Nimzo-Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation 5…Bxc3+ 6. bxc3
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
66,840 games: White 48.7% / Draw 5.1% / Black 46.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 19,71720K | ||
| 17,90418K | ||
| 13,58714K | ||
| 7,8327,832 | ||
| 2,2022,202 | ||
| 2,1962,196 | ||
| 1,5101,510 | ||
| 668668 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.02 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... b6 7. Bd3 Bb7 8. f3 c5 9. Ne2 Nc6 10. O-O Rc8 11. e4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation (ECO E28, 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. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 (6 moves).
In 66,840 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.7%, Black 46.2% and 5.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…c5, in 29% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to answer 6. bxc3
6…d6 scores best for Black: 51.5%, with Black winning 49.0% and White 46.1% of 7,832 games. The most played, 6…c5, scores 48.8% in 20K games, and 6…d5 scores lowest: 47.1%. Stockfish's first choice is 6…b6.
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Nimzo-Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation (E28)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/nimzo-indian-defense-samisch-variation-4