What Nimzo-Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation puts on the board
Material is level, with black to move.
White has central pawns on d4.
White can still castle either side; Black can still castle either side.
What White is trying to build
Use the bishop pair when it is gained and decide how to manage doubled c-pawns.
Develop quickly enough that the centre cannot be attacked before it is supported.
How Black challenges it
Pressure e4 and control the centre with pieces.
Choose whether to damage White’s structure with …Bxc3 or preserve the bishop.
The tactical pattern to recognise
A pin on c3 can make e4 difficult to establish.
Doubled c-pawns can control central squares while leaving fixed targets.
What to check before committing
Treating doubled pawns as automatically bad instead of using their central control.
Giving up the dark-squared bishop without gaining structure or time.
Choose the next book move
Preview a move to see the resulting position and the idea behind it. Select it to continue on the same board.
Reference links and alternate move orders
Move orders
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a31.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 O-O1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 c5 6.e31.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 O-O 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc31.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.f3 d5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7.cxd51.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 c5 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 O-O
Related variations
- Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation
- Nimzo-Indian Defense: Dilworth Gambit
- Nimzo-Indian Defense: Kmoch Variation
- Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation
- Nimzo-Indian Defense: Mikenas Attack
- Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation
- Nimzo-Indian Defense: Ragozin Defense
- Nimzo-Indian Defense: Ragozin Variation
- Nimzo-Indian Defense: Reshevsky Variation
- Nimzo-Indian Defense: Romanishin Variation
- Nimzo-Indian Defense: Rubinstein System
- Nimzo-Indian Defense: Simagin Variation