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Analyzer

Indian Defense

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

Key Finding

Indian Defense is balanced for Black at 48.5% expected score.

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

You play
Playable
Rating
Time
Black Expected Score48.5%Aggregated from 50 variationsWin + ½×draw — predicts rating gain better than win rate
45%48.5%55%
Tight estimate: 48.5% (±0.1%, huge sample)
Min adv-3.1%
ContextOverall · n=42M
Outcome Distribution
3.Qb3
Indian Defense
Variations50
Games (Context)42M
Avg Length35 moves
Draw Rate4.3%

Games (Context) — games matching the current filter

What Should I Play?

Player-controlled continuations for Black · Overall

#1Indian Defense: Colle System, King's Indian VariationTop Pick
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.e3 Bg7 4.Bd3 d6
Min adv +4.8% · n=602K
52.6%
#2Indian Defense: West Indian Defense
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6
Min adv +3.6% · n=791K
51.9%
#3Indian Defense: Lazard Gambit
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nd2 e5
Min adv +1.7% · n=3.2K
52.3%
#4Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Fajarowicz Variation
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4
Min adv +0.3% · n=192K
50.4%
#5Indian Defense: Budapest Defense
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5
Min adv -0.2% · n=1.6M
50.0%
#6Indian Defense: Reversed Chigorin Defense
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 c5
Min adv -0.6% · n=460K
49.8%
#7Indian Defense: Gibbins-Weidenhagen Gambit Accepted
1.d4 Nf6 2.g4 Nxg4
Min adv -1.3% · n=25K
49.9%
#8Indian Defense: Spielmann-Indian
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 c5
Min adv -1.3% · n=1.1M
49.4%
#9Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Alekhine Variation, Tartakower Defense
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.e4 d6
Min adv -1.4% · n=12K
50.1%
#10Indian Defense: Pseudo-Benko
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 c5 3.d5 b5
Min adv -2.6% · n=49K
49.1%

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 Black?

Snapshot

Overall, the Indian Defense family has a 48.5% expected score for Black (we're 90% confident it's between 48.5% and 48.5%), aggregated from 50 variations and 42M Lichess games.

Black Win% by Rating

Declines with rating: 49% → 42%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 49.2% win rate (1,081,094 games)
  • 1000-1199: 47.6% win rate (2,057,965 games)
  • 1200-1399: 47.5% win rate (3,694,554 games)
  • 1400-1599: 47.4% win rate (5,839,010 games)
  • 1600-1799: 46.8% win rate (7,885,911 games)
  • 1800-1999: 46.3% win rate (8,955,376 games)
  • 2000-2199: 45.4% win rate (7,070,071 games)
  • 2200-2499: 44.1% win rate (4,296,191 games)
  • 2500+: 41.5% win rate (963,484 games)

Black Win% by Time Control

Best in UltraBullet (49%), worst in Blitz (46%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 49.0% win rate (231,119 games)
  • Bullet: 46.8% win rate (15,700,200 games)
  • Blitz: 45.8% win rate (20,310,493 games)
  • Rapid: 46.5% win rate (5,380,965 games)
  • Classical: 47.7% win rate (220,879 games)

Rating vs Time Control Matrix

Click cells to filter · Black expected scores

Black% by Rating × Time Control

Click any cell to filter — click it again to clear. 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: 56.7% expected score (1,548 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 50.6% expected score (303,656 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 50.6% expected score (546,330 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 52.0% expected score (227,723 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 54.8% expected score (1,837 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 55.5% expected score (4,864 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 49.0% expected score (657,327 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 48.8% expected score (1,010,313 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (378,637 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 54.9% expected score (6,824 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 56.2% expected score (16,386 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 49.2% expected score (1,208,428 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 48.6% expected score (1,820,901 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 49.8% expected score (627,697 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 53.2% expected score (21,142 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 53.7% expected score (47,305 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 49.2% expected score (1,865,398 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 48.6% expected score (2,920,069 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 49.8% expected score (956,127 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 53.5% expected score (50,111 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 50.6% expected score (71,034 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 48.9% expected score (2,484,793 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 48.6% expected score (4,064,977 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 49.1% expected score (1,199,496 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 51.3% expected score (65,611 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 47.3% expected score (54,084 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 48.7% expected score (2,896,633 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 48.5% expected score (4,764,445 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 48.8% expected score (1,185,390 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 49.0% expected score (54,824 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 43.9% expected score (25,082 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 48.4% expected score (2,885,260 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 47.7% expected score (3,510,496 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 47.9% expected score (631,993 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 45.8% expected score (17,240 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 47.0% expected score (9,965 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 47.6% expected score (2,587,511 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 46.0% expected score (1,528,001 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 44.5% expected score (167,868 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 41.9% expected score (2,846 games)
  • 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 43.9% expected score (851 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 45.9% expected score (811,194 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 43.2% expected score (144,961 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 41.2% expected score (6,034 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 46.9% 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)

Ranked by Min adv — the worst-case edge over 50% we're 90% confident you keep.

