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Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5 (E48)
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e3 O-O 5 Bd3 d5

Number of games in database: 1641
Years covered: 1870 to 2025
Overall record:
   White wins 31.9%
   Black wins 29.2%
   Draws 38.9%

Popularity graph, by decade

Explore this opening  |  Search for sacrifices in this opening.
PRACTITIONERS
With the White Pieces With the Black Pieces
Aleksej Aleksandrov  53 games
Aleksandr Rakhmanov  23 games
Fernando Peralta  17 games
Ivan Farago  17 games
Mikhail Tal  12 games
Aivars Gipslis  8 games
NOTABLE GAMES [what is this?]
White Wins Black Wins
Botvinnik vs Tal, 1961
Kasparov vs Tal, 1987
Botvinnik vs Tal, 1961
Van Wely vs P Acs, 2002
M Stolberg vs Botvinnik, 1940
L Jung vs Saemisch, 1936
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 page 1 of 66; games 1-25 of 1,641  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. J Minckwitz vs Winawer 0-1451870Baden-BadenE48 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5
2. Steinitz vs J Mortimer 1-0371883LondonE48 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5
3. Maroczy vs Chigorin 1-0331905OstendE48 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5
4. Salwe vs Chigorin  ½-½521906MatchE48 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5
5. H Mueller vs S Takacs  ½-½441927Trebitsch MemorialE48 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5
6. K Helling vs C Ahues 1-053193127th German Chess Federation CongressE48 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5
7. Bogoljubov vs Colle 1-0341931BledE48 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5
8. V Soultanbeieff vs W Fairhurst  ½-½311933Folkestone OlympiadE48 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5
9. Eliskases vs K Opocensky  ½-½351935Bad NauheimE48 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5
10. J Nielsen vs E Andersen  0-1401935Copenhagen ChampionshipE48 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5
11. V Silich vs G Stepanov (Schneideman)  1-0301936Trade Unions ChampionshipE48 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5
12. L Engels vs Stahlberg  ½-½271936DresdenE48 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5
13. L Jung vs Saemisch 0-1261936non-FIDE Munich OlympiadE48 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5
14. L Steiner vs P Johner  1-0331936non-FIDE Munich OlympiadE48 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5
15. S Landau vs Kmoch  1-0401936AmsterdamE48 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5
16. Eliskases vs Gilg  ½-½361937PragueE48 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5
17. I Appel vs Pirc 0-1251938LodzE48 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5
18. I Rabinovich vs V Goglidze 1-0231939Leningrad / Moscow trainingE48 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5
19. V Tomovic vs Pirc  1-0401939Yugoslav ChampionshipE48 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5
20. J J Leary vs J W Collins  1-0481939Ventnor CityE48 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5
21. B Friend vs Yanofsky  0-153193940th ACF Congress. ConsolationE48 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5
22. J Austbo vs J Turn  1-0321939Buenos Aires Olympiad qual-4E48 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5
23. Y Porat vs Letelier  1-0351939Buenos Aires Olympiad Final-AE48 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5
24. J Austbo vs G Arnlaugsson  0-1341939Buenos Aires Olympiad Final-BE48 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5
25. E Reinhardt vs L Prins  ½-½331939Buenos Aires Olympiad Final-AE48 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5
 page 1 of 66; games 1-25 of 1,641  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)  

Kibitzer's Corner
May-23-05  azaris: Let's play "Refute the Variation":

After 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. cxd5 Qxd5?!, what should White play to achieve advantage?

Sep-24-05  Bartleby: You'll pardon the four-month delay in response, won't you azaris?

Anyway, without looking at a book or on the internet or on this site, my instinct vouches for the simple 7) Nf3. Then it seems like the obvious attempt to increase pressure, 7) ... Ne4, fails to 8) Qc2 Nxc3 9) bxc3 Ba5 10) O-O when a space gaining c4 or e4 is coming up, with the two bishops I might add. Then I looked at 7) ... c5, which seems to be refuted by 8) Bd2! when black's queen is hanging. 8) ... Bxc3 9) bxc3 and black has nothing. White will castle with a fine game.

Jun-01-09  Amarande: As this variation has had little discussion, here's a major talking point: What advantage, if any, does Black hope to derive by playing 5 ... d5 here? After going out of his way to avoid the Queen's Gambit by playing the Nimzo in the first place, Black essentially transposes straight back into it - in a position where, moreover, it seems he stood to gain a static long-term positional advantage by instead playing 5 ... c5, or 5 ... Bxc3+ followed by 6 ... c5, then taking advantage of the weak pawn at c4.

Perhaps there is a slight psychological purpose to transposing this way sometimes, but is there a practical one? Especially as the QGD normally tends to have "significant White advantage" written all over it?

Jun-01-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sneaky: It seems to me that after ...d5 the position is very reminiscent of the Queen's Gambit Declined, Ragozin Variation (D38) except that the White dark square bishop is caught behind the pawn chain, instead of on Bg5 where it seems to be serving more of a purpose.
Jun-01-09  WhiteRook48: interesting that the first three notable games where White wins are all against Tal.

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