Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation
The Leningrad Variation is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bg5: against the Nimzo-Indian Defense White pins the f6-knight in return. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
1,660,855 games: White 47.0% / Draw 5.1% / Black 48.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 538,301538K | ||
| 381,811382K | ||
| 284,090284K | ||
| 162,252162K | ||
| 140,853141K | ||
| 71,68072K | ||
| 26,43626K | ||
| 21,92022K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.04 The position is about equal
Best play: 4... c5 5. Nf3 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. Rc1 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nc6 9. e3
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 54% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 49% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 102K | |
| 1400–1799 | 796K | |
| 1800–2199 | 1M | |
| 2200 and up | 120K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,095 |
Master games
- Korobov, A. – Kramnik, V.
- Jussupow, A. – Karpov, A.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Wojtaszek, R.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Topalov, V.
- Moiseenko, A. – Bacrot, E.
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
Description
The Leningrad Variation is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bg5: against the Nimzo-Indian Defense White pins the f6-knight in return. It got its name because players from Leningrad, such as Boris Spassky, developed much of its theory. Its ECO codes are E30 and E31.
The idea
Instead of 4.e3 or 4.Qc2, White develops the dark-squared bishop at once and pins the knight on f6. In the main lines Black answers with ...c5 and, after White's d5, sets up a blockade on the dark squares.
Main lines
Black can play 4...h6 or the immediate 4...c5. After 4...h6 the game may go 5.Bh4 c5 6.d5.
- 6...d6 7.e3 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 e5 is the main line. Black has a blockade like the one in the Hübner Variation of the Rubinstein System, but White's dark-squared bishop is outside the pawn chain. The pin on the f6-knight is very annoying, and Black often breaks it with the drastic ...g7–g5, which also stops White's f2–f4 break. Because this weakens the kingside, Black usually keeps the king safe on the other side with ...Kd8–c7 instead of castling.
- 6...b5 was much played in the 1970s, after Mikhail Tal scored a crushing win over Spassky with it at Tallinn 1973.
The numbers
On Lichess Black wins slightly more often overall: 48.0% against 47.0% for White in 1.7 million games. White is ahead below 1800, 52.2% against 44.4% under 1400, but from 1800 up Black leads: 48.8% against 45.9% between 1800 and 2199, and 48.0% against 45.3% from 2200 up. In 2,095 master games over the board White won 29.2%, Black 30.5%, and 40.2% were drawn.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation
4…c5 scores best for Black: 55.7%, with Black winning 53.2% and White 41.8% of 382K games. The most played, 4…h6, scores 50.0% in 538K games, and 4…O-O scores lowest: 47.1%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4…c5.
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
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.057% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.073% (its peak: 0.085% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.073% | 25,966 |
| 2017 | 0.076% | 41,573 |
| 2018 | 0.085% | 67,097 |
| 2019 | 0.076% | 94,671 |
| 2020 | 0.07% | 204,380 |
| 2021 | 0.064% | 249,665 |
| 2022 | 0.064% | 238,737 |
| 2023 | 0.064% | 239,424 |
| 2024 | 0.059% | 210,161 |
| 2025 | 0.057% | 198,060 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.057% | 62,637 |
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)
Sources
- History and theory: adapted from the Wikipedia article Nimzo-Indian Defence, version of 26 October 2026, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Results: Lichess opening explorer, figures collected from September to November 2026.
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Nimzo-Indian Defense: Leningrad Variation (E30)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/nimzo-indian-defense-leningrad-variation