Nimzo-Larsen Attack
13 variations · 36M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · Overall
52.2%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. Its best is the same figure — the band is too tight to plot.
Measured over 36M games at this level and clock.
A strong opening choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 3.8 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 36M games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- #24 of 56
- Games in this context
- 36M
- Best context
- 62.8% at 2500+ UltraBullet
- Worst context
- 44.3% at 0-999 Classical
- Variations measured
- 13
- Average game length
- 35 moves
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.
What to play from here
White · OverallThese are the moves players actually choose from here, ranked by how they score. A higher score is a better bet on the numbers alone — familiarity and playstyle still matter.
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: 48.2% at 0-999, 57.0% 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, UltraBullet: 46.0% expected score (3,013 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (298,817 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 50.5% expected score (432,762 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (132,825 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 44.3% expected score (1,079 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 50.4% expected score (10,342 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 52.0% expected score (638,017 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 51.8% expected score (763,717 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 51.3% expected score (215,715 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 50.2% expected score (4,045 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 51.4% expected score (38,117 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 51.9% expected score (1,490,550 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 51.8% expected score (1,409,253 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 51.8% expected score (345,821 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 52.4% expected score (10,085 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 51.4% expected score (88,825 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 52.0% expected score (2,502,188 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 51.7% expected score (2,240,063 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 51.6% expected score (515,352 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 51.3% expected score (25,328 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 52.3% expected score (164,872 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 51.9% expected score (3,645,968 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 51.7% expected score (2,615,285 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 51.6% expected score (537,882 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 51.7% expected score (23,527 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 53.3% expected score (138,458 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 52.0% expected score (4,291,624 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 52.1% expected score (2,247,779 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 52.0% expected score (382,884 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 52.5% expected score (15,759 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 55.0% expected score (64,843 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 52.0% expected score (3,967,842 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 52.5% expected score (1,370,134 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 53.5% expected score (166,427 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 57.0% expected score (4,844 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 54.2% expected score (25,494 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 53.2% expected score (3,343,869 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 53.5% expected score (569,926 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 55.0% expected score (49,523 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 56.9% expected score (1,133 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 62.8% expected score (1,493 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 55.2% expected score (1,091,301 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 56.2% expected score (76,320 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 57.0% expected score (3,862 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 53.8% expected score (402 games)
13 variations · ranked by floor
Floor — the worst score you would still get, 90% confident.
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Nimzo-Larsen Attack family scores 52.2% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 52.1% and 52.2% — from 36M Lichess games across 13 variations. 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
- 36M+ 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-Larsen Attack win rate?
Across the Nimzo-Larsen Attack's 13 variations, White wins 50.3%, draws 3.8% and loses 46.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.2%. It rests on 36M rated games from Lichess.
How many Nimzo-Larsen Attack variations are there?
13 Nimzo-Larsen Attack variations have a page of their own, each broken down by rating and by clock.
At what rating does the Nimzo-Larsen Attack perform best?
The Nimzo-Larsen Attack family performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 55.3% (1.2M games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read. Performance may vary by specific variation.
Is the Nimzo-Larsen Attack better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Nimzo-Larsen Attack scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 52.0% in Blitz (12M games) against 51.8% in Rapid (2.4M games).
How sharp is the Nimzo-Larsen Attack?
Nimzo-Larsen Attack games are 96.2% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 35 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.
Is the Nimzo-Larsen Attack a good opening family?
The Nimzo-Larsen Attack family is good for White overall. Across its games, White wins 50.3% and loses 46.0%. Results differ between its 13 variations, so open the one you play for its own figures.