Best move for black to play for win after 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3?

As the title says:

What's the best move for black to play for a win after 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3?

Classical time controls.

I always used to play the Queen's Indian (3 ... b6) but I'm wondering if perhaps d5 or a6 might be better, or evn Bb4+, Nc6 or Be7.

Thoughts?

I would play 3... d5, but you have to chose a line after 4. Nc3. After 4. Nc3 you can play

- Be7 (this will not offer many winning chances but is very sound)

- Bb4 (the ragozin)

- dxc4 (vienna - very sharp)

- c6 (semi-slav - this may be too much theory to learn with the nimzo)

- c5 (semi tarrasch)

There are other moves that i don't know much about such as Nbd7 and a6.

Thanks for your thoughts, I must admit I do rather like the look of that Vienna variation and also the Ragozin. Perhaps I could try d5 for a while and see how I get on.

Thanks, yeah I have been looking at the Benoni too. It's quite intriguing but I read that it's less popular these days because white can play the Taimanov Attack.

And in regards to your other post, I don't like the look of the position after 4 cxd5 exd5, although I know objectively that it is perfectly playable for both sides. That does rather put me off the QGD.

I think I might have to have a good look at 3 ... a6

In the nimzo move order of the carlsbad white should get nothing since you can go for an early Bf5. That is the advantage of the nimzo move order over the classical QGD.

I wouldn't be too worried about it.

I think the most annoying option for white if your playing for a win is the catalan.

That's very helpful indeed, thank you for going to the trouble of laying it all out so clearly. I guess I really should try out the QGD and see how I get on. There's good reasons why it has been played solidly for hundreds of years by the top echelon players after all!

No problem. Hope you perform well with the QGD and whatever line you picked against 4. Nc3.

3..Nc6!

GM Sam Shankland considers 3..d5 the only correct move from black in that position.

d5 is probably objectively the best move. The other playable moves are b6, Bb4+, and c5. All have minor issues but are playable certainly. Anything else like Nc6 or a6 just looks inferior and frankly bad

c6 and Be7 are probably objectively fine too but make no sense with this move order

ragozin has a lot of similar ideas compared to the nimzo. I allow the transposition sometimes if white goes 4 Nf3.