Starting from 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bg5 h6 5.Bh4 c5 6.d5 d6, players enter the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation, Benoni Defense — ECO E31. With 7,757 games on record, the patterns below come from the largest practical sample available.
History and Notable Players
It arises from the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation. On the White side, Jan H Timman (11 games), Dorian Rogozenco (9 games), Lluis Comas Fabrego (6 games) top the database. Notable Black exponents: Mihai Suba (5 games), Paul Keres (4 games), Craig William Pritchett (4 games).
Move Diversity and Theory Depth
What players actually play after the opening moves depends heavily on rating. At 1200 Elo, the top reply is Nf3, played 23.8% of the time. There are 6 other moves seeing meaningful share, and 64.3% of games stick to established theory. Entropy: 2.85. By 2500, e3 dominates at 82.7% of replies; only 1 viable alternatives remain and 89.8% of moves are theory. Entropy drops to 1.13. The narrowing is significant — strong players consolidate around a small set of best moves, while amateurs scatter across many plausible-looking options.
Common Mistakes
- Neglecting development — Extra pawn moves in the opening are tempting, especially when you "know the moves". Developing a piece each turn is the simple correction.
- Letting White own the centre — Hypermodern openings concede central space on purpose, but only if you strike back in time. Delay the counter-blow and you end up squeezed.
Practice on Chessiverse
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