Queen's Indian Variation

After 1. b4 e6 2. Bb2 Nf6 3. b5, Black plays 3...b6 to fianchetto the queen's bishop on b7. That bishop then contests the long diagonal against White's b2-bishop, in the manner of the Queen's Indian Defense. The b5-pawn keeps a black knight off c6. White most often continues 4. e3. Of the main tries, 4. a4, which supports the advanced pawn, scores best for White, while 4. c4 has favored Black. The position is roughly balanced and results are close to even.