Anglo-Indian Defense, Queen's Knight Variation

The Queen's Knight Variation, 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 (ECO A16), is the most popular second move against the Anglo-Indian Defense. The knight adds a second piece trained on d5 and prepares e2-e4, while White's d-pawn and king's knight stay at home. Compared with 2. Nf3, the move keeps the f-pawn unblocked and leaves e4 available before Nf3. Several of White's ways of sidestepping Black's favorite Indian setups depend on that option. Black's second move decides most of what follows.

The most frequent answer, chosen in roughly a third of games, is 2...g6. White then has to decide whether to allow a Grünfeld. With 3. d4 d5 the game becomes an ordinary Grünfeld Defense, a position usually reached through 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5. The immediate 3. e4 takes ...d5 out of the position, and Black is then more or less committed to King's Indian structures after 3...d6. The Anti-Anti-Grünfeld, 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. e4, applies the same idea one move later.

The next most common reply, 2...e6, keeps Nimzo-Indian and Queen's Indian setups in view, and 3. Nf3 Bb4 gives the Nimzo-English. White can instead answer with 3. e4, the Mikenas-Carls Variation. This line is forcing and tactical, and Black needs concrete preparation for it. Its main line is the Flohr Variation, 3...d5 4. e5 d4 5. exf6 dxc3 6. bxc3 Qxf6, which leaves both sides with damaged pawn structures. Black's alternatives at move three include 3...Nc6, the Kevitz Variation, and 3...c5, which aims for Sicilian-type positions.

With 2...e5 Black enters the Reversed Sicilian through the King's English Two Knights Variation. Further development leads to the Four Knights English and the Bremen System. The reply 2...d5 gives the Anglo-Grünfeld. After 3. cxd5 Nxd5, White keeps the d-pawn back instead of building a big center, and the game follows Grünfeld themes without a white pawn on d4. Botvinnik played 4. g3 here several times in his 1958 world championship match with Smyslov. Black can also head for the Symmetrical English with a later ...c5.

Because most of its branches transpose, the variation's theoretical load depends on which structure the players reach. Maneuvering positions predominate, and the Mikenas-Carls is the clear exception. The engine regards the position as roughly balanced. White scores slightly better in practice, and draws are uncommon in online play.