Pseudo Queen's Indian Defense

1 variations · 346K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

2...b6

Analyze this line move by move

Black expected score · Overall

47.9%

40%55%

Floor47.7%

the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 48.0%.

Measured over 346K games at this level and clock.

Tough Sellloses more often than it wins at this level

Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the ranked list.

Outcomes for Black

45.3%5.1%49.6%

Win

Draw

Loss

Draw 5.1 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 346K games

Rank among the families Black can choose here: #36 of 62
Games in this context: 346K
Best context: 49.4% at 1800-1999 Classical
Worst context: 44.7% at 2200-2499 Rapid
Variations measured: 1
Average game length: 37 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

Black · Overall

#1Pseudo Queen's Indian DefenseBest here

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 b6

Floor 47.7% · 346K games

47.9%

These 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 · Black score by rating × clock

Green is clearly ahead for Black, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It falls away as the rating rises: 48.2% at 0-999, 44.3% 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: 49.3% expected score (877 games)
0-999 rating, Blitz: 48.2% expected score (2,069 games)
0-999 rating, Rapid: 48.7% expected score (811 games)
0-999 rating, Classical: 46.6% expected score (13 games)
1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 36.5% expected score (17 games)
1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 46.7% expected score (1,999 games)
1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 48.2% expected score (4,159 games)
1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 48.1% expected score (1,333 games)
1000-1199 rating, Classical: 67.0% expected score (25 games)
1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 44.7% expected score (36 games)
1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 46.8% expected score (4,871 games)
1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 47.2% expected score (8,041 games)
1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 47.9% expected score (2,457 games)
1200-1399 rating, Classical: 50.5% expected score (111 games)
1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 46.0% expected score (48 games)
1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 47.5% expected score (8,460 games)
1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 48.6% expected score (16,242 games)
1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 48.0% expected score (4,412 games)
1400-1599 rating, Classical: 53.6% expected score (280 games)
1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 48.3% expected score (57 games)
1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 47.5% expected score (12,180 games)
1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 47.9% expected score (27,487 games)
1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 48.3% expected score (6,909 games)
1600-1799 rating, Classical: 56.7% expected score (491 games)
1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 40.6% expected score (73 games)
1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 47.8% expected score (18,443 games)
1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 48.5% expected score (44,536 games)
1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 49.2% expected score (9,199 games)
1800-1999 rating, Classical: 49.4% expected score (569 games)
2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 42.1% expected score (43 games)
2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 47.7% expected score (25,847 games)
2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 47.7% expected score (51,264 games)
2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 47.9% expected score (7,103 games)
2000-2199 rating, Classical: 49.6% expected score (238 games)
2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 57.4% expected score (12 games)
2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 47.7% expected score (28,633 games)
2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 47.3% expected score (33,086 games)
2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 44.7% expected score (3,642 games)
2200-2499 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (67 games)
2500+ rating, Bullet: 48.0% expected score (14,748 games)
2500+ rating, Blitz: 45.7% expected score (5,220 games)
2500+ rating, Rapid: 39.3% expected score (203 games)
2500+ rating, Classical: 44.1% expected score (7 games)

1 variations · ranked by floor

Floor — the worst score you would still get, 90% confident.

Pseudo Queen's Indian Defense346K games

Losing47.9%Floor 47.7%

Analyze Pseudo Queen's Indian Defense PositionsSee what each move is worth at your rating, move by move

Methodology

Across every rating and clock, the Pseudo Queen's Indian Defense family scores 47.9% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 47.7% and 48.0% — from 346K Lichess games across 1 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: 346K+ 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 Pseudo Queen's Indian Defense win rate?

Across the Pseudo Queen's Indian Defense's 1 variations, Black wins 45.3%, draws 5.1% and loses 49.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.9%. It rests on 346K rated games from Lichess.

How many Pseudo Queen's Indian Defense variations are there?

1 Pseudo Queen's Indian Defense variations have a page of their own, each broken down by rating and by clock.

At what rating does the Pseudo Queen's Indian Defense perform best?

The Pseudo Queen's Indian Defense family performs best for Black at 1800-1999, with an Expected Score of 48.4% (73K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read. Performance may vary by specific variation.

Is the Pseudo Queen's Indian Defense better in blitz or rapid?

For Black, the Pseudo Queen's Indian Defense scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 47.9% in Blitz (192K games) against 48.0% in Rapid (36K games).

How sharp is the Pseudo Queen's Indian Defense?

Pseudo Queen's Indian Defense games are 94.9% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 37 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.

Is the Pseudo Queen's Indian Defense a good opening family?

The Pseudo Queen's Indian Defense family is hard work for Black — it favours White overall. Across its games, Black wins 45.3% and loses 49.6%. Results differ between its 1 variations, so open the one you play for its own figures.