Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Pirc Variation
12K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
48.9%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 49.6%.
Measured over 12K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 7.8 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 12K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 12K
- Best context
- 50.8% at 1800-1999 Blitz
- Worst context
- 46.6% at 2500+ Blitz
- Average game length
- 38 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 92.2%
- Draws
- 7.8%
Best and worst are the strongest and weakest squares with at least 500 games behind them. The table further down shows every square, including thinner ones.
Where it holds · Black score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for Black, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It falls away as the rating rises: 70.0% at 1000-1199, 45.6% at 2500+.
| Rating | UB | Bulle | Blitz | Rapid | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 60.6% expected score (8 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 81.6% expected score (8 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 45.8% expected score (22 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 49.1% expected score (52 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 36.7% expected score (6 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 60.1% expected score (118 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 49.8% expected score (226 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 48.6% expected score (33 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 55.9% expected score (7 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 50.7% expected score (292 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 50.8% expected score (858 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 51.3% expected score (151 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 48.5% expected score (32 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 49.9% expected score (652 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 49.2% expected score (2,508 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 49.7% expected score (294 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 45.2% expected score (19 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 50.4% expected score (1,195 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 47.7% expected score (3,992 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 51.0% expected score (344 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 35.7% expected score (9 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 47.0% expected score (663 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 46.6% expected score (789 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (28 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Pirc Variation scores 48.9% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 48.2% and 49.6% — from 12K Lichess games. Win rate, draw rate and loss rate come from games played December 2023 to November 2025.
How the figures are made
- Whose games these are
- 12K+ rated games played on Lichess (2023-12 to 2025-11). The games are Lichess’s and free for anyone to use. What is ours is the reading of them. Last rebuilt January 2026.
- Which games we count
- Rated games only — nothing casual.
- Both players within 200 rating points of each other. A mismatch tells you about the gap, not about the opening.
- At least 2 moves played.
- A game is filed under White’s rating.
- Why every number comes with a range
- A number off a few hundred games is a guess. The same number off millions is a fact. The range is what tells them apart, and it is what the lists rank on — so an opening cannot reach the top on a lucky run of forty games. The more games behind a figure, the narrower its range.
- How much we need before we say anything
- An opening page needs 100 games. A gambit needs 50 games at a rating before we will say whether it pays there. The chaos and trap lists need 500 games overall and 250 games at one rating or clock.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Pirc Variation win rate?
Playing the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Pirc Variation, Black wins 45.0%, draws 7.8% and loses 47.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.9%. It rests on 12K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Pirc Variation perform best?
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Pirc Variation performs best for Black at 1600-1799, with an Expected Score of 53.0% (384 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Pirc Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Pirc Variation scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 48.4% in Blitz (8.4K games) against 50.4% in Rapid (856 games).
How sharp is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Pirc Variation?
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Pirc Variation has a sharpness score of 92.2 (decisive), meaning 92.2% of games end decisively. Average game length is 38 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Pirc Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 50.7%, draws 4.5% and loses 44.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.0%. It rests on 384 Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Pirc Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 47.8%, draws 6.0% and loses 46.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.8%. It rests on 1.3K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Pirc Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 45.7%, draws 7.2% and loses 47.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.3%. It rests on 3.5K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Pirc Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 44.0%, draws 8.8% and loses 47.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.4%. It rests on 5.5K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Pirc Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 42.7%, draws 8.3% and loses 49.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.8%. It rests on 1.5K Lichess games, which average 43 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Pirc Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 47.2%, draws 5.5% and loses 47.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.0%. It rests on 3.0K Lichess games.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Pirc Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 44.3%, draws 8.3% and loses 47.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.4%. It rests on 8.4K Lichess games.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Pirc Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 44.8%, draws 11.0% and loses 44.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.4%. It rests on 856 Lichess games.
Is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Pirc Variation a good opening?
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Pirc Variation is about level. Across all ratings, Black wins 45.0% of its games and loses 47.2%. It performs best at 1600-1799. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.