Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation, Botvinnik Attack
1.2K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
49.0%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 51.3%.
Measured over 1.2K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 3.4 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 1.2K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 1.2K
- Best context
- not measured yet
- Average game length
- 36 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.6%
- Draws
- 3.4%
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 falls away as the rating rises: 70.0% at 0-999, 61.1% 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: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 36.7% expected score (6 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 39.9% expected score (28 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 29.7% expected score (28 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 31.9% expected score (4 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 51.6% expected score (30 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 44.8% expected score (124 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 47.0% expected score (15 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.9% expected score (56 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 48.4% expected score (243 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 57.1% expected score (41 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (83 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 47.9% expected score (214 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 50.7% expected score (66 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 63.4% expected score (6 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 44.0% expected score (56 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 51.7% expected score (87 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 51.2% expected score (41 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 62.1% expected score (40 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 60.6% expected score (46 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 42.4% expected score (5 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 63.4% expected score (6 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (9 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation, Botvinnik Attack scores 49.0% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 46.6% and 51.3% — from 1.2K 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
- 1.2K+ 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: Kasparov Variation, Botvinnik Attack win rate?
Playing the Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation, Botvinnik Attack, Black wins 47.2%, draws 3.4% and loses 49.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.0%. It rests on 1.2K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation, Botvinnik Attack perform best?
The Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation, Botvinnik Attack performs best for Black at 2200-2499, with an Expected Score of 60.3% (91 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation, Botvinnik Attack better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation, Botvinnik Attack scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 48.0% in Blitz (752 games) against 51.5% in Rapid (173 games).
How sharp is the Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation, Botvinnik Attack?
The Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation, Botvinnik Attack has a sharpness score of 96.6 (very decisive), meaning 96.6% of games end decisively. Average game length is 36 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation, Botvinnik Attack win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 45.5%, draws 1.5% and loses 53.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.2%. It rests on 169 Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation, Botvinnik Attack win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 47.3%, draws 4.5% and loses 48.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.6%. It rests on 342 Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation, Botvinnik Attack win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 47.9%, draws 2.6% and loses 49.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.2%. It rests on 369 Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation, Botvinnik Attack win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 45.9%, draws 6.1% and loses 48.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.0%. It rests on 187 Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation, Botvinnik Attack win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 48.6%, draws 2.8% and loses 48.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.0%. It rests on 306 Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation, Botvinnik Attack win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 46.1%, draws 3.8% and loses 50.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.0%. It rests on 752 Lichess games.
What is the Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation, Botvinnik Attack win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 49.6%, draws 3.7% and loses 46.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.5%. It rests on 173 Lichess games.
Is the Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation, Botvinnik Attack a good opening?
The Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation, Botvinnik Attack is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 47.2% of its games and loses 49.3%. It performs best at 2200-2499. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.