Nimzo-Indian Defence - Top-Level Repertoire for Black - Part 1
After his highly successful course Queen's Gambit Declined - Repertoire for Black after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5, GM Arjun Kalyan starts dealing with the Nimzo-Indian Defence. He is going to provide a full Nimzo-Indian repertoire for Black in two series. In order to complete his Black repertoire after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6, after the Nimzo-Indian Defence databases, GM Kalyan will also create a repertoire against the Catalan.
The current course White's most challenging systems against the Nimzo-Indian Defence - 4.e3 and 4.Qc2. The database consists of 13 theoretical chapters, 25 interactive test positions, a Memory Booster, and a Video Version (4h Running Time).
Preview by the Author
The database starts with the Rubinstein System arising after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3
The Rubinstein Variation is one of the most popular and solid ways to play against the Nimzo-Indian Defence. Nowadays, it has been established as the main line for white players to pose problems for us. This is because there is a lot of variety for both sides in these lines.
My suggestion for Black is 4...0-0.
We meet almost all the 4th-move alternatives with 0-0. This is the most flexible, as we can choose either to go c5, d5 or even d6 next.
In this important Nimzo-Indian Defence tabiya, White's main move is 5.Bd3. This is the old main line in the position and still remains the most popular direction. It is a slightly better move order compared to 5.Nf3 as it maintains some flexibility regarding the knight.
Let's take a brief look at the alternatives.
5.Nf3 is supposed to be a less precise move order compared to 5.Bd3, as it gives Black more options. We will be happy to transpose back to the Karpov Variation, but we will look at some independent options for White here.
5.Nge2 is the most popular way of going for the Nge2 system. White wants to go a2-a3 next and be ready to recapture with the knight. Our main line goes 5...d5 6.a3 Be7 We get a kind of QGD type of position, but we have two big trumps: the bishop is still on c1, and the knight is worse on e2 than on f3. The knight can go to g3 or f4, but both have their own drawbacks.
5.Bd2 has become a major trend over the last few years. You can expect this move from players who look for a simple and practical repertoire against Nimzo-Indian Defence. The main attraction is that Black does not have too many viable options early on. The play remains consistent for White. The drawback, however, is that the bishop is not that active on d2. In this case, my suggestion is 5...d5 6.Nf3 b6
We maintain the tension in the center and develop our bishop to b7. Black will always meet Be2/d3 with dxc4 gaining tempo. The move b6 also helps us go for the c5 break in the future. At this point, White's most principled continuation is 7.cxd5 The general rule in QGD type of positions is to take on d5 whenever Black goes for the move b6. If White releases the tension earlier, we will usually get our bishop to f5/g4. He does have to release the tension at some point to develop his f1 bishop. An important Nimzo-Indian Defence tabiya is reached after 7...exd5 8.Rc1
I believe that this is the best move order for White, as it stops the plan of going directly to d6. However, it is not a proper developing move, and we can make use of the time lost.
Let's return to the main move 5.Bd3. Another important crossroads for Nimzo-Indian Defence occurs after 5...d5.
Statistically, White's main move is 6.Nf3. Nevertheless, this continuation has gone slightly out of fashion over the last couple of years, as Black has many ways to equalize here. However, we still need to know exactly what we are doing here.
The move 6.a3 has become a very critical and trendy option in recent times. White forces us to take on c3 but plays a non-developing move. Nimzo-Indian Defence players should be very well prepared against this line. My suggestion is 6...Bxc3 7.bxc3 dxc4 8.Bxc4 c5
We are ahead in development and want to fight back in the center. Our next move is going to be Qc7, and White is unable to get his ideal piece placement with Bd3 and Nf3. He has a few other options to choose from: Ne2, Bd3/a2, and Nf3, Bd3/a2. The general rule is to go for the e5 plan when the bishop goes to d3, and otherwise we can go for the move b6.
Another option is 6.cxd5. I never used to consider this move seriously until a year or two ago. However, after a painful loss in a blitz game, I realized that it was getting popular, and there are some ideas that we should be aware of. We will see this in the third chapter.
White can also play 6.Nge2. This has fallen out of fashion over the last few years, and for good reason. The knight is much better on f3 in the IQP positions. Forcing us to give up the bishop on c3 also wastes a lot of time. Black will simply follow with 6...dxc4 7.Bxc4 c5
We play the same way as in the main lines. However, we will not hesitate to take on d4 at the first opportunity here.
Let's now get back to the main line starting with 6.Nf3. An important Nimzo-Indian Defence tabiya arises after 6...dxc4 7.Bxc4 c5 8.0-0 Nc6
We maintain the tension in the center. The main point is to keep the bishop on c1 restricted. We will improve our position a bit more before releasing the tension. Another big benefit is that there are a huge number of options available for White, which makes it pretty confusing for him. We, on the other hand, have a simple plan, which we will see soon.
The second part of the database is dedicated to the move 4.Qc2.
This is the Classical Variation, a fierce competitor to 4.e3 in terms of popularity. Historically, this has always been considered the most ambitious approach against the Nimzo-Indian Defence. It is also very popular in modern times, but the lines tend to be more forcing here. So it is more popular among theory-intensive players. White wants to win the dark-squared bishop without weakening his pawn structure. The obvious drawback is that the queen is forced to come out very early.
As usual, our answer is 4...0-0. At this point, White's most solid continuation is 5.a3. This is the main direction here. White forces us to give up the dark squared bishop, but we are much ahead in development. The alternative 5.e4 is one of the most frustrating lines in the Nimzo-Indian Defense, as it is very forcing and does not give us many options. There are a few ways to equalize, but we have to know a lot of theory, and White can force a draw. The flip side is that White also has to prepare a lot of lines to go for this. Because of that, we usually do not see many lower-rated players going for this.
White can also play 5.Bg5 which is a bit early and over-ambitious. White is preparing the move e2-e4 but we will fight back in the center quickly. The break 5...c5 is pretty effective as long as White is unable to go d5 and clamp down on the center.
After 5.a3, the main line goes 5...Bxc3 6.Qxc3 b6
This is the most played move, but it is a bit out of fashion these days at the GM level. I think this is simply because 6...d5 kind of kills the game, while here we want to get a complex middlegame. This also equalizes completely, and there have been countless correspondence games here. We will usually go for the move d5 a bit later. At this point, White usually plays 7.Bg5. The main line by far and the critical move. This is the drawback of having given up our dark-squared bishop. However, the fact remains that White needs quite a few moves to get his king to safety, and we need to use this time to create our play. While studying this line, you will get a better general understanding of the Nimzo-Indian Defence.
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