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Queen's Indian Defense

47 variations · 1.3M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

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3...b6
Analyze this line move by move

Black expected score · Overall

47.7%

40%55%
Floor47.6%

the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 47.8%.

Measured over 1.3M 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

Draw 6.5 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 1.3M games

Rank among the families Black can choose here
#38 of 62
Games in this context
1.3M
Best context
50.7% at 1200-1399 Rapid
Worst context
39.4% at 2500+ Rapid
Variations measured
47
Average game length
38 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
#1Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Modern VariationBest here
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.a3 Bb7 5.Nc3 d5 6.cxd5 Nxd5
Floor 49.7% · 2.8K games
51.3%
#2Queen's Indian Defense
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6
Floor 49.2% · 62K games
49.5%
#3Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Andersson Variation
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.a3 Bb7 5.Nc3 Ne4
Floor 48.8% · 9.3K games
49.6%
#4Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Main Line
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.a3 Bb7 5.Nc3 d5
Floor 48.4% · 33K games
48.8%
#5Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6
Floor 48.2% · 45K games
48.6%
#6Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Hedgehog Variation
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.a3 Bb7 5.Nc3 g6
Floor 48.0% · 3.9K games
49.4%
#7Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7
Floor 47.9% · 24K games
48.4%
#8Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation, Farago Defense
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.a3 Ba6 5.Qc2 Bb7
Floor 47.9% · 1.8K games
49.8%
#9Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Nimzowitsch Line
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.O-O O-O 7.Nc3 d5
Floor 46.8% · 137K games
47.0%
#10Queen's Indian Defense: Riumin Variation
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7
Floor 46.6% · 21K games
47.2%

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: 54.2% at 0-999, 41.2% at 2500+.

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: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 48.4% expected score (992 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 49.1% expected score (1,049 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 55.9% expected score (222 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 26.2% expected score (9 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 45.0% expected score (3,786 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 48.9% expected score (4,358 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 50.1% expected score (887 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 67.4% expected score (10 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 60.7% expected score (36 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 47.7% expected score (10,912 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 48.1% expected score (14,918 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 50.7% expected score (2,972 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 41.5% expected score (75 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 44.0% expected score (82 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 47.7% expected score (24,892 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 47.8% expected score (38,547 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 49.0% expected score (9,118 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 50.3% expected score (417 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 46.5% expected score (98 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 48.2% expected score (43,124 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 48.4% expected score (76,664 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 48.8% expected score (18,281 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 48.6% expected score (1,457 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 53.7% expected score (53 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 48.4% expected score (66,132 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 48.6% expected score (144,726 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 48.8% expected score (29,993 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 50.1% expected score (2,548 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 57.3% expected score (26 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 48.3% expected score (95,511 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 48.5% expected score (220,108 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 47.8% expected score (34,230 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 44.6% expected score (1,899 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 41.3% expected score (10 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 47.9% expected score (142,630 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 47.0% expected score (205,383 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 45.4% expected score (22,633 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 42.8% expected score (720 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 44.7% expected score (74,084 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 42.6% expected score (35,917 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 39.4% expected score (2,906 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 38.1% expected score (225 games)

47 variations · ranked by floor

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

1
Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Modern Variation2.8K games
51.3%Floor 49.7%
2
Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Main Line22K games
50.2%Floor 49.7%
3
Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Rashkovsky Attack151 games
56.3%Floor 49.7%
Queen's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation266 games
54.5%Floor 49.5%
Queen's Indian Defense62K games
49.5%Floor 49.2%
Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation265K games
49.2%Floor 49.1%
Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Andersson Variation9.3K games
49.6%Floor 48.8%
Queen's Indian Defense: Spassky System120K games
48.9%Floor 48.7%
Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Main Line33K games
48.8%Floor 48.4%
Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation45K games
48.6%Floor 48.2%
Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Hedgehog Variation3.9K games
49.4%Floor 48.0%
Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line24K games
48.4%Floor 47.9%
Queen's Indian Defense: Miles Variation19K games
48.5%Floor 47.9%
Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation, Farago Defense1.8K games
49.8%Floor 47.9%
Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Polovodin Gambit899 games
50.6%Floor 47.8%
Queen's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation29K games
47.9%Floor 47.4%
Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Quiet Line9.4K games
48.1%Floor 47.3%
Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Nimzowitsch Line137K games
47.0%Floor 46.8%
Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Petrosian Attack5.5K games
47.8%Floor 46.7%
Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation107K games
46.8%Floor 46.6%
Queen's Indian Defense: Anti-Queen's Indian System20K games
47.2%Floor 46.6%
Queen's Indian Defense: Riumin Variation21K games
47.2%Floor 46.6%
Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation, Botvinnik Attack1.2K games
49.0%Floor 46.6%
Queen's Indian Defense: Capablanca Variation60K games
46.9%Floor 46.5%
Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Kasparov Attack5.9K games
47.6%Floor 46.5%
Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Tiviakov Defense3.6K games
47.8%Floor 46.5%
Queen's Indian Defense: Euwe Variation6.3K games
47.4%Floor 46.4%
Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Marco Defense42K games
46.6%Floor 46.2%
Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Romanishin Attack881 games
48.9%Floor 46.2%
Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Classical Variation9.5K games
47.0%Floor 46.1%
Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation13K games
46.8%Floor 46.1%
Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Nimzowitsch Attack7.2K games
47.0%Floor 46.0%
Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation2.5K games
47.7%Floor 46.0%
Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Sämisch Variation28K games
46.4%Floor 45.9%
Queen's Indian Defense: Yates Variation14K games
46.4%Floor 45.8%
Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation62K games
46.0%Floor 45.6%
Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation26K games
45.0%Floor 44.5%
Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Kramnik Variation11K games
45.3%Floor 44.5%
Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Traditional Line75K games
44.7%Floor 44.4%
Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Timman's Line1.3K games
46.1%Floor 43.8%
Queen's Indian Defense: Traditional Variation4.4K games
45.0%Floor 43.8%
Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Rubinstein Variation4.9K games
44.5%Floor 43.3%
Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Polugaevsky Gambit12K games
44.0%Floor 43.2%
Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Modern Line787 games
45.5%Floor 42.5%
Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Taimanov Gambit1.4K games
43.1%Floor 41.0%
Queen's Indian Defense: Opocensky Variation443 games
41.7%Floor 37.9%
Queen's Indian Defense: Buerger Variation205 games
43.2%Floor 37.6%
Analyze Queen's Indian Defense PositionsSee what each move is worth at your rating, move by move

Methodology

Across every rating and clock, the Queen's Indian Defense family scores 47.7% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 47.6% and 47.8% — from 1.3M Lichess games across 47 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
1.3M+ 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 Queen's Indian Defense win rate?

Across the Queen's Indian Defense's 47 variations, Black wins 44.4%, draws 6.5% and loses 49.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.7%. It rests on 1.3M rated games from Lichess.

How many Queen's Indian Defense variations are there?

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

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

The Queen's Indian Defense family performs best for Black at 1800-1999, with an Expected Score of 48.6% (243K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read. Performance may vary by specific variation.

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

For Black, the Queen's Indian Defense scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 47.8% in Blitz (742K games) against 47.7% in Rapid (121K games).

How sharp is the Queen's Indian Defense?

Queen's Indian Defense games are 93.5% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 38 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.

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

The Queen's Indian Defense family is hard work for Black — it favours White overall. Across its games, Black wins 44.4% and loses 49.1%. Results differ between its 47 variations, so open the one you play for its own figures.