E47

Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation 4…O-O 5. Bd3

Chess diagram: Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation after 5. Bd3

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Statistics from Lichess

340,998 games: White 48.9% / Draw 6.2% / Black 44.8%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next move	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Classical Defense	166,749167K
	86,02386K
	48,26148K
	12,79313K
	9,7699,769
	8,4178,417
	2,7592,759
	2,4932,493

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.12 The position is about equal

Best play: 5... d5 6. Nf3 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

Rating changes little here: White scores 52% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 53% in master games (wins plus half the draws).

Players	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400	3,620
1400–1799	40K
1800–2199	167K
2200 and up	144K
Masters, over the board	14K

Master games

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: Normal Variation (ECO E47, 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. Bd3 (5 moves).

In 340,998 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.9%, Black 44.8% and 6.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…d5, in 49% of those games.

It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Classical Defense and Nimzo-Indian Defense: St. Petersburg Variation. In all, 17 named lines continue from it.

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Description

How to answer 5. Bd3

The most played answer, 5…d5 (Classical Defense), also scores best for Black: 48.3%, with Black winning 45.0% and White 48.4% of 167K games. Of the main answers, 5…b6 scores lowest: 46.8%. Stockfish's first choice is also 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 peaked in 2018 at 0.019% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.014% in 2025.

0.014%0.014%0.019%

Numbers by year

Year	Share of games	Games
2016	0.014%	5,063
2017	0.017%	9,331
2018	0.019%	14,880
2019	0.015%	18,679
2020	0.014%	39,742
2021	0.011%	42,803
2022	0.012%	45,386
2023	0.013%	48,154
2024	0.013%	47,305
2025	0.014%	47,889
2026 (Jan–Apr)	0.014%	15,662

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 17 named lines that continue from here

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation (E47)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/nimzo-indian-defense-normal-variation-2