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Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System (E54)
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e3 O-O 5 Nf3 d5 6 Bd3 c5
7 O-O dxc4 8 Bxc4

Number of games in database: 3342
Years covered: 1861 to 2025
Overall record:
   White wins 29.5%
   Black wins 26.4%
   Draws 44.1%

Popularity graph, by decade

Explore this opening  |  Search for sacrifices in this opening.
PRACTITIONERS
With the White Pieces With the Black Pieces
Svetozar Gligoric  47 games
Lajos Portisch  32 games
Jan Hein Donner  30 games
Anatoly Karpov  38 games
Lev Polugaevsky  22 games
Jonathan Speelman  21 games
NOTABLE GAMES [what is this?]
White Wins Black Wins
Petrosian vs Balashov, 1974
Polugaevsky vs Petrosian, 1960
Kamsky vs Karpov, 1996
Kamsky vs Karpov, 1996
Taimanov vs Karpov, 1973
Portisch vs Karpov, 1978
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 page 1 of 134; games 1-25 of 3,342  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. A Schmorl vs M Lange  1-0241861Leipzig MatchE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
2. F G Jakob vs H Suechting  ½-½30190816th DSB Congress, DuesseldorfE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
3. Euwe vs K Berndtsson 1-0371920Gothenburg BE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
4. P Johner vs K Berndtsson  1-0481920Gothenburg BE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
5. Alekhine vs A Baratz 1-0381933ParisE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
6. K Opocensky vs A Donegan  1-0331936Trebitsch MemorialE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
7. A Kevitz vs Marshall 0-1251937Metropolitan Chess LeagueE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
8. S Landau vs E Steiner 0-1251937KemeriE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
9. Ragozin vs G Bastrikov 1-0241938Trade Unions ChampionshipE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
10. S Landau vs C H Alexander  ½-½401938England - NetherlandsE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
11. Eliskases vs H Kranki  ½-½411938German ChampionshipE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
12. Keres vs F Villard 1-0261939corrE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
13. Reshevsky vs Fine  ½-½271939ACF Congress-FinalE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
14. Alatortsev vs Levenfish  0-1541940MatchE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
15. A Pinkus vs Santasiere  ½-½271944Ventnor CityE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
16. J Feuer vs B Rabar  ½-½171945Yugoslav ChampionshipE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
17. Alatortsev vs Lisitsin 0-1531948USSR ChampionshipE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
18. Levenfish vs Lisitsin  1-0391949URS-ch sf LeningradE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
19. J Foltys vs G Stalda  1-0391949VeniceE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
20. C Kottnauer vs Rossolimo  ½-½201949VeniceE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
21. F Heemskerk vs E Bykova  0-1581950World Championship (Women) 1949/50E54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
22. Ivkov vs N Karaklajic  0-1401951Yugoslav ChampionshipE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
23. M Germek vs N Karaklajic  ½-½291951Yugoslav ChampionshipE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
24. J Nikolac vs N Karaklajic 1-0431951Yugoslav ChampionshipE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
25. Najdorf vs Reshevsky  ½-½371952Reshevsky - NajdorfE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
 page 1 of 134; games 1-25 of 3,342  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)  

Kibitzer's Corner
Jan-21-05  themindset: Well, i play this system from both sides of the board (although d4 is not a very frequent opening). But I never see 7...dxc4, nor do I play it.

Does anyone have thoughts on this? Is it considered inferior?

Feb-24-05  akashic: 7.dxc4 is indeed not an inferior move. After 8.Bxc4, 8.cxd4 9.exd4 an IQP position arises. After 9. b6 it is called the Karpov varation and it scores very well for black.
Mar-15-05  e4Newman: i started fumbling through some caro-kann lines in the opening explorer, and i noticed e54 was listed as a possible transposition after 1.d4 c6 2.e4 d5. what's up with this? i play the nimzo and it doesn't seem possible to end up in an e3 gligoric after the line i mentioned.
Dec-24-05  Jap: I love it; E54 is the Gligoric system, and he's played it 54 times!
Dec-24-05  refutor: <e4newman> it is very possible. later on in the line Black plays ...cxd4 and then white plays exd4 it exchanges off black's c-pawn for white's e-pawn, similar to many lines of the panov-botwinnik (except white captures first). this is where the transposition takes place.

e.g. 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nf3 Bb4 7.Bd3 dxc4 8.Bxc4 O-O 9.O-O transposes to

1.d4 nf6 2.c4 e6 3.nc3 bb4 4.e3 O-O 5.Nf3 d5 6.Bd3 c5 7.O-O dxc4 8.Bxc4 cxd4 9.exd4

Dec-15-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Penguincw: Opening of the Day

Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
1.d4 ♘f6 2.c4 e6 3.♘c3 ♗b4 4.e3 O-O 5.♘f3 d5 6.♗d3 c5 7. O-O dxc4 8.♗xc4


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