Nimzo-Indian Defense 4…O-O 5. Nf3
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Statistics from Lichess
237,521 games: White 46.8% / Draw 5.3% / Black 47.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Normal Variation, Ragozin Variation | 83,33283K | |
| 56,72457K | ||
| 50,18050K | ||
| 12,12312K | ||
| 11,27211K | ||
| 9,2529,252 | ||
| 3,9053,905 | ||
| 3,3433,343 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.09 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... d5 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 c5 8. a3 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 Qc7 10. Be2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for White: White scores 52% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up and 51% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 14K | |
| 1400–1799 | 91K | |
| 1800–2199 | 144K | |
| 2200 and up | 33K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,078 |
Master games
- Ding Liren – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – So, W.
- Aronian, L. – Caruana, F.
- Ding Liren – Aronian, L.
- Karjakin, S. – So, W.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Nimzo-Indian Defense (ECO E50, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Nf3 (5 moves).
In 237,521 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.8%, Black 47.9% and 5.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…d5, in 35% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Ragozin Variation. In all, 2 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 5. Nf3
5…b6 scores best for Black: 51.8%, with Black winning 49.2% and White 45.7% of 50K games. The most played, 5…d5, scores 50.2% in 83K games, and 5…Ne4 scores lowest: 43.2%. Stockfish's first choice is 5…d5.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
This line has lost ground since 2016: 0.007% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.013% (its peak: 0.016% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.013% | 4,623 |
| 2017 | 0.015% | 8,197 |
| 2018 | 0.016% | 12,233 |
| 2019 | 0.013% | 16,023 |
| 2020 | 0.011% | 32,208 |
| 2021 | 0.0089% | 35,006 |
| 2022 | 0.009% | 33,690 |
| 2023 | 0.0086% | 32,453 |
| 2024 | 0.0076% | 27,131 |
| 2025 | 0.007% | 24,170 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0069% | 7,534 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (1)
All 2 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Nimzo-Indian Defense (E50)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/nimzo-indian-defense-2