Opening family
Old Indian Defense Lines and Variations
The Old Indian Defense family contains 14 named lines in this opening book, spanning ECO A41 to A55. Use this page as the map, then open individual lines for exact move orders and diagrams.
How to study this family
White
White should use the move order as a checkpoint: finish development, identify the central break, and compare the continuations below before memorizing moves.
Black
Black should ask what White is threatening in the center, then choose development moves that prepare a clean pawn break or a useful exchange.
Start with the shortest line, then branch to the variations that change the pawn structure or tactical target. Memorizing every branch before understanding the family plan is usually wasted work.
Main named lines
- A41 · Old Indian Defense
- A53 · Old Indian Defense
- A53 · Old Indian Defense: Aged Gibbon Gambit
- A53 · Old Indian Defense: Czech Variation, with Nc3
- A53 · Old Indian Defense: Czech Variation, with Nf3
- A53 · Old Indian Defense: Janowski Variation
- A54 · Old Indian Defense: Tartakower-Indian
- A54 · Old Indian Defense: Ukrainian Variation
- A53 · Old Indian Defense: Janowski Variation, Fianchetto Variation
- A53 · Old Indian Defense: Janowski Variation, Grinberg Gambit
- A53 · Old Indian Defense: Janowski Variation, Main Line
- A54 · Old Indian Defense: Two Knights Variation
- A54 · Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation
- A55 · Old Indian Defense: Normal Variation
Deep theory branches
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nc3 e5 4. e3 Nbd7 5. Bd3 — Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nc3 Nbd7 4. e4 e5 5. Nf3 — Old Indian Defense: Normal Variation
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nc3 Bf5 4. g3 — Old Indian Defense: Janowski Variation, Fianchetto Variation
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nc3 Bf5 4. e4 — Old Indian Defense: Janowski Variation, Grinberg Gambit
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nc3 Bf5 4. f3 — Old Indian Defense: Janowski Variation, Main Line
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nc3 e5 4. Nf3 — Old Indian Defense: Two Knights Variation
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nc3 c6 — Old Indian Defense: Czech Variation, with Nc3
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nf3 c6 — Old Indian Defense: Czech Variation, with Nf3
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nc3 Bf5 — Old Indian Defense: Janowski Variation
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nf3 Bg4 — Old Indian Defense: Tartakower-Indian
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nc3 e5 — Old Indian Defense: Ukrainian Variation
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. g4 — Old Indian Defense: Aged Gibbon Gambit
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 — Old Indian Defense
- 1. d4 d6 2. c4 — Old Indian Defense