The Nimzo-Indian Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:
60-509: E33 may refer to: Nimzo-Indian Defense , Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings code HMS E33 European route E33 GE E33 Duta–Ulu Klang Expressway , route E33 in Malaysia [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title formed as a letter–number combination. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
120-462: A "lust to expand". An outside passed pawn is particularly deadly. The point of this is a deflection – while the defending king is preventing the outside passed pawn from queening, the attacking king wins pawns on the other side. Opposition is an important technique that is used to gain an advantage. When two kings are in opposition, they are on the same file (or rank ) with one empty square separating them. The player having
180-578: A comment on the fact that a small advantage in a rook and pawn endgame is less likely to be converted into a win. Mark Dvoretsky said that the statement is "semi-joking, semi-serious". This quotation has variously been attributed to Savielly Tartakower and to Siegbert Tarrasch . Writers Victor Korchnoi , John Emms , and James Howell , attribute the quote to Tartakower, whereas Dvoretsky, Andrew Soltis , Karsten Müller , and Kaufeld & Kern attribute it to Tarrasch. John Watson attributed to Tarrasch "by legend" and says that statistics do not support
240-532: A common type of endgame in practice, occurring in about 10 percent of all games (including ones that do not reach an endgame). These endgames occur frequently because rooks are often the last pieces to be exchanged. The ability to play these endgames well is a major factor distinguishing masters from amateurs. When both sides have two rooks and pawns, the stronger side usually has more winning chances than if each had only one rook. Three rules of thumb regarding rooks are worth noting: An important winning position in
300-586: A decisive incursion by White's bishop) 4... Bd7 5. Bxg6! Two rules given by Luigi Centurini in the 19th century apply: The position in the second diagram shows a winning position for White, although it requires accurate play. A knight pawn always wins if the defending bishop only has one long diagonal available. This position was reached in a game from the 1965 Candidates Tournament between Lajos Portisch and former World Champion Mikhail Tal . White must defend accurately and utilize reciprocal zugzwang . Often he has only one or two moves that avoid
360-449: A definite conclusion, given enough skill and time. An error in a king and pawn endgame almost always turns a win into a draw or a draw into a loss – there is little chance for recovery. Accuracy is most important in these endgames. There are three fundamental ideas in these endgames: opposition , triangulation , and the Réti manoeuvre . This is one of the most basic endgames. A draw results if
420-429: A draw, the defender (the side with fewer pawns) should try to avoid situations in which the queen and rooks are forcibly traded into a losing king and pawn endgame . If there are no pawns, the position is usually drawn, but either side wins in some positions. A queen is equivalent to a rook and bishop plus one pawn. If the queen has an additional pawn it wins, but with difficulty. A rook and bishop plus two pawns win over
480-412: A few pawns. ( Haworth, Guy M C (2009). "Western Chess:Endgame Data" . CentAUR . ) The procedure can be long and difficult. In competition, the fifty-move rule will often result in the game being drawn first. The endgame of king and three knights against king will not normally occur in a game, but it is of theoretical interest. The three knights win. Two of the most common pawnless endgames (when
540-424: A losing position. Black was unable to make any progress and the game was drawn on move 83. Endings with bishops of opposite color , meaning that one bishop works on the light squares, the other one working on dark squares, are notorious for their drawish character. Many players in a poor position have saved themselves from a loss by trading down to such an endgame. They are often drawn even when one side has
600-512: A material advantage tries to exchange pieces but avoids exchanging pawns in the endgame. Some exceptions to this are: Usually, endings with pawns on both sides of the board are easier to win and the first player to promote a pawn to a queen wins if the opponent is unable to do so on the turn immediately after. Max Euwe and Walter Meiden give these five generalizations: Many endings without pawns have been solved , that is, best play for both sides from any starting position can be determined, and
660-416: A material configuration. Some problem composers believe that the endgame starts when the player to move can force a win or a draw against any variation of moves. Alburt and Krogius give three characteristics of an endgame: Mednis and Crouch address the question of what constitutes an endgame negatively. They believe that the game is not in the endgame if these apply: Generally, the player having
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#1732855099463720-439: A pawn by advancing it to the eighth rank . The king , which normally is kept safe during the game, becomes active in the endgame, as it can help escort pawns to promotion, attack enemy pawns, protect other pieces, and restrict the movement of the enemy king. Not all chess games reach an endgame; some of them end earlier. All chess positions with up to seven pieces on the board have been solved by endgame tablebases , so
