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Indian Defense: Knights Variation

1.8M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

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White Expected Score53.4%Range (90% confident): 53.3% – 53.4%Based on 1.8M games
0%53.4%100%
Range (90% confident): 53.3% – 53.4%
Outcome Distribution
50.9%4.9%44.2%
Win
Draw
Loss
2.Nf3
Indian Defense: Knights Variation
Analyzen=1.8M
Avg Length36 moves
Sharpness95%
Draw Rate4.9%

What is the Indian Defense: Knights Variation expected score for White?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the Indian Defense: Knights Variation has a 53.4% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 53.3% and 53.4%), based on 1.8M Lichess games.

White Win% by Rating

Improves with rating: 50% → 52%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 49.7% win rate (86,766 games)
  • 1000-1199: 51.5% win rate (107,422 games)
  • 1200-1399: 51.6% win rate (145,634 games)
  • 1400-1599: 50.7% win rate (196,386 games)
  • 1600-1799: 50.9% win rate (245,728 games)
  • 1800-1999: 50.8% win rate (302,862 games)
  • 2000-2199: 51.0% win rate (318,411 games)
  • 2200-2499: 50.8% win rate (285,280 games)
  • 2500+: 51.7% win rate (86,937 games)

White Win% by Time Control

Best in Bullet (51%), worst in Classical (48%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 50.4% win rate (21,683 games)
  • Bullet: 51.4% win rate (765,775 games)
  • Blitz: 50.7% win rate (776,844 games)
  • Rapid: 49.9% win rate (201,193 games)
  • Classical: 47.5% win rate (9,931 games)

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: 45.2% expected score (101 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 52.2% expected score (19,361 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 51.9% expected score (44,224 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 51.3% expected score (22,853 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 55.9% expected score (227 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 47.8% expected score (433 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 53.3% expected score (28,959 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 53.7% expected score (52,452 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 52.8% expected score (24,925 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 47.8% expected score (653 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 47.8% expected score (1,279 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 53.1% expected score (45,779 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 53.7% expected score (68,646 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 53.2% expected score (28,471 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 49.3% expected score (1,459 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 46.8% expected score (3,422 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 52.5% expected score (63,908 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 53.1% expected score (92,405 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 51.8% expected score (33,867 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 48.4% expected score (2,784 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 49.9% expected score (6,378 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 53.1% expected score (88,167 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 53.0% expected score (114,528 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 52.7% expected score (34,264 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 51.6% expected score (2,391 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 54.2% expected score (6,101 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 52.9% expected score (116,932 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 53.3% expected score (146,805 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 53.0% expected score (31,509 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 53.8% expected score (1,515 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 56.4% expected score (3,085 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 53.3% expected score (147,197 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 54.1% expected score (149,513 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 54.2% expected score (17,935 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 55.2% expected score (681 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 53.2% expected score (828 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 53.8% expected score (179,999 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.2% expected score (97,298 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 56.3% expected score (6,961 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 58.2% expected score (194 games)
  • 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 53.5% expected score (56 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 55.6% expected score (75,473 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 56.6% expected score (10,973 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 60.0% expected score (408 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 60.5% expected score (27 games)

Related Openings

Parent
Indian Defense
49.6%
Variations (5)
Indian Defense: Anti-Grünfeld, Adorjan Gambit
47.8%
Indian Defense: Anti-Grünfeld, Advance Variation
46.1%
Indian Defense: Anti-Grünfeld, Alekhine Variation
48.6%
Indian Defense: Anti-Grünfeld, Alekhine Variation, Leko Gambit
48.0%
Indian Defense: Anti-Grünfeld, Basman-Williams Attack
48.4%
Continuations (1)
Indian Defense: Knights Variation, Alburt-Miles Variation
51.9%
Analyze Indian Defense: Knights Variation PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Indian Defense: Knights Variation win rate?

The Indian Defense: Knights Variation has a 50.9% (90% CI: 50.9%-51.0%) win rate for white, based on 1.8M rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Indian Defense: Knights Variation perform best?

The Indian Defense: Knights Variation performs best at 1200-1399 Elo with a 51.6% win rate for white (146K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

Is the Indian Defense: Knights Variation better in blitz or rapid?

