Ultimate-trashtalker wrote:
Yeah I think the computer wants to play A6 QGD
You're correct in that Stockfish's top line after this position transposes to this. If this was the only good continuation, that would probably be the end of it. But there seem to be some other independent lines that don't involve an immediate d5 that the engine also approves of (mostly involving Bb4, like a Nimzo, although apparently b5 is even possible after Nc3). And if White doesn't play 4. Nc3 it gets even more interesting. There is probably nothing that is absolutely revolutionary, but there seems to be at least a little bit of fresh territory here.
Sometimes I like to play around with Stockfish in order to find interesting and underused lines that are still playable. I was surprised to find one unorthodox line getting a pretty decent evaluation so early on in the Indian Defence (0.35 at depth 50): 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nf3 a6.
Orthodoxy says that after 3. Nf3, ... d5 (for a QGD) or b6 (for a Queen's Indian) are pretty well the only two options Black has if Black wants to seriously challenge White, unless Black wants to use ...Bb4+ (the Bogo-Indian) as a drawing weapon. But it looks to me like a6 is an interesting alternative. Of course, the reason that this is seldom played (around 500 total games in Chess.com's database, and actually scoring decently for Black) is likely because it isn't obvious why a6 should be a good move here. The knight hasn't even gone to c3 yet, and Black isn't developing anything or fighting for the centre. At the same time, White surely wants the knight to go to c3 eventually (Stockfish suggests it as White's next move), and you can already see how Black might aim for structures reminiscent of the Sicilian, leading to very different games than a QID would. Here are the first ten moves of one of Stockfish's top lines, for instance:
Of course, it isn't quite a Sicilian since White hasn't even played e4, but that makes the theoretical potential seem even richer for me.
Plugging this into Chess.com's analysis board tells me that this line is called the Dzindzi-Indian Defence, but all of the material online that discusses a defence by that name seems to refer to a variation of the Modern Defence that's also known as the Beefeater. I have no interest in that opening, but I'm highly intrigued by this one. I could analyze it much further and play it myself of course, but first I'd like to check if anyone with a deeper chess history knowledge than me knows of any resources that treat this variation at all. I'm surprised I haven't seen it in some Richard Rapport game or a Magnus blitz game or something. Like the Sicilian Kan, I kind of love the fact that this looks a little bit dumb but seems to end up being completely sound with some real ideas behind it. I certainly wouldn't say it's a better option than the QGD, and I'd say the ideas behind the QID are clearer, but I feel like this opening has potential beyond just being a "surprise weapon". Can anyone recommend an obscure book or article to me (presumably by Roman Dzindzichashvili who I'm guessing this is named after), or am I on my own if I want to explore this further?