Continuations show the most common variations from this opening. Higher expected scores indicate better statistical outcomes, but familiarity and playstyle matter too.

Snapshot

Overall, the Old Indian Defense family has a 51.0% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 51.0% and 51.0%), aggregated from 13 variations and 5.9M Lichess games.

White Win% by Rating

Improves with rating: 49% → 51%

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

2200

2500+

White Win% by Time Control

Best in Classical (52%), worst in Blitz (49%)

UltraBullet

Bullet

Blitz

Rapid

Classical

Rating vs Time Control Matrix

Click cells to filter · White expected scores

White% by Rating × Time Control

Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.

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: 46.6% expected score (362 games)
0-999 rating, Bullet: 49.6% expected score (36,256 games)
0-999 rating, Blitz: 51.0% expected score (50,953 games)
0-999 rating, Rapid: 51.9% expected score (13,922 games)
0-999 rating, Classical: 51.9% expected score (77 games)
1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (1,338 games)
1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 50.8% expected score (104,751 games)
1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 52.1% expected score (127,326 games)
1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 52.9% expected score (32,738 games)
1000-1199 rating, Classical: 53.5% expected score (509 games)
1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 48.1% expected score (3,956 games)
1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 50.4% expected score (215,064 games)
1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 51.5% expected score (244,556 games)
1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 53.1% expected score (65,245 games)
1200-1399 rating, Classical: 54.0% expected score (2,080 games)
1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 50.1% expected score (10,222 games)
1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 50.3% expected score (352,512 games)
1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 51.0% expected score (410,705 games)
1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 52.6% expected score (107,057 games)
1400-1599 rating, Classical: 55.5% expected score (5,089 games)
1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 50.6% expected score (11,928 games)
1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (505,577 games)
1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 50.7% expected score (553,776 games)
1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 51.7% expected score (135,089 games)
1600-1799 rating, Classical: 54.7% expected score (6,745 games)
1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 51.9% expected score (5,407 games)
1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 50.3% expected score (566,555 games)
1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 50.6% expected score (610,947 games)
1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 51.6% expected score (129,847 games)
1800-1999 rating, Classical: 54.1% expected score (5,659 games)
2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 50.4% expected score (1,782 games)
2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 50.2% expected score (474,232 games)
2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 51.1% expected score (409,503 games)
2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 52.6% expected score (63,890 games)
2000-2199 rating, Classical: 58.1% expected score (1,486 games)
2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 45.0% expected score (596 games)
2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 51.6% expected score (361,559 games)
2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 53.3% expected score (170,649 games)
2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 54.6% expected score (14,472 games)
2200-2499 rating, Classical: 62.1% expected score (194 games)
2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 62.9% expected score (53 games)
2500+ rating, Bullet: 54.1% expected score (79,362 games)
2500+ rating, Blitz: 56.2% expected score (15,145 games)
2500+ rating, Rapid: 63.5% expected score (454 games)
2500+ rating, Classical: 68.2% expected score (4 games)

Matrix view reveals how performance varies across rating brackets and time controls. Green indicates favorable, red indicates challenging contexts.

Variations (13)

Old Indian Defense: Two Knights Variation105K games

Winning54.5%

Old Indian Defense: Tartakower-Indian89K games

Winning52.8%

Old Indian Defense: Janowski Variation, Fianchetto Variation5.4K games

Winning53.4%

Old Indian Defense: Janowski Variation, Main Line28K games

Balanced52.4%

Old Indian Defense: Janowski Variation95K games

Balanced52.0%

Old Indian Defense4.4M games

Balanced51.0%

Old Indian Defense: Czech Variation, with Nf3239K games

Balanced50.9%

Old Indian Defense: Czech Variation, with Nc3632K games

Balanced50.6%

Old Indian Defense: Normal Variation104K games

Balanced50.5%

Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation5.3K games

Balanced50.2%

Old Indian Defense: Janowski Variation, Grinberg Gambit6.3K games

Balanced49.8%

Old Indian Defense: Ukrainian Variation177K games

Balanced48.4%

Old Indian Defense: Aged Gibbon Gambit593 games

Losing49.8%

Analyze Old Indian Defense PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Old Indian Defense win rate?

The Old Indian Defense family has a 49.0% (90% CI: 49.0%-49.0%) win rate for white, aggregated from 13 variations and 5.9M rated games from Lichess.

How many Old Indian Defense variations are there?

This analysis covers 13 Old Indian Defense variations with sufficient game data. Each variation has its own statistics page with detailed win rates by rating and time control.

At what rating does the Old Indian Defense perform best?

The Old Indian Defense family performs best at 2500+ Elo with a 51.1% win rate for white (95K games). Performance may vary by specific variation.

Is the Old Indian Defense better in blitz or rapid?

Classical (51.9%) outperforms Blitz (48.8%) by 3.1% across all Old Indian Defense variations.

How sharp is the Old Indian Defense?

Old Indian Defense games are 96.1% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 36 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.

Is the Old Indian Defense a good opening family?

The Old Indian Defense family is statistically balanced overall with a 49.0% (90% CI: 49.0%-49.0%) aggregated win rate. However, win rates vary significantly between the 13 variations—explore individual lines to find the best fit for your style.

What Should I Play?

What is the Old Indian Defense expected score for White?