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Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line

6.2K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

Playable
White Expected Score52.3%Range (90% confident): 51.2% – 53.3%Based on 6.2K games
0%52.3%100%
Range (90% confident): 51.2% – 53.3%
Outcome Distribution
49.0%6.5%44.5%
Win
Draw
Loss
9.bxc3
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line
Analyzen=6.2K
Avg Length38 moves
Sharpness94%
Draw Rate6.5%

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line expected score for White?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line has a 52.3% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 51.2% and 53.3%), based on 6.2K Lichess games.

White Win% by Rating

Declines with rating: 69% → 45%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 69.2% win rate (5 games)
  • 1000-1199: 49.2% win rate (28 games)
  • 1200-1399: 60.0% win rate (101 games)
  • 1400-1599: 55.2% win rate (284 games)
  • 1600-1799: 50.9% win rate (758 games)
  • 1800-1999: 47.1% win rate (1,654 games)
  • 2000-2199: 47.8% win rate (1,804 games)
  • 2200-2499: 50.1% win rate (1,360 games)
  • 2500+: 45.1% win rate (230 games)

White Win% by Time Control

Best in Bullet (52%), worst in Rapid (45%)

Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • Bullet: 51.6% win rate (1,400 games)
  • Blitz: 48.8% win rate (4,006 games)
  • Rapid: 45.4% win rate (759 games)
  • Classical: 45.5% win rate (59 games)

White% by Rating × Time Control

Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.

RatingUBBulleBlitzRapidClass
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: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 67.2% expected score (16 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 39.5% expected score (8 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 13.7% expected score (4 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 68.8% expected score (49 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 53.7% expected score (39 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (12 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 60.0% expected score (104 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 54.8% expected score (158 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 52.3% expected score (20 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (167 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 54.3% expected score (492 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 53.8% expected score (90 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 45.2% expected score (9 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 49.5% expected score (291 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 49.8% expected score (1,135 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 48.1% expected score (208 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 54.7% expected score (20 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 51.1% expected score (353 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 50.8% expected score (1,180 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 51.5% expected score (260 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 42.0% expected score (11 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 56.7% expected score (318 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.1% expected score (891 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 52.5% expected score (140 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 62.0% expected score (11 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 50.5% expected score (100 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 56.9% expected score (100 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 57.5% expected score (25 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 65.4% expected score (5 games)

Related Openings

Parent
Nimzo-Indian Defense
48.4%
Variations (5)
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation
50.5%
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation
48.9%
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Macieja System
54.8%
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Pirc Variation
47.2%
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Steiner Variation
46.2%
Analyze Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line win rate?

The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line has a 49.0% (90% CI: 47.9%-50.0%) win rate for white, based on 6.2K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line perform best?

The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line performs best at 1200-1399 Elo with a 60.0% win rate for white (101 games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

Is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line better in blitz or rapid?

Bullet (51.6%) outperforms Classical (45.5%) by 6.1%. Choose your time control wisely.

How sharp is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line?

The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line has a sharpness score of 93.5 (decisive), meaning 93.5% of games end decisively. Average game length is 38 moves.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line win rate at 1200-1399 Elo?

At 1200-1399 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line has a 60.0% (90% CI: 52.0%-67.8%) win rate for white, based on 101 Lichess games. Average game length is 28 moves with a 0.5% draw rate.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line win rate at 1400-1599 Elo?

At 1400-1599 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line has a 55.2% (90% CI: 50.3%-60.0%) win rate for white, based on 284 Lichess games. Average game length is 32 moves with a 3.3% draw rate.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line win rate at 1600-1799 Elo?

At 1600-1799 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line has a 50.9% (90% CI: 47.9%-53.9%) win rate for white, based on 758 Lichess games. Average game length is 33 moves with a 4.5% draw rate.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line win rate at 1800-1999 Elo?

At 1800-1999 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line has a 47.1% (90% CI: 45.1%-49.1%) win rate for white, based on 1.7K Lichess games. Average game length is 36 moves with a 4.9% draw rate.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line win rate at 2000-2199 Elo?

At 2000-2199 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line has a 47.8% (90% CI: 45.8%-49.7%) win rate for white, based on 1.8K Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 6.3% draw rate.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line win rate at 2200-2499 Elo?

At 2200-2499 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line has a 50.1% (90% CI: 47.8%-52.3%) win rate for white, based on 1.4K Lichess games. Average game length is 43 moves with a 9.2% draw rate.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line win rate at 2500+ Elo?

At 2500+ Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line has a 45.1% (90% CI: 39.8%-50.5%) win rate for white, based on 230 Lichess games. Average game length is 50 moves with a 18.8% draw rate.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet games, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line has a 51.6% (90% CI: 49.4%-53.7%) win rate for white (1.4K Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.8%.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz games, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line has a 48.8% (90% CI: 47.5%-50.1%) win rate for white (4.0K Lichess games). Draw rate is 6.5%.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid games, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line has a 45.4% (90% CI: 42.5%-48.4%) win rate for white (759 Lichess games). Draw rate is 11.1%.

Is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line a good opening?

The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Bernstein Defense, Exchange Line is statistically balanced with a 49.0% (90% CI: 47.9%-50.0%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 1200-1399 Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.