20
votes
Why do some openings have Indian in their name?
In Indian Chess, the game that was played in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries in India (not to be confused with its ancestor Chaturanga), the rules allowed no castle, and double-step pawn moves ...
- 16.6k
15
votes
Accepted
Why do some openings have Indian in their name?
In many cases, openings are named after a notable first master game (or games). The master or country does not necessarily must have contributed to it. Apparently in the case of Indian openings (1. d4 ...
- 20.9k
9
votes
Accepted
What's the best answer to 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.a3?
This really comes down to what you're comfortable with. Both the Benoni and the QGD are good options, precisely because of the reason you mention: a3 isn't really useful for White in those openings, ...
- 25k
7
votes
Why is the 'classical' Nimzo-Indian called the Noa variation?
The Oxford Companion to Chess says that the Noa Variation of the Nimzo-Indian was played regularly by Josef Noa, but that he reached the position after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 Nf6.
- 1,283
6
votes
Accepted
What is the point of 6...Ne8 in the f3 Nimzo?
6...Ne8 and 6...d5 are the main moves played followed by 6...Nh5 and 6...d6
The move ...h6 can seriously weaken the b1-h7 diagonal.
Going down the main line might help explain what this Knight is ...
- 6,111
5
votes
Accepted
Spielmann Nimzo-indian
Is Black really that much (or at all?) ahead in terms of development and piece activity?
Just counting, there are three minor pieces developed on each side, plus the White queen, while Black is to ...
- 5,949
4
votes
Accepted
How can I minimise my opponent's chances to make use of a weak square in my position?
Is the only way to prevent this to have pieces tied down to defending
that square because to me that seems like a waste.
No, it isn't the only way. There are two other better ways:
If you don't like ...
- 100k
4
votes
Why not 4.e3 Bxc3+ in the Nimzo-Indian?
The variation beginning 4.e3 Bxc3+ is not very popular, but it is better than its reputation, and it's a very efficient way of cutting out a lot of theory if you're just taking up the Nimzo-Indian as ...
- 41
4
votes
Accepted
Why not 4.e3 Bxc3+ in the Nimzo-Indian?
In this case, one tempo is important due to the concrete nature of the current position. White doesn't have to use it to play Nf3:
4.e3 Bxc3 5.bxc3 c5 6.Bd3, and if Black plays in the style of the ...
- 19.9k
2
votes
Why not 4.Bd2 in the Nimzo-Indian?
Houdini 3 Extreme finds that 4. Bd2 promises White nothing more than dead equality at best. d2 is really not a very good square for the Bishop except to recapture on c3. The influence of White's Queen ...
- 21
2
votes
Analysis of positional play by a very aggressive player
I did not analyze with a computer and am just giving general strategic comments as a 2100 player.
I would consider 13.Qb5. There may be tactical reasons why Qc2 is preferable, but from a strategic ...
- 1,739
1
vote
Accepted
What are some good books that explain the strategic ideas behind the Nimzo-Indian Defence, from Black's perspective?
I play the Nimzo. There is no doubt that Anatoly Karpov is one of the best, if not the best, strategic players of all times.. This link is a good point to start. You will find many analyzed games of ...
- 1,310
1
vote
Why do some openings have Indian in their name?
In "Indian" defenses, Black holds back his center pawns, especially his d-pawn, against a White 1. d4. This "Indian" style is in contrast to the European style of opposing 1. d4 with 1. ... d5, and 1. ...
- 12.4k
1
vote
Accepted
What do advocates of the QGD exchange variation (from the white side) recommend against alternative move orders?
Indeed, the Exchange QGD and a system against the Queen's Indian do not blend very well.
In his famous repertoire series on 1.d4, GM Avrukh opts for the Catalan, using the move orders 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 ...
- 5,546
1
vote
Accepted
Good follow up to 1.d4 Nf6 2. e3 for black
The Nimzo-Indian can be closely paired with The Queen's-Indian, or The
Bogo-Indian, or much less closely paired with the Benoni.
Lets forget about the Benoni for now and focus on the other two ...
- 6,111
1
vote
What's the best answer to 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.a3?
You can get an improved Benoni with 3...c5, but objectively, 3...d5 is the best answer to 3.a3. The strong players probably go for a Benoni transposition because they think unbalanced positions will ...
- 11
1
vote
What's the best answer to 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.a3?
According to chessTempo.com's database for over 2200 rated player games 3...c5 scores best for Black with 43% wins for Black and only 20% wins for White.
By-the-way, there is another alternative you ...
- 6,111
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible