Chess opening · ECO A45

Indian Defense

The Indian Defense starts 1. d4 Nf6. It ranks #7 of the 174 openings on this site by how often rated players on Lichess reach it.

The position after 1. d4 Nf6. White to move.

Move by move

  1. 1. d4White pushes the d-pawn two squares to d4, staking a claim in the center.
  2. 1... Nf6Black develops the kingside knight to f6.

What players choose next, by rating

The three most common White moves from this position in rated Lichess games, grouped by the rating of the player making the move. c4 is the most popular next move in every rating band.

RatingMost commonSecondThird
Under 1200c4 20%Nf3 19%e3 18%
1200–1399c4 32%e3 15%Nf3 12%
1400–1599c4 41%Nf3 14%e3 12%
1600–1799c4 53%Nf3 15%e3 8%
1800–1999c4 59%Nf3 18%e3 7%
2000 and upc4 61%Nf3 22%Bg5 7%

Related openings

Queen's Pawn GameThe line this one grows fromIndian Defense: Normal VariationA variation of this lineIndian Defense: Knights VariationA variation of this lineTrompowsky AttackA variation of this line

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