780-463: A pawn, see Queen versus pawn endgame . The queen and pawn versus queen endgame is the second most common of the "piece and pawn versus piece" endgames, after rook and pawn versus rook . It is very complicated and difficult to play. Human analysts were not able to make a complete analysis before the advent of endgame tablebases . This combination is a win less frequently than the equivalent ending with rooks. The difference in material between
840-427: A rook and a minor piece is about two points or a little less, the equivalent of two pawns. If both sides have pawns, the result essentially depends on how many pawns the minor piece has for the exchange : In an endgame, two minor pieces are approximately equivalent to a rook plus one pawn. The pawn structure is important. The two pieces have the advantage if the opponent's pawns are weak. Initiative
900-453: A static weakness, and gains play against the central light squares d5 and e4, even in those instances where White is able to recapture with a piece after ...Bxc3. By pinning the knight to the king, black indirectly controls the center by preventing the move e4. Black will aim to close the position to reduce the scope of White's bishops. To this end, Black must blockade the white pawn centre from advancing and neutralise White's attacking chances on
960-400: A two-pawn advantage, since the weaker side can create a blockade on the squares on which his bishop operates. The weaker side should often try to make their bishop bad by placing their pawns on the same color of their bishop in order to defend their remaining pawns, thereby creating an impregnable fortress . Current theory is that bishops are better than knights about 60 percent of
1020-574: Is a highly respected defence to 1.d4, is played at all levels and has been played by every world champion since Capablanca . White often plays 3.g3 or 3.Nf3 to avoid the Nimzo-Indian, allowing them to meet 3.Nf3 Bb4+ (the Bogo-Indian Defence ) with 4.Bd2 or 4.Nbd2, rather than 4.Nc3. In the Nimzo-Indian, Black is generally prepared to concede the bishop pair by playing Bxc3. As dynamic compensation, they often double White's c-pawns, which represent
1080-459: Is a rarer fifth option). 4.Nf3 is known as the Kasparov Variation , since Garry Kasparov used it to great effect against Anatoly Karpov in their 1985 World Championship match. Kasparov played 4.Nf3 six times, scoring three wins and three draws. Today as White, this is a favourite weapon of GM Alexei Barsov and former Women's Champion Nona Gaprindashvili . It is also sometimes known as
1140-492: Is a trivial draw, in that checkmate is not even possible. Likewise for king and knight versus king. Two knights cannot force checkmate against a lone king (see Two knights endgame ). While there is a board position that allows two knights to checkmate a lone king, such requires a careless move by the weaker side to execute. If the weaker side also has material (besides the king), checkmate is sometimes possible. The winning chances with two knights are insignificant except against
1200-400: Is in front of the pawn or sufficiently close. The defending king can occupy a square in front of the pawn of the opposite color as the bishop and cannot be driven away. Otherwise the attacker can win. This is a draw if the defending king is in front of the pawn or sufficiently near. The bishop is kept on a diagonal that the pawn must cross, and the knight cannot both block the bishop and drive
1260-472: Is less subject to change. Many endgame studies have been composed; they consist of endgame positions which are solved by finding a win for White when there is no obvious way to win, or finding a draw when White appears to lose. In some compositions, the starting position would be unlikely to occur in an actual game; but if the starting position is not artificial, the composition may be incorporated into endgame theory. Endgames are usually classified based on
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#17328550994631320-485: Is more important in this endgame than any other. The general outcome can be broken down by the number of pawns. Without pawns this is normally drawn, but either side wins in some positions. A queen and pawn are normally equivalent to two rooks, which is usually a draw if both sides have an equal number of additional pawns. Two rooks plus one pawn versus a queen is also generally drawn. Otherwise, if either side has an additional pawn, that side normally wins. While playing for
1380-448: Is reduced to passivity at the a2-square to defend the pawns on a3 and c4. Without prospects for counterplay, White's game is strategically hopeless, and Black ultimately exchanged queens and won the endgame . The Rubinstein System (named after Akiba Rubinstein ) is White's most common method of combating the Nimzo-Indian. Svetozar Gligorić and Lajos Portisch made great contributions to
1440-484: Is that if the weaker side's king can get to the queening square of the pawn, the game is a draw and otherwise it is a win, but there are many exceptions. Generally (but not always), if the defending king can reach the queening square of the pawn the game is a draw (see Philidor position ), otherwise the attacker usually wins (if it is not a rook pawn) (see Lucena position ). The winning procedure can be very difficult and some positions require up to sixty moves to win. If
