Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation, Benoni Defense
2.3K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
47.5%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 49.2%.
Measured over 2.3K games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 4.7 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 2.3K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 2.3K
- Best context
- 44.4% at 2200-2499 Blitz
- Average game length
- 35 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 95.3%
- Draws
- 4.7%
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.
Extra Analysis
Deep-dive datasets for this opening
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 0-999, 43.7% 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, Bullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 39.7% expected score (13 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 76.7% expected score (21 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 41.2% expected score (55 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 52.6% expected score (57 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 81.4% expected score (16 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 38.5% expected score (68 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 48.3% expected score (197 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 68.1% expected score (40 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 73.1% expected score (5 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 51.8% expected score (86 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 49.9% expected score (348 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 53.5% expected score (71 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 53.7% expected score (12 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 42.2% expected score (50 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 45.0% expected score (369 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 51.9% expected score (51 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (127 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 44.4% expected score (588 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 48.3% expected score (28 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 39.7% expected score (52 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 41.3% expected score (73 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation, Benoni Defense scores 47.5% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 45.8% and 49.2% — from 2.3K 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
- 2.3K+ 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: Leningrad Variation, Benoni Defense win rate?
Playing the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation, Benoni Defense, Black wins 45.1%, draws 4.7% and loses 50.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.5%. It rests on 2.3K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation, Benoni Defense perform best?
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation, Benoni Defense performs best for Black at 1800-1999, with an Expected Score of 50.8% (517 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation, Benoni Defense better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation, Benoni Defense scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 46.7% in Blitz (1.7K games) against 58.1% in Rapid (209 games).
How sharp is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation, Benoni Defense?
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation, Benoni Defense has a sharpness score of 95.3 (very decisive), meaning 95.3% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation, Benoni Defense win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 49.8%, draws 3.4% and loses 46.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.5%. It rests on 130 Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation, Benoni Defense win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 46.4%, draws 5.6% and loses 48.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.2%. It rests on 310 Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation, Benoni Defense win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 48.7%, draws 4.1% and loses 47.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.8%. It rests on 517 Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation, Benoni Defense win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 43.5%, draws 3.7% and loses 52.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.4%. It rests on 471 Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation, Benoni Defense win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 42.6%, draws 5.7% and loses 51.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.5%. It rests on 743 Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation, Benoni Defense win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 37.3%, draws 6.7% and loses 56.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 40.6%. It rests on 126 Lichess games, which average 41 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation, Benoni Defense win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 43.9%, draws 2.3% and loses 53.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.1%. It rests on 453 Lichess games.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation, Benoni Defense win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 44.0%, draws 5.3% and loses 50.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.7%. It rests on 1.7K Lichess games.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation, Benoni Defense win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 55.3%, draws 5.5% and loses 39.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.1%. It rests on 209 Lichess games.
Is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation, Benoni Defense a good opening?
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation, Benoni Defense is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 45.1% of its games and loses 50.2%. It performs best at 1800-1999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.