Classical Variation

The Classical Variation is the long-standing main line of the Queen's Indian Fianchetto Variation. Both bishops face each other on the long diagonal, and after 6. O-O the play turns on control of e4. Black almost always castles, and 6...O-O is far more common than 6...d6 or 6...d5. The Traditional Variation, 7. Nc3, usually goes 7...Ne4 8. Qc2 Nxc3 9. Qxc3. White has more space, but Black has no weaknesses and can free the game with ...c5, ...f5 or ...Be4. The line's tendency toward draws makes it a dependable choice for Black when a half-point is enough. To keep more tension, White can answer 7. Nc3 Ne4 with 8. Bd2, which protects the knight and prepares d4-d5. The Tiviakov Defense, 7. Nc3 Na6, is a less common alternative for Black.

The sharpest try is 7. d5, a pawn sacrifice introduced by Arturo Pomar. In the Polugaevsky Gambit, 7...exd5 8. Nh4, the knight threatens to win back the d5-pawn or jump to f5. The Taimanov Gambit, 7...exd5 8. Nd4, sends the knight to the center instead. White scores slightly better in the database, and the engine judges the position to be close to balanced.