1
Indian Defense: Omega Gambit831K games
52.6%min +5.0%
2
Indian Defense: Colle System, King's Indian Variation602K games
52.6%min +4.8%
3
Indian Defense: Anti-Grünfeld, Advance Variation108K games
52.2%min +3.8%
Indian Defense: West Indian Defense791K games
51.9%min +3.6%
Indian Defense: Omega Gambit, Arafat Gambit11K games
52.4%min +3.1%
Indian Defense: Pawn Push Variation468K games
51.0%min +1.8%
Indian Defense: Paleface Attack, Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Deferred93K games
51.2%min +1.8%
Indian Defense: Lazard Gambit3.2K games
52.3%min +1.7%
Indian Defense: Gibbins-Weidenhagen Gambit, Maltese Falcon1.5K games
52.5%min +0.8%
Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Fajarowicz Variation192K games
50.4%min +0.3%
Indian Defense: Budapest Defense1.6M games
50.0%min -0.2%
Indian Defense: Gedult Attack6.1K games
51.0%min -0.2%
Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Adler Variation722K games
50.0%min -0.3%
Indian Defense: Reversed Chigorin Defense460K games
49.8%min -0.6%
Indian Defense: Gedult Attack, Gedult Attack23K games
50.2%min -0.7%
Indian Defense: Spielmann-Indian1.1M games
49.4%min -1.3%
Indian Defense: Gibbins-Weidenhagen Gambit Accepted25K games
49.9%min -1.3%
Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Alekhine Variation, Tartakower Defense12K games
50.1%min -1.4%
Indian Defense: Seirawan Attack244K games
49.5%min -1.5%
Indian Defense: Pseudo-Benko49K games
49.1%min -2.6%
Indian Defense: Anti-Grünfeld, Basman-Williams Attack32K games
49.1%min -2.8%
Indian Defense: Wade-Tartakower Defense2.5M games
48.6%min -2.9%
Indian Defense: Anti-Grünfeld, Alekhine Variation35K games
49.0%min -2.9%
Indian Defense22M games
48.3%min -3.4%
Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Fajarowicz-Steiner Variation11K games
48.9%min -3.8%
Indian Defense: King's Indian Variation, Fianchetto Variation178K games
48.3%min -3.9%
Indian Defense: Gibbins-Weidenhagen Gambit, Oshima Defense988 games
50.5%min -4.2%
Indian Defense: Tartakower Attack603K games
47.9%min -4.5%
Indian Defense: Przepiorka Variation675K games
47.8%min -4.7%
Indian Defense: Normal Variation2.2M games
47.6%min -4.9%
Indian Defense: Dzindzi-Indian Defense22K games
47.6%min -6.0%
Indian Defense: Gibbins-Weidenhagen Gambit35K games
47.4%min -6.2%
Indian Defense: London System2.2M games
46.9%min -6.4%
Indian Defense: Anti-Nimzo-Indian1.2M games
46.8%min -6.6%
Indian Defense: Knights Variation1.8M games
46.7%min -6.8%
Indian Defense: Czech-Indian288K games
46.8%min -6.8%
Indian Defense: Devin Gambit8.9K games
47.5%min -6.8%
Indian Defense: Polish Variation30K games
46.7%min -7.5%
Indian Defense: Pyrenees Gambit25K games
46.7%min -7.7%
Indian Defense: Anti-Grünfeld, Alekhine Variation, Leko Gambit458 games
49.6%min -8.5%
Indian Defense: Döry Indian11K games
46.3%min -8.9%
Indian Defense: Knights Variation, Alburt-Miles Variation16K games
46.0%min -9.4%
Indian Defense: Maddigan Gambit130K games
45.4%min -9.6%
Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Fajarowicz Defense, Bonsdorf Variation4.6K games
46.3%min -10.0%
Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Alekhine Variation71K games
45.1%min -10.4%
Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Rubinstein Variation251K games
44.9%min -10.6%
Indian Defense: Gibbins-Weidenhagen Gambit, Stummer Gambit2.1K games
46.5%min -10.6%
Indian Defense: Anti-Grünfeld, Adorjan Gambit219 games
50.0%min -11.1%
Indian Defense: Budapest Defense, Alekhine Variation, Abonyi Variation28K games
44.5%min -12.0%
Indian Defense: Medusa Gambit14K games
39.9%min -21.6%
Analyze Indian Defense PositionsGet move-by-move win rates at your level 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.