Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Timman's Line
1.3K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
54.0%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 56.2%.
Measured over 1.3K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 12.9 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 1.3K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 1.3K
- Best context
- not measured yet
- Average game length
- 43 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 87.1%
- Draws
- 12.9%
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: 30.0% at 1000-1199, 57.4% 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: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 29.0% expected score (8 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 35.7% expected score (2 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 35.2% expected score (12 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 53.7% expected score (12 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (30 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 51.0% expected score (53 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 45.8% expected score (22 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 31.9% expected score (4 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 44.1% expected score (41 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 51.0% expected score (97 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 68.3% expected score (56 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 58.8% expected score (84 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 53.0% expected score (491 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 46.9% expected score (95 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 60.0% expected score (104 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 60.8% expected score (175 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 58.9% expected score (21 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Timman's Line scores 54.0% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 51.8% and 56.2% — from 1.3K 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
- 1.3K+ 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, Nimzowitsch Variation, Timman's Line win rate?
Playing the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Timman's Line, White wins 47.5%, draws 12.9% and loses 39.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.0%. It rests on 1.3K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Timman's Line perform best?
The Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Timman's Line performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 60.5% (301 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Timman's Line better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Timman's Line scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 53.9% in Blitz (838 games) against 54.1% in Rapid (198 games).
How sharp is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Timman's Line?
The Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Timman's Line has a sharpness score of 87.1 (moderately decisive), meaning 87.1% of games end decisively. Average game length is 43 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Timman's Line win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 39.4%, draws 18.6% and loses 42.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.7%. It rests on 109 Lichess games, which average 51 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Timman's Line win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 48.3%, draws 12.5% and loses 39.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.6%. It rests on 194 Lichess games, which average 50 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Timman's Line win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 47.7%, draws 10.2% and loses 42.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.8%. It rests on 671 Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Timman's Line win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 52.1%, draws 16.7% and loses 31.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 60.5%. It rests on 301 Lichess games, which average 45 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Timman's Line win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 48.4%, draws 12.6% and loses 38.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.8%. It rests on 272 Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Timman's Line win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 47.8%, draws 12.2% and loses 40.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.9%. It rests on 838 Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Timman's Line win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 45.9%, draws 16.3% and loses 37.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.1%. It rests on 198 Lichess games.
Is the Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Timman's Line a good opening?
The Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation, Timman's Line is about level. Across all ratings, White wins 47.5% of its games and loses 39.6%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.