Nimzo-Indian: 4.e3 c5 5.Ne2 cxd4 6.exd4 d5
Nimzo-Indian: 4.e3 c5 5.Ne2 cxd4 6.exd4 d5
Definition
This line is a branch of the Nimzo-Indian Defence that begins with the classical Rubenstein System (4.e3) and then adopts the move order 4...c5 5.Ne2 cxd4 6.exd4 d5. Black immediately challenges the centre with ...c5, captures on d4 to simplify, and then strikes again with ...d5, obtaining a solid pawn structure reminiscent of the Tarrasch Defence to the Queen’s Gambit Declined.
Typical Move Order
One common way to reach the position is:
- 1.d4 Nf6
- 2.c4 e6
- 3.Nc3 Bb4 (Nimzo-Indian Defence)
- 4.e3 c5 (Karpov Variation)
- 5.Ne2 cxd4
- 6.exd4 d5
After move 6, the basic structure is fixed: White has a pawn on d4, Black mirrors with a pawn on d5, and the tension on c- and d-files has disappeared. Both sides now develop their minor pieces (e.g., 7.a3 Be7 8.Nf4 0-0) and decide whether to play for an IQP, hanging pawns, or a symmetrical set-up.
Strategic Themes
- Symmetrical Centre: With pawns on d4 and d5, the position is deceptively quiet; however, subtle piece play decides the game.
- Light-Squared Bishop: Because Black traded on d4 early, the typical Nimzo pressure against doubled c-pawns disappears, leaving Black’s light-squared bishop to find new targets on e7, f6, or even h4.
- Breaks with ...c5 & ...e5: Although Black has already played ...c5 and exchanged, later ...c5 (after a recapture) or ...e5 can free his game and put central pressure on White.
- White’s Knight Manoeuvre: The knight on e2 often reroutes via f4 to d3 or h5, aiming at the weak e6-square or pressuring g6 after a later f2-f3 & g2-g4 expansion.
Historical & Theoretical Significance
• Rubenstein System Roots: Akiba Rubinstein pioneered 4.e3 to avoid
doubled c-pawns. The ...c5 early strike was favoured by players such as
Anatoly Karpov in the 1970s, giving the sub-variation its nickname, the
Karpov Variation.
• Modern Use: Top Grandmasters like Ding Liren, Levon Aronian, and
Anish Giri occasionally adopt this set-up when aiming for solid equality
as Black or to sidestep heavy theory as White.
• Relation to Tarrasch Defence: After 6...d5 the structure is
virtually identical to the QGD Tarrasch. Nimzo players therefore gain a
ready-made repertoire crossover.
Illustrative Example
A model encounter showing typical plans:
In the stem game Korchnoi – Karpov, Tilburg 1981, Karpov used this exact structure to neutralise Korchnoi’s initiative, later rerouting his knight to c4 and exploiting weak dark squares to win the endgame.
Typical Plans After 7.a3
- White
- Develop bishop to d3 or e2 and castle short.
- Break with c4-c5 to create an isolated d-pawn position, then place rooks on c1 & d1.
- Use the Ne2-f4 manoeuvre to eye e6 and g6.
- Black
- Maintain symmetrical centre and aim for ...dxc4 followed by ...b5, obtaining a queenside majority.
- Fianchetto the dark-squared bishop with ...b6 & ...Bb7, then pressure e4 after ...Nbd7 & ...e5.
- Exploit the c-file with ...Rc8 & ...Qc7, doubling rooks.
Interesting Facts
- The rapid simplification in this line once led Viktor Korchnoi to call it “an anti-Nimzo: Black voluntarily erases his main trump of doubled c-pawns!”
- Because the queens often leave the board early, a disproportionate number of grandmaster games in this variation end in technical rook-and-minor-piece endgames.
- Anatoly Karpov scored over 80% with Black in this system during the 1970s, helping him secure his Candidates’ triumphs.
- The English grandmaster Michael Adams famously used the line to draw comfortably against Garry Kasparov in Linares 1997, frustrating Kasparov’s preparation.