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Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 (E47)
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e3 O-O 5 Bd3

Number of games in database: 1199
Years covered: 1921 to 2023
Overall record:
   White wins 36.4%
   Black wins 28.3%
   Draws 35.4%

Popularity graph, by decade

Explore this opening  |  Search for sacrifices in this opening.
PRACTITIONERS
With the White Pieces With the Black Pieces
Svetozar Gligoric  15 games
Aleksej Aleksandrov  13 games
Pavel Tregubov  12 games
Boris Spassky  7 games
Radoslaw Wojtaszek  7 games
Jan Adamski  7 games
NOTABLE GAMES [what is this?]
White Wins Black Wins
Petrosian vs Spassky, 1969
V Vukovic vs L Endzelins, 1936
J Sajtar vs Pachman, 1943
P Johner vs Nimzowitsch, 1926
Korchnoi vs Karpov, 1978
Botvinnik vs Bronstein, 1951
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 page 1 of 48; games 1-25 of 1,199  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. Alekhine vs Bogoljubov ½-½511921Alekhine - BogoljubovE47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
2. P Johner vs Nimzowitsch 0-1401926DresdenE47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
3. V Vukovic vs Colle  0-1731927KecskemetE47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
4. P Johner vs Capablanca 0-1481929KarlsbadE47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
5. W Winter vs E Steiner 1-0231930Hamburg OlympiadE47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
6. Sultan Khan vs R P Michell 1-0251930Hastings 1930/31E47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
7. Bogoljubov vs H Johner  1-0321931Prague OlympiadE47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
8. S Erdelyi vs H Johner  1-0271931Prague OlympiadE47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
9. E E Book vs R Krogius  0-1481932Finnish Championship MatchE47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
10. E E Book vs R Krogius  ½-½281932Finnish Championship MatchE47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
11. Reshevsky vs Denker ½-½55193435th Western Championship. FinalE47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
12. Eliskases vs W Henneberger 0-1271934Bad LiebwerdaE47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
13. J Nielsen vs Szabo  ½-½691935Warsaw OlympiadE47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
14. G Podolny vs A Budo  0-1651936All-Union 1st CategoryE47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
15. V Vukovic vs L Endzelins  1-0331936non-FIDE Munich OlympiadE47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
16. L Kremer vs K S Ojanen  1-0211936non-FIDE Munich OlympiadE47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
17. Petrov vs E Andersen ½-½691936non-FIDE Munich OlympiadE47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
18. Barcza vs A Becker ½-½481937Correspondence OlympiadE47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
19. W Ernst vs Bogoljubov  1-0391937Bad SaarowE47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
20. Reshevsky vs Tartakower  ½-½511937KemeriE47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
21. S Gotthilf vs Sokolsky  1-0381938Trade Unions ChampionshipE47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
22. S Gotthilf vs V Chekhover  ½-½56193811th USSR Championship SemifinalE47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
23. S Landau vs P Schmidt 1-0521938NoordwijkE47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
24. Reshevsky vs Keres ½-½471938AVROE47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
25. Gligoric vs B Rabar 1-0281939ZagrebE47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
 page 1 of 48; games 1-25 of 1,199  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)  

Kibitzer's Corner
Feb-03-05  akashic: 4... 0-0 is way too passive. 4... c5 is much better in my opinion.
Feb-03-05  dragon40: <akashic> I do not know if 4..c5 is better, but it is certainly more forcing! 4...0-0 is a good, flexible move for the black pieces. I guess it is all in the way that you wish to play your set-up. the Nimzo is so full of transpositions and well-rehearsed variations that it is very important that no matter what your preference that you understand why you like it and what to expect as far as typical positions and set-ups coming from that opening. I am a D pawn player as White, and I have faced far more 4...0-0 against the Nimzo, but again, I like to play the Classical variation of this opening, 4. Qc2 as a rule; unless I plan to use the setup with 4. E3, and 5. Ne2 instead. All a matter of preference! :)
Feb-03-05  Poisonpawns: I like 4.Bg5 as white!
Mar-11-05  dragon40: <poisonpawns> That is a very sharp variation, and you are in good company. Boris Spassky really worked it into a system, and Jan Timman had been using it in his prime as well! These days, at least at the GM level, it is not too popular, having been "de-fanged" as it were, and most players of the black pieces know the way to equality. At the lower levels though, it can be a very useful weapon, especially if Black treats it lightly and is not paying attention!
Jun-01-09  Amarande: 4 ... 0-0 seems more flexible indeed. It allows ... c5 to be delayed to a point when the Nimzo branching is more definitely established, and the relative usefulness of having played this move early is determined.

Particularly, in terms of Pawn structure, it seems Nimzo lines tend to fall into two categories, which depend on Black's early pawn moves and the circumstances around ... Bxc3 (which is usually all but forced at some point):

a) Where Black eschews ... d5, AND White must recapture at c3 with the pawn.

b) Where Black plays ... d5, and/or White can recapture at c3 with a piece.

In lines that end up in the a) type, an early ... c5 is virtually mandatory. Black's chief advantage in such variations is the weak White pawn at c4, and were this pawn allowed to advance, that advantage would *greatly* decrease (possibly vanishing altogether). However, it can usually be played after making the exchange on c3 (even if this leaves Pc5 unguarded, dxc5 is generally really a bad idea for White).

On the other hand, variations of the b) type seem to have a tendency to adopt a more QGD-like formation. (Given the significant advantage White usually gets in the QGD, one might even suspect these variations of being outright *bad* for Black, though I have not heard of them being directly refuted.) Here Black normally needs to play ... c5 eventually, to avoid being crushed in the center - but as Black also does not have a significant positional advantage that would be in immediate danger of vanishing if he did not play ... c5 immediately, he can afford to delay the move until completing his development rather than using an early opening tempo to do so.

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