2.0K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
At all ratings, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Gligoric System, Bronstein Variation has a 51.1% expected score for Black (we're 90% confident it's between 49.2% and 52.9%), based on 2.0K Lichess games.
Declines with rating: 43% → 38%
Best in Blitz (48%), worst in Classical (28%)
Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.
| 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
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Gligoric System, Bronstein Variation has a 44.9% (90% CI: 43.1%-46.8%) win rate for white, based on 2.0K rated games from Lichess.
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Gligoric System, Bronstein Variation performs best at 1600-1799 Elo with a 53.0% win rate for white (205 games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.
Bullet (47.1%) outperforms Rapid (41.9%) by 5.2%. Choose your time control wisely.
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Gligoric System, Bronstein Variation has a sharpness score of 91.9 (decisive), meaning 91.9% of games end decisively. Average game length is 40 moves.
At 1600-1799 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Gligoric System, Bronstein Variation has a 53.0% (90% CI: 47.3%-58.7%) win rate for white, based on 205 Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 7.5% draw rate.
At 1800-1999 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Gligoric System, Bronstein Variation has a 45.1% (90% CI: 41.1%-49.0%) win rate for white, based on 428 Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 4.3% draw rate.
At 2000-2199 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Gligoric System, Bronstein Variation has a 47.2% (90% CI: 43.8%-50.5%) win rate for white, based on 589 Lichess games. Average game length is 39 moves with a 6.0% draw rate.
At 2200-2499 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Gligoric System, Bronstein Variation has a 42.0% (90% CI: 38.6%-45.5%) win rate for white, based on 542 Lichess games. Average game length is 42 moves with a 9.5% draw rate.
At 2500+ Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Gligoric System, Bronstein Variation has a 40.6% (90% CI: 34.3%-47.0%) win rate for white, based on 160 Lichess games. Average game length is 49 moves with a 21.4% draw rate.
In Bullet games, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Gligoric System, Bronstein Variation has a 47.1% (90% CI: 43.9%-50.3%) win rate for white (653 Lichess games). Draw rate is 6.8%.
In Blitz games, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Gligoric System, Bronstein Variation has a 43.9% (90% CI: 41.5%-46.3%) win rate for white (1.1K Lichess games). Draw rate is 8.3%.
In Rapid games, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Gligoric System, Bronstein Variation has a 41.9% (90% CI: 36.4%-47.4%) win rate for white (217 Lichess games). Draw rate is 10.8%.
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Gligoric System, Bronstein Variation is slightly favors black with a 44.9% (90% CI: 43.1%-46.8%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 1600-1799 Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.