Nimzo-Indian Defense win rate

White scored 52.5% (margin 1.5 points) in 4,264 rated games of the Nimzo-Indian Defense, ECO E20, played between players within 100 rating points on 1 September 2026. It ranked number 54 of 117 openings by popularity and made up 0.3% of all games.

50.1%

45.1%

White wins 50.1%
Draws 4.8%
Black wins 45.1%

4,264 games

How often does White win in the Nimzo-Indian Defense?

White won 50.1% of the 4,264 games, 4.8% were drawn and Black won 45.1%. White's score of 52.5% is no clear difference from White's score across all openings (51.9%): the gap of 0.7 points is inside the margin of 1.5 points.

Results of 4,264 Nimzo-Indian Defense games, 1 September 2026.
Result	Games	Share
White wins	2,137	50.1%
Draws	205	4.8%
Black wins	1,922	45.1%

Does the Nimzo-Indian Defense score differently at different ratings?

Only one rating band has enough games to report here.

Players rated 2000 and above choose the Nimzo-Indian Defense most often relative to their other openings, in 0.9 percent of their games.

White's score in the Nimzo-Indian Defense by the lower rating of the two players, 1 September 2026.
Rating band	Games	Share of the band	White score	Margin (points)
1600 to 1999	2,029	0.3%	52.1%	2.1

How does the Nimzo-Indian Defense do in blitz, rapid and classical?

The time control changes who tends to win, because the clock matters more in faster games. Rows with fewer than 1,500 games are left out.

White's score in the Nimzo-Indian Defense by time control, 1 September 2026.
Time control	Games	White score	Margin (points)
Blitz	3,503	52.8%	1.6

What are the most played lines of the Nimzo-Indian Defense?

The most played named line is the Leningrad Variation, with 584 games and a White score of 51.6%. The table lists the ten most played lines that reached 300 games; a line below that is counted in the last row.

Named lines of the Nimzo-Indian Defense, most played first, 1 September 2026.
Line	Games	White score	Margin (points)
Leningrad Variation	584	51.6%	4.0
Three Knights Variation	577	49.4%	4.0
Sämisch Variation	378	55.3%	4.9
Classical Variation	370	58.8%	4.9
Main line and less played lines	2,355	52.1%	2.0

How were these opening statistics measured?

Rated Blitz, Rapid and Classical games on 1 September 2026 between players within 100 rating points, banded by the lower rating. A score is wins plus half the draws, with a 95 percent margin. The hub page explains the method in full.

Frequently asked questions

What is the win rate of the Nimzo-Indian Defense?

White won 50.1%, drew 4.8% and lost 45.1% of 4,264 games, a White score of 52.5% with a margin of 1.5 points. These are games on Lichess on 1 September 2026.

Is the Nimzo-Indian Defense good for White?

At these ratings White's score was no clear difference from White's score across all openings (51.9%): the gap of 0.7 points is inside the margin of 1.5 points. A difference of a point or two is small, and the side that picks an opening also picks which games reach it, so the number describes what happened at these ratings and is not a ruling on the opening.

What is the most popular line of the Nimzo-Indian Defense?

The Leningrad Variation was the most played named line, with 584 games, which is 13.7% of the Nimzo-Indian Defense games.

Sources

Lichess open database, standard rated games (CC0), file for September 2026, read 2026-10-22

Related guides and tools

Last updated 2026-10-22.

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