1500-514: Is the Bronstein Variation , the brainchild of the former world championship finalist David Bronstein . In general, the main line of the Rubinstein has held up very well for Black, so since the 1980s White has begun to look elsewhere for chances of obtaining an advantage. In the Rubinstein, White has often resorted to playing Ne2 rather than Nf3 at some point to be able to recapture on c3 with
1560-404: Is to golf." Any endgame with pieces and pawns has the possibility of simplifying into a pawn ending. In king and pawn endings, an extra pawn is decisive in more than 90 percent of the cases. Getting a passed pawn is crucial (a passed pawn is one which does not have an opposing pawn on its file or on adjacent files on its way to promotion). Nimzowitch once said that a passed pawn has
1620-416: The kingside . An example of Black's strategy carried out successfully is the game Mikhail Botvinnik – Samuel Reshevsky from the 1948 World Chess Championship , which reached the position in the diagram after White's 24th move. Earlier in the game, Reshevsky was able to block White's kingside attack by playing ...Nf6–e8 and ...f7–f5. Now, both White's bishops are reduced to defence, and White's queen
1680-462: The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings , the Nimzo-Indian is classified as E20–E59. This hypermodern opening was developed by Aron Nimzowitsch who introduced it to master-level chess in the early 20th century. Unlike most Indian openings , the Nimzo-Indian does not involve an immediate fianchetto , although Black often follows up with ...b6 and ...Bb7. By pinning White's knight , Black prevents
1740-570: The Botvinnik Variation ). This forces Black to retreat the bishop to e7 or capture on c3, which transposes to a line of the Sämisch Variation long considered good for White because they will undouble their pawns at some point by playing cxd5, eliminating the weak pawn on c4, then prepare the e4 pawn break, backed by the bishop pair (and in some cases with f3, since they haven't committed the knight to that square yet), which will gain force in
1800-449: The middlegame . It begins when few pieces are left on the board. The line between the middlegame and the endgame is often not clear, and may occur gradually or with a quick exchange of pieces. The endgame, however, tends to have different characteristics from the middlegame, and the players have correspondingly different strategic concerns. In particular, pawns become more important as endgames often revolve around attempts to promote
1860-502: The rook and pawn versus rook endgame is the so-called Lucena position . If the side with the pawn can reach the Lucena position, he wins. There are several important drawing techniques, however, such as the Philidor position , the back-rank defense (rook on the first rank, for rook pawns and knight pawns only), the frontal defense , and the short-side defense . A general rule
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1920-407: The attacking rook is two files from the pawn and the defending king is cut off on the other side, the attacker normally wins (with a few exceptions). The rook and pawn versus rook is the most common of the "piece and pawn versus piece" endgames. The most difficult case of a rook and pawn versus a rook occurs when the attacking rook is one file over from the pawn and the defending king is cut off on
1980-455: The b7 square. Black to move draws starting with 1... Nc4 because White cannot gain a tempo . Bishop and pawn endgames come in two distinctly different variants. If the opposing bishops go on the same color of square, the mobility of the bishops is a crucial factor. A bad bishop is one that is hemmed in by pawns of its own color, and has the burden of defending them. The adjacent diagram, from Molnar–Nagy, Hungary 1966, illustrates
2040-510: The check with 4.Nc3. In the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings , the Nimzo-Indian Defence has codes E20 to E59. All codes begin with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4, excluding E20, which also includes alternatives to 3...Bb4 apart from 3...d5 (which would be the Queen's Gambit Declined ). Endgame (chess) The endgame (or ending ) is the final stage of a chess game which occurs after
2100-468: The concepts of good bishop versus bad bishop, opposition, zugzwang , and outside passed pawn. White wins with 1. e6! (vacating e5 for his king) 1... Bxe6 2. Bc2! (threatening Bxg6) 2... Bf7 3. Be4! (threatening Bxc6) 3... Be8 4. Ke5! (seizing the opposition [i.e. the kings are two orthogonal squares apart, with the other player on move] and placing Black in zugzwang—he must either move his king, allowing White's king to penetrate, or his bishop, allowing
2160-436: The defending king away. Otherwise, the attacker can win. Rook and pawn endgames are often drawn in spite of one side having an extra pawn. (In some cases, two extra pawns are not enough to win.) An extra pawn is harder to convert to a win in a rook and pawn endgame than any other type of endgame except a bishop endgame with bishops on opposite colors. Rook endings are probably the deepest and most well studied endgames. They are
