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Indian Defense

50 variations · 42M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

Key Finding

Indian Defense is balanced for White at 51.6% expected score.

This opening produces roughly even results, with outcomes depending more on middlegame play than opening choice.

You play
Playable
Rating
Time
White Expected Score0.0%Range (90% confident): 51.6% – 51.6%Aggregated from 50 variations
0%51.6%100%
Range (90% confident): 51.6% – 51.6%
ContextOverall · n=42M
Outcome Distribution
49.4%4.3%46.3%
Win
Draw
Loss
3.Qb3
Indian Defense
Variations50
Games (Context)42M
Avg Length35 moves
Draw Rate4.3%

What Should I Play?

Player-controlled continuations for White · Overall

#1Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Rubinstein VariationTop Pick
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.Bf4
Min adv +10.0% · n=251K
55.1%
#2Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Alekhine Variation
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.e4
Min adv +9.2% · n=71K
54.9%
#3Indian Defense: Knights Variation
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3
Min adv +6.6% · n=1.8M
53.4%
#4Indian Defense: Anti-Nimzo-Indian
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3
Min adv +6.3% · n=1.2M
53.3%
#5Indian Defense: London System
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bf4
Min adv +6.2% · n=2.2M
53.1%
#6Indian Defense: Normal Variation
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4
Min adv +4.7% · n=2.2M
52.4%
#7Indian Defense: Gibbins-Weidenhagen Gambit
1.d4 Nf6 2.g4
Min adv +4.5% · n=35K
52.7%
#8Indian Defense: Przepiorka Variation
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.g3
Min adv +4.3% · n=675K
52.3%
#9Indian Defense: Tartakower Attack
1.d4 Nf6 2.g3
Min adv +4.1% · n=603K
52.2%
#10Indian Defense: Gibbins-Weidenhagen Gambit, Stummer Gambit
1.d4 Nf6 2.g4 Nxg4 3.e4 d6 4.Be2 Nf6 5.Nc3
Min adv +3.6% · n=2.1K
53.5%

Continuations show the most common variations from this opening. Higher expected scores indicate better statistical outcomes, but familiarity and playstyle matter too.

What is the Indian Defense expected score for White?

Snapshot

Overall, the Indian Defense family has a 51.6% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 51.6% and 51.6%), aggregated from 50 variations and 42M Lichess games.

White Win% by Rating

Improves with rating: 47% → 51%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 47.4% win rate (1,081,094 games)
  • 1000-1199: 49.4% win rate (2,057,965 games)
  • 1200-1399: 49.4% win rate (3,694,554 games)
  • 1400-1599: 49.2% win rate (5,839,010 games)
  • 1600-1799: 49.3% win rate (7,885,911 games)
  • 1800-1999: 49.2% win rate (8,955,376 games)
  • 2000-2199: 49.5% win rate (7,070,071 games)
  • 2200-2499: 50.2% win rate (4,296,191 games)
  • 2500+: 50.6% win rate (963,484 games)

White Win% by Time Control

Best in Bullet (50%), worst in Classical (46%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 48.9% win rate (231,119 games)
  • Bullet: 49.8% win rate (15,700,200 games)
  • Blitz: 49.4% win rate (20,310,493 games)
  • Rapid: 48.3% win rate (5,380,965 games)
  • Classical: 45.8% win rate (220,879 games)

Rating vs Time Control Matrix

Click cells to filter · White expected scores

White% by Rating × Time Control

Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.

RatingUBBulleBlitzRapidClass
0-999
1000-1199
1200-1399
1400-1599
1600-1799
1800-1999
2000-2199
2200-2499
2500+

Expected score matrix by rating bracket and time control

  • 0-999 rating, UltraBullet: 43.3% expected score (1,548 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 49.4% expected score (303,656 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 49.4% expected score (546,330 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 48.0% expected score (227,723 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 45.2% expected score (1,837 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 44.5% expected score (4,864 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 51.1% expected score (657,327 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 51.2% expected score (1,010,313 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 50.1% expected score (378,637 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 45.1% expected score (6,824 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 43.9% expected score (16,386 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 50.8% expected score (1,208,428 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 51.4% expected score (1,820,901 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 50.3% expected score (627,697 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 46.9% expected score (21,142 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 46.4% expected score (47,305 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 50.9% expected score (1,865,398 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 51.4% expected score (2,920,069 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 50.2% expected score (956,127 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 46.5% expected score (50,111 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 49.5% expected score (71,034 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 51.2% expected score (2,484,793 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 51.5% expected score (4,064,977 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 51.0% expected score (1,199,496 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 48.7% expected score (65,611 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 52.7% expected score (54,084 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 51.3% expected score (2,896,633 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 51.6% expected score (4,764,445 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 51.2% expected score (1,185,390 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 51.0% expected score (54,824 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 56.1% expected score (25,082 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 51.6% expected score (2,885,260 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 52.3% expected score (3,510,496 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 52.1% expected score (631,993 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 54.3% expected score (17,240 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 53.1% expected score (9,965 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 52.4% expected score (2,587,511 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.0% expected score (1,528,001 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 55.6% expected score (167,868 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 58.2% expected score (2,846 games)
  • 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 56.1% expected score (851 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 54.2% expected score (811,194 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 56.8% expected score (144,961 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 58.8% expected score (6,034 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 53.2% expected score (444 games)

Matrix view reveals how performance varies across rating brackets and time controls. Green indicates favorable, red indicates challenging contexts.

