Play the Queens Indian

Author: Andrew Greet
Everyman Chess (2009)
256 pages
$22.95

Reviewed by John Donaldson

When you play Black you have a choice whether to try to equalize first or grab the initiative from the get go. Those who opt for the first choice might defend the Queen’s Gambit or Ruy Lopez, holding their ground from the beginning with the aim of slowly equalizing and gradually outplaying their opponent. Advocates of the second approach have different ways to try to unbalance the game. Some might meet 1.d4 by sacrificing a pawn for compensation (Benko Gambit and Albin Counter-Gambit), others surrender space for counter attacking possibilities (Kings Indian and Grunfeld) and for a few the Tarrasch Defense – taking on an isolated queen pawn for piece activity – is the universal solution. One approach that garners a lot of support is creating an imbalance by trading a Bishop for a Knight.

There are few top players that have not employed the Nimzo-Indian at one time or another, and theoretically it has always stood its ground. One could make a strong argument that it is among the soundest of Black’s defenses. Yet its effectiveness has always created a bit of a problem as many players avoid it by playing 3.Nf3. This leaves Black in a bit of a quandary as he doesn’t have a continuation that matches both the soundness and activity of the Nimzo. Certainly he has several choices. Those that like sharper play might employ the Modern Benoni and take heart this move order eliminates lines where White’s f-pawn is free to advance, but no one would equate 3…c5 with the Nimzo in terms of soundness. The Bogo-Indian is sound but perhaps a little passive. Black is often forced to surrender his Bishop for a Knight but without the structural compensation he often receives in the Nimzo. Transposing into the Queen’s Gambit makes a lot of sense, especially as White has lost some options in the Exchange Variation, but again depending on what line Black chooses he will usually find himself in a more passive or riskier position than the Nimzo.

Theoretically speaking the best partner for the Nimzo has always been the Queen’s Indian. A frequent guest in top-level tournaments for several decades, its soundness has never been questioned, but its utility as a fighting weapon has. Lines like 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.0-0 0-0 7.Nc3 Ne4 8.Nxe4 Bxe4 9.Nh4 Bxg2 10.Nxg2 have not done much to inspire confidence in the Queen’s Indian as the right opening to choose in a must win game.

This opinion may change thanks to the recent publication of PLAY THE QUEEN’S INDIAN by English IM Andrew Greet. Unlike earlier works on the Queen’s Indian by Wells, Aagaard and Yrjola with Tella, PLAY THE QUEEN’S INDIAN is a repertoire book and Greet has selected sound but challenging lines for Black. His repertoire breaks down as follows:

4.Bg5 Bb7 5.Nc3 h6 6.Bh4 Be7 7.e3 c5
4.e3 Bb7 5.Bd3 d5 6.0-0 Bd6
4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 g5 7.Bg3 Ne4 8.Qc2 Bb7
4.a3 Ba6 5.Qc2 Bb7 6.Nc3 c5
4.g3 Ba6 5.Qb3 Nc6
4.g3 Ba6 5.Nbd2 Bb4
4.g3 Ba6 5.Qa4 Bb7 6.Bg2 c5
4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 b5
4.g3 Ba6 5.Qc2 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7 7.Bg2 0-0 8.0-0 c6
4.g3 Ba6 5.Qc2 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7 7.e4 d5

Greet covers all lines with a thorough mixture of concrete variations and explanatory prose, but where I think he really shines is in his treatment of 4.g3. This is the variation where Black has had the most trouble finding ways to create imbalances without taking on undue risk. His advocacy of the old Adorjan favorite 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 b5, where Black trades a wing pawn for a center one, is quite intriguing and his 23-pages of analysis is the most comprehensive I have seen offered.

PLAY THE QUEEN’S INDIAN is quite topical. The most important chapter in the book may be on 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.Qc2 which has recently become very popular at the highest levels as White has been scoring well after 5…c5 with the gambit continuation 6.d5 exd5 7.cxd5 Bb7 8.Bg2. Greet sensibly suggests that Black avoid it by the sequence 5…Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7, heading for a Closed Catalan/ Bogo Indian hybrid after 7.Bg2 0-0 8.0-0 c6. So Greet’s line does double duty, sidestepping a sharp variation and providing a partial answer to the Catalan (3.g3).

Greet’s book came out after Boris Avrukh’s highly regarded 1.d4 – volume 1 which advocates the Catalan for White, so I was curious to see where the two books meet. The critical position occurs after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.Qc2 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7 7.Bg2 0-0 8.0-0 c6 9.b3 d5 10.Rd1 Nbd7 11.a4 c5 12.Na3 Bb7 13.Qb2 Ne4 14.Be1 Bf6 15.e3. Here Avrukh quotes Piket-Kramnik, Monaco (rapid) 1997, where 15…cxd4 was played which Greet considers a little dubious. He recommends instead 15…Qe7 16.b4 Rab8, “intending to swing the king’s rook across to c8 or d8. The position is complex and full of tension, but at this stage I see no reason to rate Black’s chances as inferior.”

I strongly recommend PLAY THE QUEEN’S INDIAN for players rated 2000 on up who wish to take up this defense.

Click to buy (or get more information about) PLAY THE QUEEN'S INDIAN

Other excellent books on the Queen’s Indian Defense:

STARTING OUT: THE QUEEN'S INDIAN (by Emms - $22.95)

QUEEN'S INDIAN: KASPAROV SYSTEM (by Mikhail Gurevich - $10.00)

QUEEN'S INDIAN DEFENCE (by Lalic - $11.50)

QUEEN'S INDIAN DEFENCE (by Aagaard - $19.95)

PETROSIAN SYSTEM AGAINST THE QID (by Beliavsky & Mikhalchishin - $29.95)

CHESS EXPLAINED: THE QUEEN'S INDIAN (by Wells - $19.95)