2220-421: The defending king can reach the square in front of the pawn or the square in front of that (or capture the pawn). If the attacking king can prevent that, the king will assist the pawn in being promoted to a queen or rook, and checkmate can be achieved. A rook pawn is an exception because the king may not be able to get out of the way of its pawn. Knight and pawn endgames feature clever manoeuvring by
2280-518: The defense has a piece in addition to the king) are (1) a queen versus a rook and (2) a rook and bishop versus a rook. A queen wins against a rook — see Queen versus rook endgame . A rook and bishop versus a rook is generally a theoretical draw, but the defense is difficult and there are winning positions (see Rook and bishop versus rook endgame ). King and pawn endgames involve only kings and pawns on one or both sides. International Master Cecil Purdy said, "Pawn endings are to chess as putting
2340-399: The flank at the greatest possible distance from the attacking king. Nothing less than a distance of three files makes it possible for the rook to keep on giving check. Otherwise it would ultimately be attacked by the king. The defending king must stand on the smaller part of the board. (See the short side defense at Rook and pawn versus rook endgame .) The context of this quote shows it is
2400-407: The king and knight must be covering squares in the pawn's path. If the pawn reaches the seventh rank and is supported by its king and knight, it usually promotes and wins. In this position, White to move wins: 1. b6 Nb7! 2. Ne6! Na5 3. Kc8! N-any 4. Nc7# . If Black plays the knight to any other square on move 2, White plays Kc8 anyway, threatening b7+ and promotion if the knight leaves the defense of
2460-493: The king). Alternatively, they are positions in which the king can be used actively, but there are some famous exceptions to that. Minev characterizes endgames as positions having four or fewer pieces other than kings and pawns. Fine considers endgames to be positions without queens . Flear considers endgames to be positions where both players have at most one piece (other than kings and pawns) whereas Dvoretsky considers them to be positions in which at least one player has such
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2520-423: The knight, thus avoiding the doubled pawns. Two lines where White does this (following 4.e3 0-0) are: Black puts pressure on d4 and leaves open the option of playing ...d5, or ...d6 and ...e5. The game can still transpose to the main line mentioned above after moves such as 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 0-0 7.0-0, but there are two major variations particular to 4...c5: Favoured by Nimzowitsch, 4...b6 is a move in accordance with
2580-411: The knights to capture opponent pawns. While a knight is poor at chasing a passed pawn, it is the ideal piece to block a passed pawn. Knights cannot lose a tempo , so knight and pawn endgames have much in common with king and pawn endgames. As a result, Mikhail Botvinnik stated, “A knight ending is really a pawn ending.” This is generally a draw since the knight can be sacrificed for the pawn, however,
2640-467: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=E33&oldid=932804591 " Category : Letter–number combination disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Nimzo-Indian Defense Other move orders, such as 1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.d4 Bb4, are also feasible. In
2700-471: The main move is 5.g3, which leads to a position that also arises from the Fianchetto Variation. 5.g3 cxd4 6.Nxd4 0-0 7.Bg2 d5 8.cxd5 Nxd5 can be considered the main line. Black has dissolved White's centre, but the bishop on g2 exerts pressure on the black queenside, which White may augment with 9.Qb3. This line can also arise from the Bogo-Indian Defence (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+) if White blocks
2760-515: The more open type of position which will ensue. 4...Nc6 is the Taimanov Variation , named after Russian GM Mark Taimanov . Black prepares to play ...e5, which may be preceded by...d5 and ...dxc4, or ...d6. The variation was tried several times by the young Bobby Fischer , and has long been favoured by GM Nukhim Rashkovsky . Black's most flexible and frequently played response is 4...0-0. The main line continues 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.0-0, reaching
2820-456: The move loses the opposition. That player must move the king and allow the opponent's king to advance. However, the opposition is a means to an end, which is penetration into the enemy position. The attacker should try to penetrate with or without the opposition. The tactics of triangulation and zugzwang as well as the theory of corresponding squares are often decisive. Unlike most positions, king and pawn endgames can usually be analyzed to
2880-411: The other side. Siegbert Tarrasch gave the following rules for this case: For a player defending against a pawn on the fifth or even sixth ranks to obtain a draw, even after his king has been forced off the queening square, the following conditions must obtain: The file on which the pawn stands divides the board into two unequal parts. The defending rook must stand in the longer part and give checks from
