Overview
Queen’s Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4……… 9.Qxc3 Jobs in Миялы, Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan at Chessiverse AB
Title: Queen’s Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4……… 9.Qxc3
Company: Chessiverse AB
Location: Миялы, Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan
Articles/Opening Guides/Queen's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4…… 9.Qxc3
Queen's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4…… 9.Qxc3
+300%
E191.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.0-0 0-0 7.Nc3 Ne4 8.Qc2 Nxc3 9.Qxc3
Jul 30, 2028
2 min read
TL;DR
The old QID main line. Black has traded knights on c3 to relieve the tension and accepted a slight kingside concession in return for piece simplification. 11% of these games are drawn at master level, a hint at the line's endgame slant.
Reviewed by
IM John BartholomewCo-Founder & Chess Educator
International Master and chess educator. Co-founded Chessable and joined Chessiverse as co-founder. Best known for his "Climbing the Rating Ladder" YouTube series and structured opening courses.
In This Article
- History and Notable Players
- Performance Across Rating Levels
- Move Diversity and Theory Depth
- Common Mistakes
- Practice on Chessiverse
Summary
Starting from 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.0-0 0-0 7.Nc3 Ne4 8.Qc2 Nxc3 9.Qxc3, players enter the Queen's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4… 9.Qxc3 — ECO E19. With 56,063 games on record, the patterns below come from the largest practical sample available.
History and Notable Players
It arises from the Queen's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4… 7.Nc3. On the White side, Borislav Ivkov (37 games), Ulf Andersson (20 games), Miguel Najdorf (14 games) top the database. Notable Black exponents: Anatoly Karpov (25 games), Aleksandar Matanovic (20 games), Miguel Najdorf (18 games).
Performance Across Rating Levels
How well the Queen's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4… 9.Qxc3 works depends on what level you're playing at. Among 1200-rated players, it appears in 0.00% of games — 18 of them on record — with White winning 61.1% and Black 33.3%. By 1800, popularity is 0.00% and White's score is 41.4% to Black's 50.5%. Among 2500-rated players the line appears in 0.02% of games and draws spike to 14.2%, indicating tight preparation. White's edge erodes by 16.2pp from 1200 to 2500 Elo, suggesting Black's counterplay is easier to find with experience.
Move Diversity and Theory Depth
Move choice is far from uniform in the Queen's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4… 9.Qxc3. At 1200 Elo, the top reply is c5, played 38.9% of the time. There are 9 other moves seeing meaningful share, and 66.7% of games stick to established theory. Entropy: 2.70. By 2500, d6 dominates at 32.9% of replies; only 5 viable alternatives remain and 71.7% of moves are theory. Entropy drops to 2.42.
Common Mistakes
- Playing outside main lines — At 400 Elo, only 0% of moves follow established theory — at 2000 that climbs to 74.5%. Most of the gap is players who pick a reasonable-looking move over the best one, and the position quietly drifts.
- Neglecting development — Extra pawn moves in the opening are tempting, especially when you "know the moves". Developing a piece each turn is the simple correction.
- Letting White own the centre — Hypermodern openings concede central space on purpose, but only if you strike back in time. Delay the counter-blow and you end up squeezed.
Practice on Chessiverse
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Quick Facts
Main Line1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.0-0 0-0 7.Nc3 Ne4 8.Qc2 Nxc3 9.Qxc3
DifficultyExpert
Parent OpeningQueen's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4… 7.Nc3
Style
Solid Defender openings aim for a rock-solid pawn structure and safe piece placement. They resist aggression, minimize weaknesses, and seek to outplay the opponent in the long run.
56,063games on Lichess
44.2%
10.6%
45.2%
White wins Draws Black wins
Top Players
As White
- Borislav Ivkov37 games
- Ulf Andersson20 games
- Miguel Najdorf14 games
As Black
- Anatoly Karpov25 games
- Aleksandar Matanovic20 games
- Miguel Najdorf18 games
Data from Lichess opening explorer (blitz & rapid)
Most Popular At2500
SharpnessCalm
Popularity by Rating
Percentage of all games at each rating bracket that feature this opening.
Data from Lichess opening explorer (blitz & rapid games)
Theory Adherence by Rating
How often players choose the single most popular move at this position. Higher = more predictable play.
Black to move after the opening line
Popularity Over Time
Share of all Lichess blitz + rapid games featuring this opening, by year.
Top Moves by Rating
Black to move after the opening line
RatingMost Popular2nd3rd
400———
1000c550%f520%d610%
1200c538.9%f516.7%d611.1%
1400c529%f523%d618%
1600d632.6%f520.8%c519.9%
1800d630.2%f529.9%c518.5%
2000f529.3%d626.6%Be418.6%
2200f528.6%d626%Be417.8%
2500d632.9%f521.1%c517.7%
Popularity by Time Control
Bullet
<0.01%19K
Blitz
<0.01%52K
Rapid
<0.01%4K
5% more decisive in bullet
Raw data tables (Lichess blitz + rapid)
Queen's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4…… 9.Qxc3: popularity and win rates by player rating Rating (Elo) Share % Games White win % Black win % Draw % Sharpness 400 0.00 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.000 1000 0.00 10 70.0 30.0 0.0 1.000 1200 0.00 18 61.1 33.3 5.6 0.944 1400 0.00 100 50.0 40.0 10.0 0.900 1600 0.00 459 43.6 50.3 6.1 0.939 1800 0.00 3,403 41.4 50.5 8.1 0.919 2000 0.00 18,534 44.4 46.2 9.5 0.905 2200 0.02 30,563 44.3 44.4 11.3 0.887 2500 0.02 2,976 44.9 40.9 14.2 0.858 Queen's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4…… 9.Qxc3: move-choice theory adherence by rating Rating (Elo) Top move Top move % Viable moves Theory % Entropy 400 — 0.0 0 0.0 0.000 1000 c5 50.0 5 80.0 1.961 1200 c5 38.9 9 66.7 2.703 1400 c5 29.0 5 70.0 2.762 1600 d6 32.6 5 73.3 2.621 1800 d6 30.2 4 78.7 2.387 2000 f5 29.3 5 74.5 2.347 2200 f5 28.6 5 72.4 2.358 2500 d6 32.9 5 71.7 2.419 Queen's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4…… 9.Qxc3: popularity over time Year Share % Games White win % Black win % Draw % 2013 0.00 10 40.0 60.0 0.0 2014 0.00 84 41.7 50.0 8.3 2015 0.00 346 42.2 48.3 9.5 2016 0.00 831 41.8 47.3 11.0 2017 0.00 1,285 44.1 45.8 10.0 2018 0.00 2,208 41.6 49.1 9.3 2019 0.00 3,249 43.0 46.8 10.2 2020 0.00 8,011 44.2 44.0 11.8 2021 0.00 8,835 44.4 44.2 11.4 2022 0.00 8,438 44.3 44.8 10.9 2023 0.00 9,147 43.9 45.9 10.2 2024 0.00 9,007 44.6 45.4 10.0 2025 0.00 8,630 44.5 45.3 10.1 Queen's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4…… 9.Qxc3: popularity by time control Format Share % Games White win % Black win % Draw % Sharpness bullet 0.00 18,957 45.8 47.1 7.1 0.929 blitz 0.00 51,559 44.4 45.1 10.5 0.895 rapid 0.00 4,394 41.5 46.1 12.3 0.877 Queen's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4…… 9.Qxc3: top candidate moves by rating bracket Rating (Elo) 1st move 1st % 2nd move 2nd % 3rd move 3rd % 400 — — — — — — 1000 c5 50.0 f5 20.0 d6 10.0 1200 c5 38.9 f5 16.7 d6 11.1 1400 c5 29.0 f5 23.0 d6 18.0 1600 d6 32.6 f5 20.8 c5 19.9 1800 d6 30.2 f5 29.9 c5 18.5 2000 f5 29.3 d6 26.6 Be4 18.6 2200 f5 28.6 d6 26.0 Be4 17.8 2500 d6 32.9 f5 21.1 c5 17.7 Queen's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4…… 9.Qxc3: top practitioners by side Side Player Games White Borislav Ivkov 37 White Ulf Andersson 20 White Miguel Najdorf 14 Black Anatoly Karpov 25 Black Aleksandar Matanovic 20 Black Miguel Najdorf 18
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Queen's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4… 9.Qxc3?
The Queen's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4… 9.Qxc3 begins with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.0-0 0-0 7.Nc3 Ne4 8.Qc2 Nxc3 9.Qxc3 and is classified under ECO code E19.
Is the Queen's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4… 9.Qxc3 good for beginners?
The Queen's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4… 9.Qxc3 can be played at any level. Beginners should focus on understanding the key strategic ideas rather than memorizing long theoretical lines. Our AI bots at various rating levels provide a great way to practice the opening concepts.
What are the win rates for the Queen's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4… 9.Qxc3?
In a database of 56,063 master games, White wins 44.2% of the time, Black wins 45.2%, and 10.6% are drawn. Notable players on the White side include Borislav Ivkov and Ulf Andersson. On the Black side, Anatoly Karpov and Aleksandar Matanovic are among the most frequent practitioners.
How can I practice the Queen's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4… 9.Qxc3?
On Chessiverse, you can practice the Queen's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4… 9.Qxc3 by playing against our 600+ AI bots. Each bot has a unique playing style and opening repertoire, so you can find the perfect sparring partner for any level.
Related Openings
Catalan Opening
White's g3 fianchetto vs. d4-c4: the g2 bishop pressures Black's queenside long into the endgame. Kasparov and Carlsen favourite. Play vs. AI on Chessiverse.
Catalan Opening: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4…… 4.Bg2
Bishop reaches g2 and the long diagonal opens up. Black faces the strategic choice: take on c4 or stay closed? 1.1M games. Play vs. AI on Chessiverse.
Catalan Opening: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4…… 5.Nf3
Closed Catalan main path: Black keeps the centre tight with …Be7. White's g2 bishop gnaws away while looking for the right moment to break. 1.6M games. Play vs. AI on Chessiverse.
Catalan Opening: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4…… Nbd7
Closed Catalan with …Nbd7: solid Black setup waiting for …c5 or …c6/…b6. White looks to slowly increase pressure. Play vs. AI on Chessiverse.
Reviewed by
IM John BartholomewCo-Founder & Chess Educator
International Master and chess educator. Co-founded Chessable and joined Chessiverse as co-founder. Best known for his "Climbing the Rating Ladder" YouTube series and structured opening courses.
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