1.3K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
At all ratings, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Rubinstein System, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line has a 53.5% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 51.2% and 55.8%), based on 1.3K Lichess games.
Improves with rating: 20% → 50%
Best in Rapid (63%), worst in Blitz (48%)
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: Rubinstein System, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line has a 49.8% (90% CI: 47.5%-52.1%) win rate for white, based on 1.3K rated games from Lichess.
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Rubinstein System, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line performs best at 2200-2499 Elo with a 49.7% win rate for white (639 games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.
Rapid (62.7%) outperforms Bullet (49.9%) by 12.8%. Choose your time control wisely.
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Rubinstein System, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line has a sharpness score of 92.7 (decisive), meaning 92.7% of games end decisively. Average game length is 37 moves.
At 2000-2199 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Rubinstein System, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line has a 50.5% (90% CI: 45.2%-55.8%) win rate for white, based on 237 Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 8.6% draw rate.
At 2200-2499 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Rubinstein System, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line has a 49.7% (90% CI: 46.5%-53.0%) win rate for white, based on 639 Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 6.6% draw rate.
At 2500+ Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Rubinstein System, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line has a 50.3% (90% CI: 44.8%-55.9%) win rate for white, based on 216 Lichess games. Average game length is 40 moves with a 9.0% draw rate.
In Bullet games, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Rubinstein System, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line has a 49.9% (90% CI: 45.1%-54.7%) win rate for white (290 Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.3%.
In Blitz games, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Rubinstein System, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line has a 48.4% (90% CI: 45.6%-51.2%) win rate for white (886 Lichess games). Draw rate is 8.7%.
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Rubinstein System, Rubinstein Variation, Main Line is statistically balanced with a 49.8% (90% CI: 47.5%-52.1%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 2200-2499 Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.