2940-492: The outcome (win, loss, or draw) is known. For example, the following are all wins for the side with pieces: See Wikibooks – Chess/The Endgame for a demonstration of the first two checkmates, which are generally taught in textbooks as basic knowledge. The last two are sometimes taught as basic knowledge as well, although the procedure for mate with bishop and knight is relatively difficult and many tournament players do not know it. The ending of king and bishop versus king
3000-454: The outcome (win, loss, or draw) of best play by both sides in such positions is known, and endgame textbooks teach this best play. However, most endgames are not solved, so textbooks teach useful strategies and tactics about them. The body of chess theory devoted to endgames is known as endgame theory. Compared to opening theory, which changes frequently, giving way to middlegame positions that fall in and out of popularity, endgame theory
3060-480: The position in the diagram. White has completed their kingside development, while Black has claimed their share of the centre. At this point, the most important continuations are: After 7...dxc4 8.Bxc4, Black also has two rare alternatives on their eighth move worth mentioning: 8...Qe7 intending ...Rd8 is the Smyslov Variation , invented by former world champion Vasily Smyslov , and 8...Bd7 followed by ...Bc6
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#17328550994633120-620: The purely descriptive Three Knights Variation . White develops the knight to a natural square and waits to see Black's reply. 4...d5 transposes to the Ragozin Defence of the Queen's Gambit Declined and 4...b6 5.Bg5 Bb7 transposes to the Nimzo/Queen's Indian hybrid line, so 4...c5 is the most common move that stays within Nimzo-Indian territory. Now 5.e3 transposes to the Rubinstein System, but
3180-451: The queen can escort it to the queening square alone. The advancement of the passed pawn outweighs the number of pawns. The defender must resort to perpetual check . These endings are frequently extremely long affairs. For an example of a queen and pawn endgame see Kasparov versus the World – Kasparov won although he had fewer pawns because his was more advanced. For the ending with a queen versus
3240-501: The spirit of the Nimzo-Indian: Black fianchettoes their light-squared bishop to increase their control over e4. White usually continues 5.Ne2, avoiding the doubled pawns, or 5.Bd3, continuing their development (5.Nf3 usually transposes to 5.Bd3). The main variations emerging from these moves are: The Classical or Capablanca Variation was popular in the early days of the Nimzo-Indian, and though eventually superseded by 4.e3 it
3300-496: The statement. Benko wonders if it was due to Vasily Smyslov . Attributing the quote to Tarrasch may be a result of confusion between this quote and the Tarrasch rule concerning rooks. The source of the quote is currently unresolved. Benko noted that although the saying is usually said with tongue in cheek, it is truer in practice than one might think. In queen and pawn endings , passed pawns have paramount importance, because
3360-401: The theory and practice of this line at top level during their careers. White continues their development before committing to a definite plan of action. In reply, Black has three main moves to choose from: 4...0-0, 4...c5, and 4...b6. In addition, Black sometimes plays 4...d5 or 4...Nc6. The move 4...d5 can transpose to lines arising from 4...0-0, but White has the extra option of 5.a3 (known as
3420-504: The threatened 4.e4 and seeks to inflict doubled pawns on White. White will attempt to create a pawn centre and develop their pieces to prepare for an assault on the Black position. Black's delay in committing to a pawn structure makes the Nimzo-Indian (sometimes colloquially referred to as the "Nimzo") a very flexible defence to 1.d4 . It can also transpose into lines of the Queen's Gambit or Queen's Indian Defence . The Nimzo-Indian
3480-416: The time in the endgame. The more symmetrical the pawn structure , the better it is for the knight. The knight is best suited at an outpost in the center, particularly where it cannot easily be driven away, whereas the bishop is strongest when it can attack targets on both sides of the board or a series of squares of the same color. Fine and Benko give four conclusions: This is a draw if the defending king
3540-458: The type of pieces that remain. There is no strict criterion for when an endgame begins, and different authors have different opinions. The former World Chess Champion Alexander Alekhine said, "We cannot define when the middle game ends and the endgame starts." Using the standard system for chess piece relative value , Speelman considers that endgames are positions in which each player has thirteen or fewer points in material (not counting
3600-558: Was revived in the 1990s; it is now just as popular as the Rubinstein. White aims to acquire the two bishops without compromising their pawn structure. The drawback is that the queen will move at least twice within the opening moves and that White's kingside development is delayed. Thus, even though White possesses the bishop pair, it is usually advisable for Black to open the game quickly to exploit their lead in development. Black has four common replies to 4.Qc2. These include 4...0-0, 4...c5, 4...d5, and 4...Nc6 (4...d6 intending ...Nbd7 and ...e5
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