Nimzo-Indian Defense: Fischer Variation
14K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
54.6%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 55.3%.
Measured over 14K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 6.2 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 14K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 14K
- Best context
- 58.7% at 2500+ Bullet
- Worst context
- 52.0% at 1800-1999 Blitz
- Average game length
- 38 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 93.8%
- Draws
- 6.2%
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 · White score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for White, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It falls away as the rating rises: 78.6% at 0-999, 61.8% 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
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 58.2% expected score (17 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (20 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 83.4% expected score (3 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 52.1% expected score (46 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 44.6% expected score (44 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (8 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 54.3% expected score (92 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 50.3% expected score (173 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 53.6% expected score (41 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 63.6% expected score (171 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 53.0% expected score (357 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 54.7% expected score (73 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 84.8% expected score (10 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 47.9% expected score (285 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 52.0% expected score (1,032 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 49.6% expected score (128 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 67.3% expected score (13 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 52.7% expected score (573 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 52.3% expected score (2,703 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 52.8% expected score (334 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 68.9% expected score (25 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 55.4% expected score (1,269 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 56.0% expected score (4,095 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 54.9% expected score (380 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 61.5% expected score (16 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 58.7% expected score (633 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 56.8% expected score (976 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 69.8% expected score (34 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Fischer Variation scores 54.6% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 53.9% and 55.3% — from 14K 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
- 14K+ 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: Fischer Variation win rate?
Playing the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Fischer Variation, White wins 51.5%, draws 6.2% and loses 42.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.6%. It rests on 14K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Fischer Variation perform best?
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Fischer Variation performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 57.8% (1.6K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Fischer Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Fischer Variation scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 54.3% in Blitz (9.4K games) against 54.1% in Rapid (1.0K games).
How sharp is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Fischer Variation?
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Fischer Variation has a sharpness score of 93.8 (decisive), meaning 93.8% of games end decisively. Average game length is 38 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Fischer Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 50.4%, draws 2.7% and loses 46.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.8%. It rests on 309 Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Fischer Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 55.1%, draws 3.3% and loses 41.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.8%. It rests on 611 Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Fischer Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 48.8%, draws 4.6% and loses 46.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.1%. It rests on 1.5K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Fischer Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 49.5%, draws 6.1% and loses 44.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.6%. It rests on 3.6K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Fischer Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 52.3%, draws 6.9% and loses 40.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.8%. It rests on 5.8K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Fischer Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 54.0%, draws 7.6% and loses 38.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.8%. It rests on 1.6K Lichess games, which average 42 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Fischer Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 52.9%, draws 4.7% and loses 42.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.3%. It rests on 3.1K Lichess games.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Fischer Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 51.0%, draws 6.5% and loses 42.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.3%. It rests on 9.4K Lichess games.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Fischer Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 50.3%, draws 7.5% and loses 42.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.1%. It rests on 1.0K Lichess games.
Is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Fischer Variation a good opening?
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Fischer Variation is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 51.5% of its games and loses 42.3%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.