Variations (50)

1
Indian Defense: Medusa Gambit14K games
60.2%
2
Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Alekhine Variation, Abonyi Variation28K games
55.5%
3
Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Rubinstein Variation251K games
55.1%
Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Alekhine Variation71K games
54.9%
Indian Defense: Maddigan Gambit130K games
54.6%
Indian Defense: Knights Variation, Alburt-Miles Variation16K games
54.1%
Indian Defense: Knights Variation1.8M games
53.4%
Indian Defense: Anti-Nimzo-Indian1.2M games
53.3%
Indian Defense: London System2.2M games
53.1%
Indian Defense: Czech-Indian288K games
53.2%
Indian Defense: Döry Indian11K games
53.7%
Indian Defense: Polish Variation30K games
53.3%
Indian Defense: Pyrenees Gambit25K games
53.3%
Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Fajarowicz Defense, Bonsdorf Variation4.6K games
53.8%
Indian Defense: Normal Variation2.2M games
52.4%
Indian Defense: Gibbins-Weidenhagen Gambit35K games
52.7%
Indian Defense: Przepiorka Variation675K games
52.3%
Indian Defense: Tartakower Attack603K games
52.2%
Indian Defense: Dzindzi-Indian Defense22K games
52.5%
Indian Defense: Gibbins-Weidenhagen Gambit, Stummer Gambit2.1K games
53.5%
Indian Defense22M games
51.7%
Indian Defense: Devin Gambit8.9K games
52.6%
Indian Defense: King's Indian Variation, Fianchetto Variation178K games
51.8%
Indian Defense: Wade-Tartakower Defense2.5M games
51.4%
Indian Defense: Spielmann-Indian1.1M games
50.6%
Indian Defense: Anti-Grünfeld, Alekhine Variation35K games
51.0%
Indian Defense: Anti-Grünfeld, Basman-Williams Attack32K games
51.0%
Indian Defense: Pseudo-Benko49K games
50.9%
Indian Defense: Seirawan Attack244K games
50.6%
Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Fajarowicz-Steiner Variation11K games
51.2%
Indian Defense: Reversed Chigorin Defense460K games
50.2%
Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Adler Variation722K games
50.1%
Indian Defense: Budapest Defense1.6M games
50.0%
Indian Defense: Gibbins-Weidenhagen Gambit Accepted25K games
50.2%
Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Fajarowicz Variation192K games
49.7%
Indian Defense: Gedult Attack, Gedult Attack23K games
49.9%
Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Alekhine Variation, Tartakower Defense12K games
50.0%
Indian Defense: Pawn Push Variation468K games
49.0%
Indian Defense: Paleface Attack, Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Deferred93K games
48.9%
Indian Defense: West Indian Defense791K games
48.1%
Indian Defense: Gedult Attack6.1K games
49.1%
Indian Defense: Anti-Grünfeld, Advance Variation108K games
47.9%
Indian Defense: Omega Gambit831K games
47.4%
Indian Defense: Colle System, King's Indian Variation602K games
47.5%
Indian Defense: Gibbins-Weidenhagen Gambit, Oshima Defense988 games
49.5%
Indian Defense: Omega Gambit, Arafat Gambit11K games
47.7%
Indian Defense: Anti-Grünfeld, Alekhine Variation, Leko Gambit458 games
50.5%
Indian Defense: Lazard Gambit3.2K games
47.7%
Indian Defense: Gibbins-Weidenhagen Gambit, Maltese Falcon1.5K games
47.5%
Indian Defense: Anti-Grünfeld, Adorjan Gambit219 games
50.0%
Analyze Indian Defense PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Indian Defense win rate?

The Indian Defense family has a 49.4% (90% CI: 49.4%-49.4%) win rate for white, aggregated from 50 variations and 42M rated games from Lichess.

How many Indian Defense variations are there?

This analysis covers 50 Indian Defense variations with sufficient game data. Each variation has its own statistics page with detailed win rates by rating and time control.

At what rating does the Indian Defense perform best?

The Indian Defense family performs best at 2500+ Elo with a 50.6% win rate for white (963K games). Performance may vary by specific variation.

Is the Indian Defense better in blitz or rapid?

Bullet (49.8%) outperforms Classical (45.8%) by 4.0% across all Indian Defense variations.

How sharp is the Indian Defense?

Indian Defense games are 95.7% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 35 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.

Is the Indian Defense a good opening family?

The Indian Defense family is statistically balanced overall with a 49.4% (90% CI: 49.4%-49.4%) aggregated win rate. However, win rates vary significantly between the 50 variations—explore individual lines to find the best fit for your style.