Nimzowitsch Defense win rate
White scored 51.9% (margin 0.7 points) in 19,239 rated games of the Nimzowitsch Defense, ECO B00, played between players within 100 rating points on 1 September 2026. It ranked number 24 of 117 openings by popularity and made up 1.2% of all games.
- White wins 50.0%
- Draws 3.8%
- Black wins 46.2%
19,239 games
How often does White win in the Nimzowitsch Defense?
White won 50.0% of the 19,239 games, 3.8% were drawn and Black won 46.2%. White's score of 51.9% is no clear difference from White's score across all openings (51.9%): the gap of 0.0 points is inside the margin of 0.7 points.
| Result | Games | Share |
|---|---|---|
| White wins | 9,613 | 50.0% |
| Draws | 740 | 3.8% |
| Black wins | 8,886 | 46.2% |
Does the Nimzowitsch Defense score differently at different ratings?
White's score is highest at under 1200 (53.9%) and lowest at 1600 to 1999 (49.5%). That spread of 4.3 points is larger than the two margins added together, so the score does differ between these rating bands.
Players rated under 1200 choose the Nimzowitsch Defense most often relative to their other openings, in 1.7 percent of their games.
| Rating band | Games | Share of the band | White score | Margin (points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| under 1200 | 4,700 | 1.7% | 53.9% | 1.4 |
| 1200 to 1599 | 7,094 | 1.2% | 53.4% | 1.1 |
| 1600 to 1999 | 6,042 | 1.0% | 49.5% | 1.2 |
How does the Nimzowitsch 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.
| Time control | Games | White score | Margin (points) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blitz | 13,886 | 51.5% | 0.8 |
| Rapid | 5,238 | 52.9% | 1.3 |
What are the most played lines of the Nimzowitsch Defense?
The most played named line is the Kennedy Variation, Linksspringer Variation, with 3,402 games and a White score of 52.1%. The table lists the ten most played lines that reached 300 games; a line below that is counted in the last row.
| Line | Games | White score | Margin (points) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kennedy Variation, Linksspringer Variation | 3,402 | 52.1% | 1.6 |
| Scandinavian Variation, Advance Variation | 2,333 | 53.3% | 2.0 |
| Declined Variation | 1,932 | 50.9% | 2.2 |
| Scandinavian Variation, Exchange Variation | 1,290 | 50.3% | 2.7 |
| Franco-Nimzowitsch Variation | 1,067 | 51.8% | 2.9 |
| Williams Variation | 915 | 51.5% | 3.2 |
| Mikenas Variation | 662 | 54.8% | 3.7 |
| Kennedy Variation, de Smet Gambit | 580 | 49.2% | 4.0 |
| Kennedy Variation | 517 | 48.5% | 4.2 |
| Pseudo-Spanish Variation | 346 | 50.6% | 5.2 |
| Main line and less played lines | 5,863 | 52.4% | 1.3 |
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 Nimzowitsch Defense?
White won 50.0%, drew 3.8% and lost 46.2% of 19,239 games, a White score of 51.9% with a margin of 0.7 points. These are games on Lichess on 1 September 2026.
Is the Nimzowitsch 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 0.0 points is inside the margin of 0.7 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 Nimzowitsch Defense?
The Kennedy Variation, Linksspringer Variation was the most played named line, with 3,402 games, which is 17.7% of the Nimzowitsch Defense games.
Sources
Related guides and tools
- Englund Gambit win rate and statistics
- Nimzo-Larsen Attack win rate and statistics
- Vienna Game win rate and statistics
- Hungarian Opening win rate and statistics
- Four Knights Game win rate and statistics
- Slav Defense win rate and statistics
- Chess opening statistics for players rated under 1200
- Chess opening statistics for players rated 1200 to 1599
- Chess opening statistics for players rated 1600 to 1999
- Chess opening statistics for players rated 2000 and above
- Most popular chess openings and win rates
- Chess terms glossary
- Book your first lesson
Last updated 2026-10-22.
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