Bullet (51.4%) outperforms Classical (47.5%) by 3.9%. Choose your time control wisely.

How sharp is the Indian Defense: Knights Variation?

The Indian Defense: Knights Variation has a sharpness score of 95.1 (very decisive), meaning 95.1% of games end decisively. Average game length is 36 moves.

What is the Indian Defense: Knights Variation win rate at 0-999 Elo?

At 0-999 Elo, the Indian Defense: Knights Variation has a 49.7% (90% CI: 49.5%-50.0%) win rate for white, based on 87K Lichess games. Average game length is 28 moves with a 4.1% draw rate.

What is the Indian Defense: Knights Variation win rate at 1000-1199 Elo?

At 1000-1199 Elo, the Indian Defense: Knights Variation has a 51.5% (90% CI: 51.3%-51.8%) win rate for white, based on 107K Lichess games. Average game length is 30 moves with a 3.6% draw rate.

What is the Indian Defense: Knights Variation win rate at 1200-1399 Elo?

At 1200-1399 Elo, the Indian Defense: Knights Variation has a 51.6% (90% CI: 51.4%-51.9%) win rate for white, based on 146K Lichess games. Average game length is 31 moves with a 3.3% draw rate.

What is the Indian Defense: Knights Variation win rate at 1400-1599 Elo?

At 1400-1599 Elo, the Indian Defense: Knights Variation has a 50.7% (90% CI: 50.5%-50.9%) win rate for white, based on 196K Lichess games. Average game length is 33 moves with a 3.6% draw rate.

What is the Indian Defense: Knights Variation win rate at 1600-1799 Elo?

At 1600-1799 Elo, the Indian Defense: Knights Variation has a 50.9% (90% CI: 50.7%-51.0%) win rate for white, based on 246K Lichess games. Average game length is 35 moves with a 4.0% draw rate.

What is the Indian Defense: Knights Variation win rate at 1800-1999 Elo?

At 1800-1999 Elo, the Indian Defense: Knights Variation has a 50.8% (90% CI: 50.6%-50.9%) win rate for white, based on 303K Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 4.7% draw rate.

What is the Indian Defense: Knights Variation win rate at 2000-2199 Elo?

At 2000-2199 Elo, the Indian Defense: Knights Variation has a 51.0% (90% CI: 50.8%-51.1%) win rate for white, based on 318K Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 5.6% draw rate.

What is the Indian Defense: Knights Variation win rate at 2200-2499 Elo?

At 2200-2499 Elo, the Indian Defense: Knights Variation has a 50.8% (90% CI: 50.6%-50.9%) win rate for white, based on 285K Lichess games. Average game length is 40 moves with a 6.4% draw rate.

What is the Indian Defense: Knights Variation win rate at 2500+ Elo?

At 2500+ Elo, the Indian Defense: Knights Variation has a 51.7% (90% CI: 51.4%-52.0%) win rate for white, based on 87K Lichess games. Average game length is 43 moves with a 7.9% draw rate.

What is the Indian Defense: Knights Variation win rate in UltraBullet?

In UltraBullet games, the Indian Defense: Knights Variation has a 50.4% (90% CI: 49.9%-51.0%) win rate for white (22K Lichess games). Draw rate is 2.1%.

What is the Indian Defense: Knights Variation win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet games, the Indian Defense: Knights Variation has a 51.4% (90% CI: 51.3%-51.5%) win rate for white (766K Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.0%.

What is the Indian Defense: Knights Variation win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz games, the Indian Defense: Knights Variation has a 50.7% (90% CI: 50.7%-50.8%) win rate for white (777K Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.6%.

What is the Indian Defense: Knights Variation win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid games, the Indian Defense: Knights Variation has a 49.9% (90% CI: 49.7%-50.1%) win rate for white (201K Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.7%.

What is the Indian Defense: Knights Variation win rate in Classical?

In Classical games, the Indian Defense: Knights Variation has a 47.5% (90% CI: 46.7%-48.4%) win rate for white (9.9K Lichess games). Draw rate is 6.8%.

Is the Indian Defense: Knights Variation a good opening?

The Indian Defense: Knights Variation is statistically favors white with a 50.9% (90% CI: 50.9%-51.0%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 1200-1399 Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.