If White plays Nf3, then just play the Bogo-Indian instead. Bb4+

Hi Nobi,

As Black, I prefer to play Queen's Indian Defense, but right now I'm actually trying to decide which lines I want to play/avoid as White.

One transposition you'll see often is

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5!

This is one of the most meaningful ways to punish white for 2.Nf3 rather than c4. The reason is that white can no longer play the most dangerous versions of the exchange QGD, so white, if he wants to play for a win, basically has to allow one of black's more aggressive options (Tartakower, Cambridge Springs, etc).

I recommend this to black to a lot of players who like the Nimzo. Quite frankly, the Tartakower or CS defense is more aggressive than the queen's indian. Yeah, white can still force an exchange QGD, but with the N on f3 it's not particularly dangerous.

Not sure what you're talking about, but I was referring to 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3.

After 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5, doesn't 3. c4 lead back to a QG?
Otherwise, it does make sense from the Black side of view. As White, there's nothing wrong with sticking to 2. c4 against 1. ...Nf6.
Hopefully that's not too confusing

I meant when he likes the structures of the Nimzo and White avoids the Nimzo, playing the setup d4,c4,Nf3, then he still might enter familiar pawn structures and plans playing the Bogo Indian. I like playing the d6, e5 plan for example.

Yes. The point is that you are now playing a QGD where white no longer has his most dangerous weapon: an exchange QGD without and early Nf3.

The exchange QGD with Nf3 is not particularly dangerous, so to play to win, white has to allow black some dangerous and aggressive counterplay.