queen's Gambit or Queen's Indian Defence; or 2...g6, which may transpose to a King's Indian Defence or Grünfeld Defence. White can also play 2.Bg5, the Trompowsky Attack; 2.Bf4, the Accelerated London System; and 2.Nc3, typically leading to the Richter–Veresov Attack (2...d5 3.Bg5) or Rapport–Jobava System (2...d5 3.Bf4).