Indian Defense: West Indian Defense
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6
The Indian Defense: West Indian Defense is a chess opening classified as ECO E60, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6. It is a line of the Indian Defense. White is to move. 9 named lines continue from this position.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 69,070 times by this move order. White won 48%, 5% were drawn and Black won 47%. The most popular continuation is 3. Nc3 (77% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.28 (Stockfish, depth 60; best line 3. h4 c6 4. Nc3 d5 5. cxd5 cxd5)
- ECO
- E60
- Moves
- 4 plies
- FEN
rnbqkb1r/pppppp1p/5np1/8/2PP4/8/PP2PPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 3- PGN
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 9,664 | |
| 1500-1999 | 35,839 | |
| 2000+ | 23,567 | |
| All | 69,070 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 3. Nc3 King's Indian Defense | 53,484 (77%) | |
| 3. Nf3 | 8,101 (12%) | |
| 3. e3 | 2,010 (3%) | |
| 3. g3 Fianchetto Variation, Immediate Fianchetto | 1,715 (2%) | |
| 3. Bg5 | 1,095 (2%) | |
| 3. f3 Anti-Grünfeld, Alekhine Variation | 798 (1%) | |
| 3. Bf4 | 530 (1%) | |
| 3. d5 Anti-Grünfeld, Advance Variation | 273 (0%) |
Master games
4,084 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 39%, draw 22%, Black 39%). The strongest:
- RubiChess 20230823 (3508) – KomodoDragon 3.2 (3587) 1-0 · TCEC 25 Premier 2023 · 2023-09-06
- KomodoDragon 3.2 (3587) – RubiChess 20230823 (3508) 1-0 · TCEC 25 Premier 2023 · 2023-09-06
- GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2771) – GM Magnus Carlsen (2864) 1/2-1/2 · Oslo Esports Cup 2022 · 2022-04-28
- GM Fabiano Caruana (2784) – GM Magnus Carlsen (2843) 1/2-1/2 · GRENKE Chess Classic 2018 · 2018-03-31
- GM Fabiano Caruana (2816) – GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (2789) 1/2-1/2 · GCT Rapid YourNextMove · 2018-06-12
Search all games of the Indian Defense: West Indian Defense and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- GM cutemouse83 (2963) – Sunrise34 (2865) 1-0 · 2026-09-02 · 180 + 0s
- Sunrise34 (2859) – GM gmbrewchess (2932) 0-1 · 2026-09-01 · 180 + 0s
- GM cutemouse83 (2953) – GM sillyMASTER (2833) 0-1 · 2026-09-02 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Indian Defense: Normal Variation 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4
Continuations
- Indian Defense: Anti-Grünfeld, Advance Variation E60 · 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. d5
- Indian Defense: Anti-Grünfeld, Alekhine Variation E60 · 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3
- Indian Defense: Anti-Grünfeld, Basman-Williams Attack E60 · 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. h4
- King's Indian Defense E61 · 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3
- King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Immediate Fianchetto E60 · 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3
- Queen's Pawn, Mengarini Attack E60 · 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Qc2
- Neo-Grünfeld Defense: with Nf3 D70 · 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 d5
- King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation E60 · 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3
- King's Indian Defense: Santasiere Variation E60 · 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. b4
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.