Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation
5.3K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
50.2%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 51.3%.
Measured over 5.3K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for White
Draw 3.2 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 5.3K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 5.3K
- Best context
- 50.5% at 2000-2199 Bullet
- Worst context
- 47.7% at 1800-1999 Blitz
- Average game length
- 36 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.8%
- Draws
- 3.2%
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: 54.3% at 0-999, 56.9% 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: 63.6% expected score (17 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 60.4% expected score (13 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 47.5% expected score (38 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (53 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 68.2% expected score (15 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 45.5% expected score (87 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 55.7% expected score (104 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 59.9% expected score (39 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 49.4% expected score (148 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 44.7% expected score (196 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 61.3% expected score (52 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (5 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 44.8% expected score (296 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 51.4% expected score (446 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 52.4% expected score (102 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 83.3% expected score (15 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 35.7% expected score (2 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 50.3% expected score (485 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 47.7% expected score (701 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 52.6% expected score (152 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 59.6% expected score (9 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 50.5% expected score (546 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 48.8% expected score (755 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 46.7% expected score (119 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 53.7% expected score (417 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 48.9% expected score (325 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 53.5% expected score (42 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 57.5% expected score (132 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 43.3% expected score (21 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation scores 50.2% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 49.0% and 51.3% — from 5.3K 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
- 5.3K+ 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 Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation win rate?
Playing the Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation, White wins 48.5%, draws 3.2% and loses 48.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.2%. It rests on 5.3K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation perform best?
The Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 55.8% (154 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 49.0% in Blitz (2.6K games) against 53.2% in Rapid (525 games).
How sharp is the Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation?
The Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation has a sharpness score of 96.8 (very decisive), meaning 96.8% of games end decisively. Average game length is 36 moves.
What is the Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 50.7%, draws 2.3% and loses 47.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.9%. It rests on 106 Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 51.0%, draws 3.7% and loses 45.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.8%. It rests on 231 Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 47.6%, draws 2.6% and loses 49.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.9%. It rests on 403 Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 48.8%, draws 2.1% and loses 49.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.9%. It rests on 860 Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 47.4%, draws 3.6% and loses 49.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.2%. It rests on 1.3K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 47.4%, draws 3.7% and loses 48.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.3%. It rests on 1.4K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 50.0%, draws 3.5% and loses 46.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.8%. It rests on 784 Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 53.1%, draws 5.5% and loses 41.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.8%. It rests on 154 Lichess games, which average 41 moves.
What is the Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 49.5%, draws 1.9% and loses 48.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.5%. It rests on 2.2K Lichess games.
What is the Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 47.0%, draws 3.9% and loses 49.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.0%. It rests on 2.6K Lichess games.
What is the Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 50.6%, draws 5.2% and loses 44.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.2%. It rests on 525 Lichess games.
Is the Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation a good opening?
The Old Indian Defense: Duz-Khotimirsky Variation is about level. Across all ratings, White wins 48.5% of its games and loses 48.2%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.