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Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation

712K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

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White Expected Score52.2%Range (90% confident): 52.1% – 52.3%Based on 712K games
0%52.2%100%
Range (90% confident): 52.1% – 52.3%
Outcome Distribution
50.0%4.3%45.7%
Win
Draw
Loss
4.Nf3
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation
Analyzen=712K
Avg Length35 moves
Sharpness96%
Draw Rate4.3%

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation expected score for White?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 52.2% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 52.1% and 52.3%), based on 712K Lichess games.

White Win% by Rating

Declines with rating: 52% → 50%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 52.3% win rate (3,057 games)
  • 1000-1199: 52.3% win rate (12,706 games)
  • 1200-1399: 52.7% win rate (37,353 games)
  • 1400-1599: 51.9% win rate (82,088 games)
  • 1600-1799: 50.7% win rate (143,123 games)
  • 1800-1999: 49.3% win rate (181,861 games)
  • 2000-2199: 48.5% win rate (142,921 games)
  • 2200-2499: 49.5% win rate (89,658 games)
  • 2500+: 50.2% win rate (19,294 games)

White Win% by Time Control

Best in Bullet (51%), worst in Classical (47%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 50.3% win rate (1,893 games)
  • Bullet: 50.7% win rate (295,774 games)
  • Blitz: 49.6% win rate (347,592 games)
  • Rapid: 49.0% win rate (63,949 games)
  • Classical: 46.6% win rate (2,853 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, UltraBullet: 34.9% expected score (15 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 54.8% expected score (1,456 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 52.8% expected score (1,256 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 50.8% expected score (327 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 34.1% expected score (30 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 53.9% expected score (6,172 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 53.4% expected score (5,453 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 51.0% expected score (1,033 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 47.5% expected score (18 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 45.5% expected score (120 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 54.0% expected score (15,491 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 54.2% expected score (18,336 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 53.1% expected score (3,320 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 56.3% expected score (86 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 48.9% expected score (410 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 54.1% expected score (30,401 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 53.3% expected score (42,129 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 53.2% expected score (8,805 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 50.3% expected score (343 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 51.1% expected score (699 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 52.6% expected score (51,061 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 52.5% expected score (75,139 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 52.6% expected score (15,352 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 50.1% expected score (872 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 56.1% expected score (467 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 52.0% expected score (65,454 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 50.9% expected score (95,613 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 51.3% expected score (19,300 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 50.8% expected score (1,027 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 55.7% expected score (131 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 51.2% expected score (60,689 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 50.8% expected score (69,312 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 50.2% expected score (12,395 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 53.7% expected score (394 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 57.3% expected score (19 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 51.7% expected score (50,625 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 53.2% expected score (35,723 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 52.5% expected score (3,212 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 61.8% expected score (79 games)
  • 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 54.8% expected score (14,425 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 56.1% expected score (4,631 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 56.3% expected score (205 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 54.6% expected score (31 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%
Continuations (5)
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Duchamp Variation
47.8%
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Duchamp Variation, Modern Line
51.8%
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Euwe Variation
50.6%
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Korchnoi Variation
50.7%
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Shocron Gambit
46.7%
Analyze Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate?

The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 50.0% (90% CI: 49.9%-50.1%) win rate for white, based on 712K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation perform best?

The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation performs best at 1200-1399 Elo with a 52.7% win rate for white (37K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

Is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation better in blitz or rapid?

Bullet (50.7%) outperforms Classical (46.6%) by 4.1%. Choose your time control wisely.

How sharp is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation?

The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation has a sharpness score of 95.7 (very decisive), meaning 95.7% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate at 0-999 Elo?

At 0-999 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 52.3% (90% CI: 50.8%-53.8%) win rate for white, based on 3.1K Lichess games. Average game length is 25 moves with a 2.2% draw rate.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate at 1000-1199 Elo?

At 1000-1199 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 52.3% (90% CI: 51.6%-53.1%) win rate for white, based on 13K Lichess games. Average game length is 28 moves with a 2.0% draw rate.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate at 1200-1399 Elo?

At 1200-1399 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 52.7% (90% CI: 52.3%-53.1%) win rate for white, based on 37K Lichess games. Average game length is 30 moves with a 2.6% draw rate.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate at 1400-1599 Elo?

At 1400-1599 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 51.9% (90% CI: 51.6%-52.2%) win rate for white, based on 82K Lichess games. Average game length is 32 moves with a 3.2% draw rate.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate at 1600-1799 Elo?

At 1600-1799 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 50.7% (90% CI: 50.5%-50.9%) win rate for white, based on 143K Lichess games. Average game length is 34 moves with a 3.7% draw rate.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate at 1800-1999 Elo?

At 1800-1999 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 49.3% (90% CI: 49.1%-49.4%) win rate for white, based on 182K Lichess games. Average game length is 35 moves with a 4.2% draw rate.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate at 2000-2199 Elo?

At 2000-2199 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 48.5% (90% CI: 48.2%-48.7%) win rate for white, based on 143K Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 4.9% draw rate.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate at 2200-2499 Elo?

At 2200-2499 Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 49.5% (90% CI: 49.3%-49.8%) win rate for white, based on 90K Lichess games. Average game length is 39 moves with a 5.5% draw rate.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate at 2500+ Elo?

At 2500+ Elo, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 50.2% (90% CI: 49.6%-50.8%) win rate for white, based on 19K Lichess games. Average game length is 43 moves with a 9.8% draw rate.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate in UltraBullet?

In UltraBullet games, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 50.3% (90% CI: 48.4%-52.2%) win rate for white (1.9K Lichess games). Draw rate is 2.2%.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet games, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 50.7% (90% CI: 50.6%-50.9%) win rate for white (296K Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.3%.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz games, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 49.6% (90% CI: 49.5%-49.7%) win rate for white (348K Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.9%.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid games, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 49.0% (90% CI: 48.6%-49.3%) win rate for white (64K Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.7%.

What is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation win rate in Classical?

In Classical games, the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation has a 46.6% (90% CI: 45.1%-48.2%) win rate for white (2.9K Lichess games). Draw rate is 9.5%.

Is the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation a good opening?

The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation is statistically favors white with a 50.0% (90% CI: 49.9%-50.1%) 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.