Anglo-Indian Defense, Old Indian Formation

The Old Indian Formation arises after 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d6 and is one of the setups Black can choose against the King's Knight Variation of the Anglo-Indian Defense. The modest pawn move prepares ...e5 and keeps the bishops flexible. The king's bishop can still go to g7 in King's Indian fashion or to e7 in the Old Indian manner. Unlike 2...d5 or 2...b6, it makes no immediate claim on the light squares in the center. Instead, Black prefers a compact position from which to strike at the dark squares later.

White has three main replies, played about equally often. The first is 3. d4, which takes the game directly into Old Indian or King's Indian territory. The second, 3. Nc3, keeps the d-pawn back and leaves Black to show how to proceed. The third is 3. g3, a fianchetto that keeps the play in English channels. All three are also the engine's preferred moves. The engine gives White a slight edge, and in practice White scores a little better than Black. The formation sits in the middle of the popularity rankings and usually leads to slow maneuvering play rather than early forcing lines.