Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Korchnoi Variation
26K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
52.6%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 53.1%.
Measured over 26K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 3.7 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 26K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 26K
- Best context
- 56.2% at 1400-1599 Bullet
- Worst context
- 47.0% at 1800-1999 Rapid
- Average game length
- 34 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.3%
- Draws
- 3.7%
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: 56.2% at 0-999, 60.9% 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: 70.8% expected score (25 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 67.7% expected score (7 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 57.4% expected score (135 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 54.8% expected score (72 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (7 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 55.4% expected score (503 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 52.4% expected score (399 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 45.6% expected score (32 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 56.2% expected score (1,187 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 53.8% expected score (1,190 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 43.1% expected score (114 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 55.2% expected score (2,101 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 53.0% expected score (3,089 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 49.7% expected score (425 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 45.6% expected score (21 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 52.9% expected score (2,953 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 51.6% expected score (4,541 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 47.0% expected score (716 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 51.9% expected score (26 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 51.9% expected score (2,275 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 50.3% expected score (2,714 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 50.5% expected score (494 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 34.2% expected score (8 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 53.4% expected score (1,618 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 53.9% expected score (914 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 51.1% expected score (95 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 54.9% expected score (413 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 46.9% expected score (193 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 80.8% expected score (5 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Korchnoi Variation scores 52.6% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 52.1% and 53.1% — from 26K 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
- 26K+ 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: Three Knights Variation, Korchnoi Variation win rate?
Playing the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Korchnoi Variation, White wins 50.7%, draws 3.7% and loses 45.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.6%. It rests on 26K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Korchnoi Variation perform best?
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Korchnoi Variation performs best for White at 1400-1599, with an Expected Score of 54.5% (2.5K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Korchnoi Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Korchnoi Variation scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 52.0% in Blitz (13K games) against 48.5% in Rapid (1.9K games).
How sharp is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Korchnoi Variation?
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Korchnoi Variation has a sharpness score of 96.3 (very decisive), meaning 96.3% of games end decisively. Average game length is 34 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Korchnoi Variation win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 55.0%, draws 2.6% and loses 42.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.3%. It rests on 214 Lichess games, which average 25 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Korchnoi Variation win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 53.0%, draws 1.5% and loses 45.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.8%. It rests on 934 Lichess games, which average 27 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Korchnoi Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 53.0%, draws 3.0% and loses 44.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.5%. It rests on 2.5K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Korchnoi Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 52.1%, draws 2.8% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.5%. It rests on 5.6K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Korchnoi Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 49.6%, draws 4.1% and loses 46.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.7%. It rests on 8.2K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Korchnoi Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 48.9%, draws 4.1% and loses 47.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.0%. It rests on 5.5K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Korchnoi Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 51.1%, draws 4.7% and loses 44.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.5%. It rests on 2.6K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Korchnoi Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 49.6%, draws 6.1% and loses 44.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.7%. It rests on 611 Lichess games, which average 41 moves.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Korchnoi Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 52.5%, draws 2.7% and loses 44.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.9%. It rests on 11K Lichess games.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Korchnoi Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 49.8%, draws 4.4% and loses 45.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.0%. It rests on 13K Lichess games.
What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Korchnoi Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 46.0%, draws 4.9% and loses 49.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.5%. It rests on 1.9K Lichess games.
Is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Korchnoi Variation a good opening?
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Korchnoi Variation is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 50.7% of its games and loses 45.6%. It performs best at 1400-1599. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.