Nimzo-Indian Defense: Spielmann Variation, Romanovsky Gambit
5.8K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
48.7%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 49.8%.
Measured over 5.8K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 6.0 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 5.8K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 5.8K
- Best context
- 51.3% at 1800-1999 Blitz
- Worst context
- 45.3% at 2200-2499 Blitz
- Average game length
- 37 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 94.0%
- Draws
- 6.0%
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.
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: 63.3% at 0-999, 57.2% 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)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 68.2% expected score (4 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 63.4% expected score (6 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 79.8% expected score (17 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 67.7% expected score (7 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 51.8% expected score (27 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 53.6% expected score (55 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 62.8% expected score (22 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 55.7% expected score (69 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 56.6% expected score (150 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 65.4% expected score (44 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 73.1% expected score (5 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 50.9% expected score (174 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 51.3% expected score (527 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 62.6% expected score (82 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 53.7% expected score (12 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 48.0% expected score (455 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (1,155 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 48.8% expected score (122 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 48.5% expected score (635 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 45.3% expected score (1,369 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 53.8% expected score (77 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 44.8% expected score (492 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 38.2% expected score (243 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 88.5% expected score (5 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Spielmann Variation, Romanovsky Gambit scores 48.7% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 47.6% and 49.8% — from 5.8K 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
- 5.8K+ 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: Spielmann Variation, Romanovsky Gambit win rate?
Playing the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Spielmann Variation, Romanovsky Gambit, Black wins 45.7%, draws 6.0% and loses 48.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.7%. It rests on 5.8K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Spielmann Variation, Romanovsky Gambit perform best?
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Spielmann Variation, Romanovsky Gambit performs best for Black at 1600-1799, with an Expected Score of 58.4% (268 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Spielmann Variation, Romanovsky Gambit better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Spielmann Variation, Romanovsky Gambit scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 48.1% in Blitz (3.5K games) against 57.5% in Rapid (361 games).
How sharp is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Spielmann Variation, Romanovsky Gambit?
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Spielmann Variation, Romanovsky Gambit has a sharpness score of 94.0 (decisive), meaning 94.0% of games end decisively. Average game length is 37 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Spielmann Variation, Romanovsky Gambit win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 55.3%, draws 1.4% and loses 43.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.0%. It rests on 106 Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Spielmann Variation, Romanovsky Gambit win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 56.6%, draws 3.5% and loses 39.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.4%. It rests on 268 Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Spielmann Variation, Romanovsky Gambit win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 49.8%, draws 5.3% and loses 44.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.5%. It rests on 795 Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Spielmann Variation, Romanovsky Gambit win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 46.9%, draws 4.9% and loses 48.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.4%. It rests on 1.7K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Spielmann Variation, Romanovsky Gambit win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 43.1%, draws 6.9% and loses 50.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.6%. It rests on 2.1K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Spielmann Variation, Romanovsky Gambit win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 38.8%, draws 8.4% and loses 52.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.0%. It rests on 740 Lichess games, which average 41 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Spielmann Variation, Romanovsky Gambit win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 45.6%, draws 4.7% and loses 49.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.0%. It rests on 1.9K Lichess games.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Spielmann Variation, Romanovsky Gambit win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 44.8%, draws 6.5% and loses 48.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.1%. It rests on 3.5K Lichess games.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Spielmann Variation, Romanovsky Gambit win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 54.2%, draws 6.5% and loses 39.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.5%. It rests on 361 Lichess games.
Is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Spielmann Variation, Romanovsky Gambit a good opening?
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Spielmann Variation, Romanovsky Gambit is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 45.7% of its games and loses 48.4%. It performs best at 1600-1799. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.