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Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation

577K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

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White Expected Score52.5%Range (90% confident): 52.4% – 52.6%Based on 577K games
0%52.5%100%
Range (90% confident): 52.4% – 52.6%
Outcome Distribution
49.5%6.0%44.5%
Win
Draw
Loss
2.b3
Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation
Analyzen=577K
Avg Length39 moves
Sharpness94%
Draw Rate6.0%

What is the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation expected score for White?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation has a 52.5% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 52.4% and 52.6%), based on 577K Lichess games.

White Win% by Rating

Stable across ratings (~50%)

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 49.7% win rate (3,568 games)
  • 1000-1199: 48.7% win rate (7,406 games)
  • 1200-1399: 49.6% win rate (15,341 games)
  • 1400-1599: 49.5% win rate (31,795 games)
  • 1600-1799: 49.0% win rate (60,142 games)
  • 1800-1999: 49.2% win rate (97,303 games)
  • 2000-2199: 49.1% win rate (141,384 games)
  • 2200-2499: 49.8% win rate (152,677 games)
  • 2500+: 51.0% win rate (66,897 games)

White Win% by Time Control

Best in Bullet (50%), worst in Classical (46%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 48.9% win rate (2,105 games)
  • Bullet: 50.4% win rate (253,335 games)
  • Blitz: 48.9% win rate (272,446 games)
  • Rapid: 48.5% win rate (45,540 games)
  • Classical: 45.5% win rate (3,087 games)

White% by Rating × Time Control

Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.

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: 63.4% expected score (6 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 52.0% expected score (866 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 52.7% expected score (1,848 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 49.5% expected score (843 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (5 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 42.5% expected score (78 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 50.7% expected score (2,250 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 51.0% expected score (3,726 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 49.9% expected score (1,299 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 48.2% expected score (53 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 35.5% expected score (167 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 51.7% expected score (4,861 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 51.2% expected score (7,816 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 52.4% expected score (2,409 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 48.9% expected score (88 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 47.9% expected score (237 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 51.0% expected score (10,401 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 51.4% expected score (15,753 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 52.5% expected score (4,906 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 50.1% expected score (498 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 48.1% expected score (391 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 52.1% expected score (18,236 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 50.7% expected score (32,875 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 51.5% expected score (7,875 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 47.4% expected score (765 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 52.5% expected score (704 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 52.2% expected score (30,218 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 51.6% expected score (54,670 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 50.9% expected score (10,859 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 51.3% expected score (852 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 56.5% expected score (384 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 52.1% expected score (52,012 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 52.1% expected score (77,942 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 52.0% expected score (10,466 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 53.1% expected score (580 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 53.3% expected score (122 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 52.9% expected score (79,521 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 53.6% expected score (66,362 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 56.2% expected score (6,454 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 54.6% expected score (218 games)
  • 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 58.6% expected score (16 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 54.9% expected score (54,970 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 57.2% expected score (11,454 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 57.4% expected score (429 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 51.7% expected score (28 games)

Related Openings

Parent
Zukertort Opening
49.5%
Variations (5)
Zukertort Opening: Ampel Variation
45.7%
Zukertort Opening: Arctic Defense
51.8%
Zukertort Opening: Arctic Defense, Drunken Knight Variation
47.9%
Zukertort Opening: Basman Defense
51.4%
Zukertort Opening: Black Mustang Defense
49.7%
Analyze Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation win rate?

The Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation has a 49.5% (90% CI: 49.4%-49.6%) win rate for white, based on 577K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation perform best?

The Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation performs best at 2500+ Elo with a 51.0% win rate for white (67K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

Is the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation better in blitz or rapid?

Bullet (50.4%) outperforms Classical (45.5%) by 4.9%. Choose your time control wisely.

How sharp is the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation?

The Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation has a sharpness score of 94.0 (decisive), meaning 94.0% of games end decisively. Average game length is 39 moves.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation win rate at 0-999 Elo?

At 0-999 Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation has a 49.7% (90% CI: 48.4%-51.1%) win rate for white, based on 3.6K Lichess games. Average game length is 28 moves with a 4.1% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation win rate at 1000-1199 Elo?

At 1000-1199 Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation has a 48.7% (90% CI: 47.7%-49.6%) win rate for white, based on 7.4K Lichess games. Average game length is 30 moves with a 3.8% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation win rate at 1200-1399 Elo?

At 1200-1399 Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation has a 49.6% (90% CI: 48.9%-50.3%) win rate for white, based on 15K Lichess games. Average game length is 33 moves with a 3.5% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation win rate at 1400-1599 Elo?

At 1400-1599 Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation has a 49.5% (90% CI: 49.0%-50.0%) win rate for white, based on 32K Lichess games. Average game length is 34 moves with a 3.8% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation win rate at 1600-1799 Elo?

At 1600-1799 Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation has a 49.0% (90% CI: 48.6%-49.3%) win rate for white, based on 60K Lichess games. Average game length is 35 moves with a 4.4% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation win rate at 1800-1999 Elo?

At 1800-1999 Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation has a 49.2% (90% CI: 48.9%-49.4%) win rate for white, based on 97K Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 5.0% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation win rate at 2000-2199 Elo?

At 2000-2199 Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation has a 49.1% (90% CI: 48.9%-49.3%) win rate for white, based on 141K Lichess games. Average game length is 39 moves with a 6.0% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation win rate at 2200-2499 Elo?

At 2200-2499 Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation has a 49.8% (90% CI: 49.6%-50.0%) win rate for white, based on 153K Lichess games. Average game length is 41 moves with a 7.0% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation win rate at 2500+ Elo?

At 2500+ Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation has a 51.0% (90% CI: 50.7%-51.3%) win rate for white, based on 67K Lichess games. Average game length is 44 moves with a 8.6% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation win rate in UltraBullet?

In UltraBullet games, the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation has a 48.9% (90% CI: 47.1%-50.7%) win rate for white (2.1K Lichess games). Draw rate is 2.8%.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet games, the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation has a 50.4% (90% CI: 50.3%-50.6%) win rate for white (253K Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.0%.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz games, the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation has a 48.9% (90% CI: 48.8%-49.1%) win rate for white (272K Lichess games). Draw rate is 6.7%.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid games, the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation has a 48.5% (90% CI: 48.1%-48.9%) win rate for white (46K Lichess games). Draw rate is 7.5%.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation win rate in Classical?

In Classical games, the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation has a 45.5% (90% CI: 44.1%-47.0%) win rate for white (3.1K Lichess games). Draw rate is 10.1%.

Is the Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation a good opening?

The Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation is statistically favors white with a 49.5% (90% CI: 49.4%-49.6%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 2500+ Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.