Chess Openings - The Queen's Indian Defense
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1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 e6
3. Nf3 b6
The moves 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 lead to the Queen's Indian Defense. Black intends to fianchetto his Queen's Bishop at b7, and undermine white's centre from a distance (following the hypermodern theme). The opening allows black to establish a solid position that is difficult to crack.
The Nimzo-Indian and Queen's Indian - in tandem - make a complete defensive set to the Queen's Pawn Opening.
How Common is the Queen's Indian Defense?
Uncommon at the Master Level
Rare at the Novice Level
The Queen's Indian is a less ambitious line than the Nimzo-Indian and King's Indian Defenses, and is also less popular. Expect to face it in about 5% of Indian Defense games overall - though novices rarely employ the defense.
Part of the reason for the decreased popularity, is that White will often avoid 3. Nf3 in favour of 3. Nc3, as the Queen's Indian is considered harder to bust than the Nimzo-Indian.