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Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation

345K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

Playable
White Expected Score50.9%Range (90% confident): 50.8% – 51.1%Based on 345K games
0%50.9%100%
Range (90% confident): 50.8% – 51.1%
Outcome Distribution
48.7%4.3%47.0%
Win
Draw
Loss
2.Bb5
Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation
Analyzen=345K
Avg Length34 moves
Sharpness96%
Draw Rate4.3%

What is the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation expected score for White?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation has a 50.9% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 50.8% and 51.1%), based on 345K Lichess games.

White Win% by Rating

Improves with rating: 47% → 53%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 46.9% win rate (37,683 games)
  • 1000-1199: 49.1% win rate (52,214 games)
  • 1200-1399: 49.2% win rate (72,393 games)
  • 1400-1599: 48.7% win rate (78,662 games)
  • 1600-1799: 48.9% win rate (57,196 games)
  • 1800-1999: 48.3% win rate (30,194 games)
  • 2000-2199: 49.0% win rate (10,764 games)
  • 2200-2499: 49.8% win rate (4,782 games)
  • 2500+: 52.9% win rate (895 games)

White Win% by Time Control

Best in Blitz (49%), worst in UltraBullet (44%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 43.5% win rate (914 games)
  • Bullet: 48.3% win rate (61,242 games)
  • Blitz: 48.9% win rate (202,904 games)
  • Rapid: 48.7% win rate (76,406 games)
  • Classical: 48.1% win rate (3,317 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: 27.4% expected score (56 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 47.7% expected score (5,854 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (20,789 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 49.7% expected score (10,839 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 44.9% expected score (145 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 42.3% expected score (109 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 49.5% expected score (8,071 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 51.5% expected score (31,641 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 51.7% expected score (12,054 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 49.7% expected score (339 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 42.9% expected score (153 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 49.9% expected score (10,863 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 51.4% expected score (43,602 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 52.0% expected score (16,923 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 51.3% expected score (852 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 38.9% expected score (231 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 49.1% expected score (12,167 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 51.2% expected score (46,508 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 51.3% expected score (18,601 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 50.8% expected score (1,155 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 53.2% expected score (204 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 49.8% expected score (10,065 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 51.2% expected score (33,964 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 51.7% expected score (12,290 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 52.0% expected score (673 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 48.4% expected score (118 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (7,526 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 50.7% expected score (17,753 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 51.2% expected score (4,659 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 47.5% expected score (138 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 62.0% expected score (36 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 51.9% expected score (3,723 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 51.5% expected score (6,045 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 48.8% expected score (947 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 43.1% expected score (13 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 44.2% expected score (7 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 50.1% expected score (2,335 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.5% expected score (2,351 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 51.7% expected score (87 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 55.7% expected score (638 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 59.9% expected score (251 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 76.7% expected score (6 games)

Related Openings

Parent
Nimzowitsch Defense
50.3%
Variations (5)
Nimzowitsch Defense: Breyer Variation
51.7%
Nimzowitsch Defense: Colorado Countergambit
45.9%
Nimzowitsch Defense: Colorado Countergambit Accepted
47.4%
Nimzowitsch Defense: Declined Variation
49.6%
Nimzowitsch Defense: El Columpio Defense
51.4%
Analyze Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation win rate?

The Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation has a 48.7% (90% CI: 48.6%-48.9%) win rate for white, based on 345K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation perform best?

The Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation performs best at 2500+ Elo with a 52.9% win rate for white (895 games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

Is the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation better in blitz or rapid?

Blitz (48.9%) outperforms UltraBullet (43.5%) by 5.4%. Choose your time control wisely.

How sharp is the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation?

The Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation has a sharpness score of 95.7 (very decisive), meaning 95.7% of games end decisively. Average game length is 34 moves.

What is the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation win rate at 0-999 Elo?

At 0-999 Elo, the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation has a 46.9% (90% CI: 46.5%-47.3%) win rate for white, based on 38K Lichess games. Average game length is 29 moves with a 5.1% draw rate.

What is the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation win rate at 1000-1199 Elo?

At 1000-1199 Elo, the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation has a 49.1% (90% CI: 48.8%-49.5%) win rate for white, based on 52K Lichess games. Average game length is 32 moves with a 4.1% draw rate.

What is the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation win rate at 1200-1399 Elo?

At 1200-1399 Elo, the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation has a 49.2% (90% CI: 48.9%-49.5%) win rate for white, based on 72K Lichess games. Average game length is 34 moves with a 4.1% draw rate.

What is the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation win rate at 1400-1599 Elo?

At 1400-1599 Elo, the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation has a 48.7% (90% CI: 48.5%-49.0%) win rate for white, based on 79K Lichess games. Average game length is 35 moves with a 4.1% draw rate.

What is the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation win rate at 1600-1799 Elo?

At 1600-1799 Elo, the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation has a 48.9% (90% CI: 48.6%-49.2%) win rate for white, based on 57K Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 4.3% draw rate.

What is the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation win rate at 1800-1999 Elo?

At 1800-1999 Elo, the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation has a 48.3% (90% CI: 47.8%-48.7%) win rate for white, based on 30K Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 4.5% draw rate.

What is the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation win rate at 2000-2199 Elo?

At 2000-2199 Elo, the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation has a 49.0% (90% CI: 48.2%-49.8%) win rate for white, based on 11K Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 4.8% draw rate.

What is the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation win rate at 2200-2499 Elo?

At 2200-2499 Elo, the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation has a 49.8% (90% CI: 48.6%-51.0%) win rate for white, based on 4.8K Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 5.0% draw rate.

What is the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation win rate at 2500+ Elo?

At 2500+ Elo, the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation has a 52.9% (90% CI: 50.2%-55.7%) win rate for white, based on 895 Lichess games. Average game length is 41 moves with a 8.2% draw rate.

What is the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation win rate in UltraBullet?

In UltraBullet games, the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation has a 43.5% (90% CI: 40.8%-46.2%) win rate for white (914 Lichess games). Draw rate is 2.0%.

What is the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet games, the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation has a 48.3% (90% CI: 47.9%-48.6%) win rate for white (61K Lichess games). Draw rate is 2.7%.

What is the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz games, the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation has a 48.9% (90% CI: 48.7%-49.1%) win rate for white (203K Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.5%.

What is the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid games, the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation has a 48.7% (90% CI: 48.4%-49.0%) win rate for white (76K Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.2%.

What is the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation win rate in Classical?

In Classical games, the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation has a 48.1% (90% CI: 46.7%-49.6%) win rate for white (3.3K Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.0%.

Is the Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation a good opening?

The Nimzowitsch Defense: Pseudo-Spanish Variation is statistically balanced with a 48.7% (90% CI: 48.6%-48.9%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 2500+ Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.