Indian Defense (2… e6 3. Qb3)
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Qb3
The Indian Defense is a chess opening classified as ECO E00, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Qb3. Black is to move.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 10 times by this move order. White won 60%, 10% were drawn and Black won 30%. The most popular continuation is 3… c5 (40% of games).
Engine evaluation: −0.22 (Stockfish, depth 37; best line 3… d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6)
- ECO
- E00
- Moves
- 5 plies
- FEN
rnbqkb1r/pppp1ppp/4pn2/8/2PP4/1Q6/PP2PPPP/RNB1KBNR b KQkq - 1 3- PGN
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Qb3
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 1 | |
| 2000+ | 9 | |
| All | 10 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 3… c5 | 4 (40%) | |
| 3… d5 | 3 (30%) | |
| 3… b6 | 1 (10%) | |
| 3… Bb4+ | 1 (10%) | |
| 3… Nc6 | 1 (10%) |
Highest-rated Lichess games
- gjakerele (2329) – Schaak177 (2436) 1-0 · 2026-09-03 · 180 + 0s
- gjakerele (2344) – Tramposian (2352) 1-0 · 2026-09-07 · 180 + 0s
- gjakerele (2312) – BanaYalanSoylediler (2331) 0-1 · 2026-09-04 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Indian Defense: Normal Variation 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4
More Indian Defense lines (all)
- Indian Defense: Pseudo-Benko A43
- Indian Defense (1. d4 Nf6) A45
- Indian Defense: Accelerated London System A45
- Indian Defense: Gedult Attack A45
- Indian Defense: Gibbins-Weidenhagen Gambit A45
- Indian Defense: Gibbins-Weidenhagen Gambit Accepted A45
- Indian Defense: Gibbins-Weidenhagen Gambit, Maltese Falcon A45
- Indian Defense: Gibbins-Weidenhagen Gambit, Oshima Defense A45
- Indian Defense: Gibbins-Weidenhagen Gambit, Stummer Gambit A45
- Indian Defense: Lazard Gambit A45
- Indian Defense: Maddigan Gambit A45
- Indian Defense: Omega Gambit A45
Opening names and moves from the Lichess openings dataset; statistics from the Lichess open database, 2026-09 (CC0), sample of 12.6 million games, bots excluded; evaluations from Lichess cloud analysis (all CC0). Master games from The Week in Chess #920–#1664 by Mark Crowther, used with permission.