Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Main Line
22K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
49.8%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 50.4%.
Measured over 22K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for White
Draw 9.6 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 22K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 22K
- Best context
- 55.8% at 2500+ Blitz
- Worst context
- 43.4% at 1800-1999 Blitz
- Average game length
- 42 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 90.4%
- Draws
- 9.6%
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 falls away as the rating rises: 70.0% at 1000-1199, 49.5% 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
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 16.7% expected score (3 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 28.3% expected score (10 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 59.3% expected score (20 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 42.8% expected score (33 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 54.9% expected score (81 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 38.6% expected score (16 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 41.1% expected score (183 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 43.4% expected score (811 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 45.1% expected score (69 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (21 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 46.9% expected score (902 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 49.2% expected score (5,043 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 47.5% expected score (415 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 51.5% expected score (32 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 47.6% expected score (2,333 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 51.1% expected score (7,749 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 51.7% expected score (691 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 44.5% expected score (26 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 51.4% expected score (2,244 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 55.8% expected score (824 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 55.2% expected score (85 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 35.7% expected score (2 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Main Line scores 49.8% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 49.3% and 50.4% — from 22K 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
- 22K+ 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: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Main Line win rate?
Playing the Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Main Line, White wins 45.0%, draws 9.6% and loses 45.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.8%. It rests on 22K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Main Line perform best?
The Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Main Line performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 52.6% (3.2K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Main Line better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Main Line scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 50.3% in Blitz (15K games) against 50.1% in Rapid (1.3K games).
How sharp is the Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Main Line?
The Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Main Line has a sharpness score of 90.4 (decisive), meaning 90.4% of games end decisively. Average game length is 42 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Main Line win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 46.5%, draws 7.1% and loses 46.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.0%. It rests on 133 Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Main Line win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 38.8%, draws 8.0% and loses 53.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.8%. It rests on 1.1K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Main Line win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 44.3%, draws 8.8% and loses 46.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.7%. It rests on 6.4K Lichess games, which average 40 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Main Line win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 45.3%, draws 10.1% and loses 44.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.4%. It rests on 11K Lichess games, which average 43 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Main Line win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 47.6%, draws 10.0% and loses 42.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.6%. It rests on 3.2K Lichess games, which average 45 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Main Line win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 44.9%, draws 7.6% and loses 47.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.7%. It rests on 5.7K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Main Line win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 45.3%, draws 10.0% and loses 44.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.3%. It rests on 15K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Main Line win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 43.9%, draws 12.4% and loses 43.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.1%. It rests on 1.3K Lichess games.
Is the Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Main Line a good opening?
The Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Main Line is about level. Across all ratings, White wins 45.0% of its games and loses 45.4%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.