Nimzo-Indian Defense: Hübner Variation, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line
2.8K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
51.8%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 53.3%.
Measured over 2.8K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for White
Draw 7.3 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 2.8K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 2.8K
- Best context
- 51.7% at 2200-2499 Blitz
- Average game length
- 38 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 92.7%
- Draws
- 7.3%
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 gets better as the rating rises: 45.8% at 1000-1199, 55.3% 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)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 90.0% expected score (6 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 46.3% expected score (12 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 67.2% expected score (16 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 53.0% expected score (15 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 20.6% expected score (7 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 41.5% expected score (22 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 47.9% expected score (47 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 55.1% expected score (18 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 39.5% expected score (46 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 48.1% expected score (130 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 52.5% expected score (19 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 58.1% expected score (97 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 51.5% expected score (427 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 53.4% expected score (58 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 43.3% expected score (6 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 52.4% expected score (375 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 51.7% expected score (1,028 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 51.4% expected score (36 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 64.3% expected score (2 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 51.7% expected score (118 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 53.6% expected score (261 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 60.6% expected score (8 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Hübner Variation, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line scores 51.8% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 50.2% and 53.3% — from 2.8K 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
- 2.8K+ 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: Hübner Variation, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line win rate?
Playing the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Hübner Variation, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line, White wins 48.1%, draws 7.3% and loses 44.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.8%. It rests on 2.8K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Hübner Variation, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line perform best?
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Hübner Variation, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line performs best for White at 2200-2499, with an Expected Score of 51.9% (1.4K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Hübner Variation, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Hübner Variation, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 51.5% in Blitz (1.9K games) against 51.7% in Rapid (148 games).
How sharp is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Hübner Variation, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line?
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Hübner Variation, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line has a sharpness score of 92.7 (decisive), meaning 92.7% of games end decisively. Average game length is 38 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Hübner Variation, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 44.1%, draws 3.8% and loses 52.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.0%. It rests on 197 Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Hübner Variation, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 49.6%, draws 6.2% and loses 44.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.7%. It rests on 588 Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Hübner Variation, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 47.9%, draws 8.1% and loses 44.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.9%. It rests on 1.4K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Hübner Variation, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 48.3%, draws 9.9% and loses 41.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.3%. It rests on 387 Lichess games, which average 42 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Hübner Variation, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 50.0%, draws 5.3% and loses 44.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.7%. It rests on 681 Lichess games.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Hübner Variation, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 47.5%, draws 7.9% and loses 44.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.5%. It rests on 1.9K Lichess games.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Hübner Variation, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 47.8%, draws 7.7% and loses 44.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.7%. It rests on 148 Lichess games.
Is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Hübner Variation, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line a good opening?
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Hübner Variation, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line is about level. Across all ratings, White wins 48.1% of its games and loses 44.6%. It performs best at 2200-2499. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.