Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line
143K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
53.3%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 53.5%.
Measured over 143K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 4.0 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 143K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 143K
- Best context
- 59.7% at 2200-2499 Rapid
- Worst context
- 49.9% at 1000-1199 Blitz
- Average game length
- 35 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.0%
- Draws
- 4.0%
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: 43.9% at 0-999, 63.1% 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, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 47.6% expected score (347 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 51.0% expected score (306 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 47.0% expected score (48 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 42.6% expected score (12 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 53.1% expected score (1,449 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 49.9% expected score (1,225 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 62.0% expected score (204 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 64.3% expected score (2 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 43.6% expected score (53 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 54.3% expected score (3,718 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 52.7% expected score (4,021 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 53.6% expected score (720 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 47.7% expected score (20 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 51.3% expected score (195 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 53.4% expected score (7,178 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 54.0% expected score (8,566 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 53.2% expected score (1,796 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 56.8% expected score (65 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 48.6% expected score (246 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 52.2% expected score (10,769 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 53.8% expected score (13,689 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 54.2% expected score (2,915 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 55.9% expected score (151 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 43.5% expected score (113 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 52.6% expected score (12,215 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 52.6% expected score (16,469 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 55.9% expected score (3,582 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 53.2% expected score (201 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 46.5% expected score (27 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 51.2% expected score (10,192 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 53.1% expected score (14,576 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 52.8% expected score (2,411 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 53.1% expected score (114 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 67.4% expected score (10 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 51.1% expected score (8,628 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 56.1% expected score (10,698 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 59.7% expected score (1,022 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 73.8% expected score (28 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 57.7% expected score (3,018 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 59.0% expected score (1,616 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 65.6% expected score (50 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line scores 53.3% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 53.1% and 53.5% — from 143K 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
- 143K+ 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: Normal Line win rate?
Playing the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line, White wins 51.3%, draws 4.0% and loses 44.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.3%. It rests on 143K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line perform best?
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 58.3% (4.7K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 53.7% in Blitz (71K games) against 54.8% in Rapid (13K games).
How sharp is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line?
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line has a sharpness score of 96.0 (very decisive), meaning 96.0% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, White wins 48.4%, draws 1.1% and loses 50.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.0%. It rests on 702 Lichess games, which average 25 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 51.3%, draws 1.9% and loses 46.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.3%. It rests on 2.9K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 51.8%, draws 3.1% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.4%. It rests on 8.5K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 52.1%, draws 3.1% and loses 44.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.7%. It rests on 18K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 51.4%, draws 3.5% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.2%. It rests on 28K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 50.8%, draws 4.1% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.9%. It rests on 33K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 50.0%, draws 4.6% and loses 45.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.3%. It rests on 27K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 51.6%, draws 5.1% and loses 43.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.2%. It rests on 20K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 55.1%, draws 6.2% and loses 38.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.3%. It rests on 4.7K Lichess games, which average 41 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line win rate in UltraBullet?
In UltraBullet, White wins 47.0%, draws 2.2% and loses 50.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.1%. It rests on 657 Lichess games.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 51.0%, draws 3.0% and loses 46.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.5%. It rests on 58K Lichess games.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 51.4%, draws 4.6% and loses 44.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.7%. It rests on 71K Lichess games.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 52.0%, draws 5.5% and loses 42.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.8%. It rests on 13K Lichess games.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 51.8%, draws 6.9% and loses 41.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.3%. It rests on 582 Lichess games.
Is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line a good opening?
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Line is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 51.3% of its games and loses 44.7%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.