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Train this openingAbout this opening
Black fianchettoes on the queenside to fight for e4 with pieces instead of pawns, and the bishop on b7 is the piece to respect for the rest of the game. This is the quiet sister of the Nimzo-Indian, chosen when Black wants a sound game with very little risk. g3 is the most played move here, and it is the principled answer: you fianchetto too, so that the two bishops face each other down the long diagonal and neither gets a free hand. Nc3 is natural but allows Bb4 with a pin. Expect a slow game where small structural gains decide the result.
Plans
- Play g3 and contest the long diagonal with your own bishop.
- Play Nc3 only if you are happy to meet the pin.
- Prepare e4, which is the square both sides are fighting over.
- Trade the light-squared bishops if it leaves you the better structure.
Where the pieces belong
- Bishop: g2, facing its counterpart on the long diagonal
- Knight: c3, adding a defender to e4
- Pawn: d4, the center you already hold
- Rook: e1, backing an eventual push to e4
- Queen: c2, supporting the same key square
Quiet and positional. Both sides fight for e4 with pieces, and the game is usually decided by a small structural gain rather than by an attack.