Neo-Old Indian: 2.g3

Neo-Old Indian: 2.g3

Definition

The Neo-Old Indian (ECO A48–A49) is reached after the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.g3. White forgoes the usual 2.c4 in favour of an immediate kingside fianchetto with Bg2. In older texts the line was grouped under the “Old Indian Defence,” but because the modern move order delays …d6 and …e5 it gained the prefix “Neo-.” You will also encounter the names Fianchetto System and East Indian Defence; all describe the same position.

How It Is Used

By inserting 2.g3 White keeps the position flexible while sidestepping a host of pet-line openings:

• Prevents Black from steering into the Nimzo-Indian or Queen’s Indian (…e6, …Bb4 or …Bb7 before c-pawns are committed).
• Allows transpositions into
  • the King’s Indian Fianchetto after …g6 …Bg7;
  • the Grünfeld Defence after …d5 …g6;
  • the Catalan if White later plays 3.Nf3 4.c4 followed by g3-Catalan schemes.
• Retains the option of an English-style structure with c2-c4 or a King’s Indian Attack with Nf3, Nbd2, e2-e4.

Strategic Ideas

1. Dark-square control. The fianchettoed bishop takes aim at d5 and e4, restricting Black’s central expansion.
2. Positional flexibility. Because the c-pawn is uncommitted, White can choose between c2-c4 (gaining space) or c2-c3 (solid).
3. Delayed central tension. White often refrains from an early c4 or e4, inviting Black to over-extend or declare their pawn structure first.
4. Safe king. A quick kingside castle combined with the fianchetto makes direct attacks against the white king difficult.

Typical Black Set-ups

• 2…d5 – Grünfeld/KID hybrid after 3.Bg2 g6, or a Catalan formation after 3.Nf3 e6 4.c4.
• 2…g6 – Pure King’s Indian or Grünfeld depending on whether Black follows with …d6 or …d5.
• 2…e6 – A Queen’s-Indian-style position without …Bb4 because the bishop’s route is blocked by the knight.
• 2…c5 – Benoni/Benko structures; White may strike with d5 or maintain tension with Nf3 & c4.
• 2…d6 – Only now resembling the “classical” Old Indian after 3.Bg2 e5, but the inclusion of g3 adds new subtleties.

Historical Background

The idea of meeting 1…Nf6 with an immediate g2-g3 emerged in the early 20th century, but it was popularised after World War II by grandmasters such as Miguel Najdorf and Svetozar Gligorić who appreciated its transpositional value. Bobby Fischer used it to avoid Efim Geller’s preparation in Fischer – Geller, Stockholm 1962, and it has remained a practical weapon into the computer era, employed by Vladimir Kramnik, Magnus Carlsen, and top rapid-play specialists.

Illustrative Game

Kramnik – Anand, Linares 1997 showcased the strategic richness of 2.g3. Kramnik steered the game into a Catalan-type middlegame, slowly squeezed the queenside, and converted an extra pawn in the endgame.

[[Pgn| d4|Nf6|g3|d5|Bg2|g6|Nf3|Bg7|O-O|O-O|c4|dxc4|Qc2|a6|Qxc4|Nc6|Nc3|Bg4|Rd1 ]]

Interesting Facts & Anecdotes

• Grandmaster Boris Spassky once joked that 2.g3 is “the lazy man’s Queen’s Gambit”—you develop the bishop first and worry about the centre later.
• Because the move order avoids an early c-pawn advance, many opening databases count the variation under King’s Indian Attack statistics, giving practical players extra surprise value.
• In modern engine evaluations, the Neo-Old Indian scores slightly above 54 % for White in blitz time controls (), yet remains under-analysed compared to mainstream Catalan theory.
• Magnus Carlsen used the set-up against Sergey Karjakin (Tata Steel 2012) and won a model endgame in 90 moves, praising the opening’s “play-for-two-results” nature.