Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack
167K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
53.7%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 53.9%.
Measured over 167K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 7.0 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 167K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 167K
- Best context
- 59.4% at 1200-1399 Rapid
- Worst context
- 51.6% at 1200-1399 Bullet
- Average game length
- 36 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 93.0%
- Draws
- 7.0%
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: 53.6% 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, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 49.1% expected score (482 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 53.6% expected score (743 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 56.8% expected score (597 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 68.2% expected score (4 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 52.5% expected score (1,054 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 56.6% expected score (1,369 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 52.5% expected score (765 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 52.8% expected score (17 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 51.6% expected score (1,903 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 53.7% expected score (2,553 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 59.4% expected score (1,016 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 58.7% expected score (33 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (6 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 54.1% expected score (3,467 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 54.7% expected score (6,022 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 56.4% expected score (1,927 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 61.1% expected score (120 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 52.9% expected score (5,436 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 54.2% expected score (13,106 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 56.6% expected score (3,132 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 53.0% expected score (315 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 53.4% expected score (7,965 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 54.7% expected score (23,745 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 55.4% expected score (5,682 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 56.5% expected score (485 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 52.9% expected score (9,511 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 53.4% expected score (27,707 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 55.5% expected score (6,328 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 57.3% expected score (335 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 51.8% expected score (10,736 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 52.3% expected score (19,648 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 56.3% expected score (2,696 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 52.8% expected score (89 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 52.6% expected score (5,449 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 53.8% expected score (2,824 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 58.0% expected score (117 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 63.3% expected score (6 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack scores 53.7% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 53.5% and 53.9% — from 167K 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
- 167K+ 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 Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack win rate?
Playing the Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack, White wins 50.2%, draws 7.0% and loses 42.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.7%. It rests on 167K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack perform best?
The Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack performs best for White at 1400-1599, with an Expected Score of 54.9% (12K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 53.7% in Blitz (98K games) against 56.0% in Rapid (22K games).
How sharp is the Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack?
The Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack has a sharpness score of 93.0 (decisive), meaning 93.0% of games end decisively. Average game length is 36 moves.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, White wins 51.3%, draws 4.3% and loses 44.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.5%. It rests on 1.8K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 52.2%, draws 4.1% and loses 43.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.3%. It rests on 3.2K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 52.1%, draws 3.8% and loses 44.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.1%. It rests on 5.5K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 52.5%, draws 4.7% and loses 42.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.9%. It rests on 12K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 51.6%, draws 5.2% and loses 43.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.2%. It rests on 22K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 51.4%, draws 6.4% and loses 42.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.6%. It rests on 38K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 50.1%, draws 7.1% and loses 42.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.6%. It rests on 44K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 48.3%, draws 8.1% and loses 43.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.4%. It rests on 33K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 44.8%, draws 16.4% and loses 38.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.0%. It rests on 8.4K Lichess games, which average 43 moves.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 49.5%, draws 6.2% and loses 44.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.6%. It rests on 46K Lichess games.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 50.2%, draws 7.0% and loses 42.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.7%. It rests on 98K Lichess games.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 51.9%, draws 8.1% and loses 40.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.0%. It rests on 22K Lichess games.
What is the Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 50.7%, draws 11.0% and loses 38.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.2%. It rests on 1.4K Lichess games.
Is the Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack a good opening?
The Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 50.2% of its games and loses 42.8%. It performs best at 1400-1599. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.