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Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation

158K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

Playable
Black Expected Score48.3%Range (90% confident): 48.1% – 48.5%Based on 158K games
0%48.3%100%
Range (90% confident): 48.1% – 48.5%
Outcome Distribution
45.5%5.6%48.9%
Win
Draw
Loss
4...c5
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation
Analyzen=158K
Avg Length36 moves
Sharpness94%
Draw Rate5.6%

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation expected score for Black?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation has a 48.3% expected score for Black (we're 90% confident it's between 48.1% and 48.5%), based on 158K Lichess games.

Black Win% by Rating

Declines with rating: 54% → 41%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 54.0% win rate (55 games)
  • 1000-1199: 48.8% win rate (424 games)
  • 1200-1399: 47.5% win rate (1,654 games)
  • 1400-1599: 47.4% win rate (5,764 games)
  • 1600-1799: 47.0% win rate (18,206 games)
  • 1800-1999: 46.6% win rate (42,198 games)
  • 2000-2199: 45.9% win rate (51,994 games)
  • 2200-2499: 43.0% win rate (32,404 games)
  • 2500+: 41.0% win rate (5,016 games)

Black Win% by Time Control

Best in Bullet (46%), worst in UltraBullet (38%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 37.9% win rate (13 games)
  • Bullet: 46.4% win rate (37,111 games)
  • Blitz: 45.3% win rate (101,755 games)
  • Rapid: 45.0% win rate (17,658 games)
  • Classical: 44.8% win rate (1,178 games)

Black% 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, Bullet: 49.0% expected score (45 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 76.1% expected score (10 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 46.7% expected score (237 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 53.9% expected score (167 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 45.4% expected score (20 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 49.3% expected score (731 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 48.3% expected score (811 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 49.1% expected score (106 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 57.7% expected score (5 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 31.9% expected score (4 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 48.1% expected score (1,895 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 49.2% expected score (3,335 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 50.1% expected score (499 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (31 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 39.5% expected score (8 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 49.4% expected score (4,182 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 48.8% expected score (11,813 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (2,043 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 51.6% expected score (160 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 48.1% expected score (7,784 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 49.5% expected score (28,221 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 49.2% expected score (5,677 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 50.2% expected score (516 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 49.2% expected score (9,743 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 48.8% expected score (35,291 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 48.7% expected score (6,590 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 49.1% expected score (370 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 47.7% expected score (9,598 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 45.9% expected score (20,061 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 46.8% expected score (2,649 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 41.8% expected score (96 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 46.9% expected score (2,896 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 43.3% expected score (2,046 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 30.8% expected score (74 games)

Related Openings

Parent
Nimzo-Indian Defense
48.4%
Variations (5)
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation
50.0%
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation
48.8%
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation
50.5%
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation
49.5%
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Kmoch Variation
51.8%
Continuations (3)
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Pirc Variation
47.2%
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Steiner Variation
46.2%
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Macieja System
54.8%
Analyze Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation win rate?

The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation has a 48.9% (90% CI: 48.7%-49.1%) win rate for white, based on 158K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation perform best?

The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation performs best at 2200-2499 Elo with a 50.0% win rate for white (32K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

Is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation better in blitz or rapid?

Bullet (49.8%) outperforms Classical (46.1%) by 3.7%. Choose your time control wisely.

How sharp is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation?

The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation has a sharpness score of 94.4 (decisive), meaning 94.4% of games end decisively. Average game length is 36 moves.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation win rate at 1000-1199 Elo?

At 1000-1199 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation has a 49.9% (90% CI: 46.0%-53.9%) win rate for white, based on 424 Lichess games. Average game length is 26 moves with a 1.3% draw rate.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation win rate at 1200-1399 Elo?

At 1200-1399 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation has a 49.9% (90% CI: 47.8%-51.9%) win rate for white, based on 1.7K Lichess games. Average game length is 28 moves with a 2.6% draw rate.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation win rate at 1400-1599 Elo?

At 1400-1599 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation has a 49.6% (90% CI: 48.5%-50.7%) win rate for white, based on 5.8K Lichess games. Average game length is 30 moves with a 3.0% draw rate.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation win rate at 1600-1799 Elo?

At 1600-1799 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation has a 48.9% (90% CI: 48.3%-49.5%) win rate for white, based on 18K Lichess games. Average game length is 33 moves with a 4.2% draw rate.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation win rate at 1800-1999 Elo?

At 1800-1999 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation has a 48.3% (90% CI: 47.9%-48.7%) win rate for white, based on 42K Lichess games. Average game length is 35 moves with a 5.1% draw rate.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation win rate at 2000-2199 Elo?

At 2000-2199 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation has a 48.3% (90% CI: 47.9%-48.6%) win rate for white, based on 52K Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 5.9% draw rate.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation win rate at 2200-2499 Elo?

At 2200-2499 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation has a 50.0% (90% CI: 49.6%-50.5%) win rate for white, based on 32K Lichess games. Average game length is 39 moves with a 7.0% draw rate.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation win rate at 2500+ Elo?

At 2500+ Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation has a 50.7% (90% CI: 49.6%-51.9%) win rate for white, based on 5.0K Lichess games. Average game length is 42 moves with a 8.2% draw rate.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet games, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation has a 49.8% (90% CI: 49.3%-50.2%) win rate for white (37K Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.8%.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz games, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation has a 48.8% (90% CI: 48.5%-49.0%) win rate for white (102K Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.9%.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid games, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation has a 47.7% (90% CI: 47.1%-48.3%) win rate for white (18K Lichess games). Draw rate is 7.3%.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation win rate in Classical?

In Classical games, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation has a 46.1% (90% CI: 43.7%-48.5%) win rate for white (1.2K Lichess games). Draw rate is 9.1%.

Is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation a good opening?

The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation is statistically balanced with a 48.9% (90% CI: 48.7%-49.1%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 2200-2499 Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.