Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
532,469 games: White 48.1% / Draw 6.2% / Black 45.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 212,833213K | ||
| 156,204156K | ||
| 76,04376K | ||
| 65,00965K | ||
| 16,02816K | ||
| 3,9773,977 | ||
| 737737 | ||
| 597597 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.14 The position is about equal
Best play: 5. dxc5 O-O 6. Nf3 Na6 7. g3 Nxc5 8. Bg2 Nce4 9. O-O Bxc3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 49% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up and 46% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 5,076 | |
| 1400–1799 | 93K | |
| 1800–2199 | 341K | |
| 2200 and up | 120K | |
| Masters, over the board | 5,177 |
Master games
- Kasparov, G. – Kramnik, V.
- Kasparov, G. – Kramnik, V.
- Vachier Lagrave, M. – Aronian, L.
- Mamedyarov, S. – Firouzja, A.
- Mamedyarov, S. – Aronian, L.
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: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation (ECO E38, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 c5 (4 moves).
In 532,469 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.1%, Black 45.7% and 6.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. dxc5, in 40% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Pirc Variation and Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Steiner Variation. In all, 3 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 play against the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation
The most played answer, 5. dxc5, also scores best for White: 54.1%, with White winning 50.6% and Black 42.3% of 213K games. Of the main answers, 5. a3 scores lowest: 48.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5. dxc5.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White'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
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.018% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.029% (its peak: 0.035% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.029% | 10,197 |
| 2017 | 0.032% | 17,543 |
| 2018 | 0.035% | 27,647 |
| 2019 | 0.027% | 33,980 |
| 2020 | 0.022% | 65,693 |
| 2021 | 0.018% | 70,808 |
| 2022 | 0.019% | 72,424 |
| 2023 | 0.02% | 74,020 |
| 2024 | 0.018% | 65,850 |
| 2025 | 0.018% | 62,834 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.019% | 21,382 |
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 (2)
All 3 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation (E38)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/nimzo-indian-defense-classical-variation-berlin-variation