The Evergreen against the Nimzo-Indian
The modest looking 4.e3 can be traced back to the Polish master Akiba Rubinstein (1882–1961), who played it from the 1920s on. In the 1940s it became Botvinnik’s favourite weapon against the Nimzo-Indian, and right till the end of the 1980s, as 4.Qc2 became more and more popular, it remained the number one choice against 3...Bb4 in grandmaster chess.
Rubinstein’s original idea was to follow up quickly with Nge2 and so avoid the doubling of the c-pawn. He did not fear an immediate 4...Bxc3+, since in comparison to the Sämisch Variation White has played instead of a3 the more useful move e3. But 4.e3 can also be combined with the natural move Nf3 and a rapid development of the kingside (Bd3, 0-0), and systems such as Bd3 and Nge2 are also possible. All this highlights the great flexibility of the Rubinstein Variation – which is one of the reasons for its long-lasting popularity.
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