Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line
24K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
48.4%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 48.9%.
Measured over 24K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 23.8 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 24K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 24K
- Best context
- 53.3% at 2000-2199 Blitz
- Worst context
- 40.2% at 2500+ Rapid
- Average game length
- 49 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 76.2%
- Draws
- 23.8%
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 · 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 gets better as the rating rises: 26.2% at 1000-1199, 41.2% 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: 16.7% expected score (3 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 35.7% expected score (2 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 64.3% expected score (2 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 57.7% expected score (18 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 56.9% expected score (35 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 64.6% expected score (19 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 57.1% expected score (76 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 46.7% expected score (162 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 61.4% expected score (38 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 53.5% expected score (13 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 52.0% expected score (173 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 53.1% expected score (939 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 56.6% expected score (165 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 45.6% expected score (44 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 50.2% expected score (509 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 53.3% expected score (3,330 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 52.5% expected score (555 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 55.3% expected score (65 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 49.1% expected score (1,259 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 51.5% expected score (7,217 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 49.4% expected score (792 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 37.2% expected score (49 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 42.0% expected score (3,188 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 42.6% expected score (4,074 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 40.2% expected score (816 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 40.1% expected score (74 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line scores 48.4% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 47.9% and 48.9% — from 24K 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
- 24K+ 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: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line win rate?
Playing the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line, Black wins 36.5%, draws 23.8% and loses 39.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.4%. It rests on 24K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line perform best?
The Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line performs best for Black at 2000-2199, with an Expected Score of 52.9% (4.5K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 49.6% in Blitz (16K games) against 47.8% in Rapid (2.4K games).
How sharp is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line?
The Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line has a sharpness score of 76.2 (drawish), meaning 76.2% of games end decisively. Average game length is 49 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 45.3%, draws 12.9% and loses 41.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.8%. It rests on 289 Lichess games, which average 49 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 47.8%, draws 10.8% and loses 41.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.2%. It rests on 1.3K Lichess games, which average 43 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 47.9%, draws 10.0% and loses 42.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.9%. It rests on 4.5K Lichess games, which average 41 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 46.0%, draws 9.8% and loses 44.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.0%. It rests on 9.3K Lichess games, which average 43 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 17.1%, draws 49.9% and loses 33.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.1%. It rests on 8.2K Lichess games, which average 62 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 26.2%, draws 37.7% and loses 36.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.1%. It rests on 5.2K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 40.6%, draws 18.0% and loses 41.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.6%. It rests on 16K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 32.6%, draws 30.4% and loses 37.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.8%. It rests on 2.4K Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line win rate in Classical?
In Classical, Black wins 29.1%, draws 31.9% and loses 39.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.0%. It rests on 248 Lichess games.
Is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line a good opening?
The Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Check Variation, Intermezzo Line is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 36.5% of its games and loses 39.7%. It performs best at 2000-2199. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.