Ever since Nimzowitsch introduced his flexible, dynamic defence to the queen's pawn, debate has raged over White's best reply. Many variations have been in and out of fashion, but one line in particular has proved an enduring weapon - the sound and solid 4 e3 line, known as the Rubinstein Variation. The 4 e3 Nimzo is extraordinarily rich in strategy. All manner of different central pawn-structures can arise, such as the blocked centre characteristic of the Hübner Variation and a variety of IQP positions. Moreover, in some lines the central tension persists well into the middlegame. The 4 e3 Nimzo provides a stern test of both players' understanding of chess, and so is an ideal choice for those who are looking to win as either colour.

Carsten Hansen is a FIDE Master from Denmark who currently lives in Los Angeles. He has a reputation for writing well-researched, thorough books on major opening systems, and is known to many through his painstaking reviews on the ChessCafe web site. This is his third book for Gambit.

"...The Nimzo-Indian 4.e3 is one of the better opening books to appear in the last few years. Hansen easily passes the test that I posed regarding attentive interest and involvement by the author. Also, you can't help but learn about positional play from this book." - John Watson

"Amazingly, the Nimzo-Indian has been neglected in chess literature for the past several years. ... Mr. Hansen's book provides a new standard reference and would be a welcome addition to most chess player's libraries. The publication quality is excellent with clear text, plenty of diagrams, opaque paper and solid binding. I'd give it a rating of three and a half (out of four possible) stars." - Daniel Lucas, GEORGIA CHESS

"For all serious club players and international players who play the Nimzo as Black or 4 e3 as White this very up-to-date survey is essential reading." - Richard Palliser

"This book provides truly encyclopaedic coverage of a very popular line in the Nimzo-Indian... an invaluable reference tool" - Alan Sutton, EN PASSANT

"This is clearly a labor of love, and Hansen has tried to make it as comprehensive as possible. ... The range and depth of coverage is excellent for both sides and Hansen has worked very hard to be objective about the positions for either color." - Kelly Atkins, Chessville.com

"When you combine strong research with an author's ability to explain what is happening in key variations, then sprinkle in strong production values, you end up with an outstanding book on a key line in modern chess theory. As a practitioner of the defense in question, I can only say, 'thank you.'" Randy Bauer, CHESSOPOLIS

"Carsten Hansen has written the largest book l've seen to come out of Gambit (320 pages). When you realise that the simple move 4 Bxc3+ can transpose into the Hübner Variation covered in 13 pages or into one of the Modern Variations in which there are 33 pages, you start to realise that a book on the Rubinstein Variation of the Nimzo-lndian needs to be this big. Don't be mistaken though, this isn't a dry theory book but has a well-written interesting text with all the relative theory needed to start to play 4 e3 in the Nimzo-lndian, or if you play against this opening as black." - Michael Stevenson, NZ CHESS

Download a pdf file with a sample from the book.

Gambit books by Carsten Hansen: Gambit Guide to the English Opening 1...e5, Improve Your Positional Chess, The Nimzo-Indian: 4 e3, The Symmetrical English.