## Chess openings: What is the Bogo-Indian Defense?

Learn how to use the Bogo-Indian Defense to level up your game!

Learning openings requires understanding chess notation, the system for naming pieces and moves. [Get a refresher on chess notation here](https://blog.duolingo.com/chess-notation/)!

## Bogo-Indian Defense: 4 quick facts

- The Bogo-Indian Defense is named after creator [Efim Bogoljubow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efim_Bogoljubow?ref=blog.duolingo.com), and sometimes nicknamed just “the Bogo.”
- It’s a [positional](https://blog.duolingo.com/popular-chess-openings/#positional), strategic opening, with fewer [tactical](https://blog.duolingo.com/popular-chess-openings/#tactical) [lines](https://blog.duolingo.com/popular-chess-openings/#line) than some others. Because it starts out with a [check](https://preview.duolingo.com/chess/terms/what-is-check-in-chess?ref=blog.duolingo.com) by Black, it limits White’s potential responses and setups and requires less [theoretical knowledge](https://blog.duolingo.com/popular-chess-openings/#theory) than other openings.
- The Bogo is one of the Indian Defenses—a group of [hypermodern](https://blog.duolingo.com/popular-chess-openings/#hypermodern) openings that all begin with 1. d4 Nf6. Because they share this starting point, the Bogo-Indian Defense is closely related to the Queen’s Indian Defense, the [King’s Indian Defense](https://blog.duolingo.com/kings-indian-defense/), and the [Nimzo-Indian Defense](https://blog.duolingo.com/nimzo-indian-defense/). These openings often overlap in ideas and can sometimes reach the same positions through different move orders, a phenomenon known as [transposition](https://blog.duolingo.com/popular-chess-openings/#transposition).
- While it’s a sound opening, the Bogo is less popular and appears less frequently at the [top levels](https://blog.duolingo.com/how-to-become-a-chess-grandmaster/) than some of the other Indian Defenses.

## Bogo-Indian Defense: the moves

Here are the moves for the Bogo-Indian Defense:

1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 e6
3. Nf3 Bb4+

## Keep it simple and solid

Try the Bogo-Indian Defense if you want a flexible, positional option for Black against [1. d4](https://blog.duolingo.com/popular-chess-openings/#d4)!  
If you’re looking for more openings, check out [our guide featuring over 30 options](https://blog.duolingo.com/popular-chess-openings/) for every skill level!