Nimzo-Indian Defense: St. Petersburg Variation 7…O-O 8. O-O
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Statistics from Lichess
53,453 games: White 46.5% / Draw 5.6% / Black 47.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 22,02722K | ||
| 16,08016K | ||
| 5,1995,199 | ||
| 4,9724,972 | ||
| 1,4571,457 | ||
| 1,3341,334 | ||
| 982982 | ||
| 325325 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.27 The position is about equal
Best play: 8... d6 9. Nd2 c5 10. e4 Nc6 11. Nf3 h6 12. Re1 Re8 13. Rb1
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Nimzo-Indian Defense: St. Petersburg Variation (ECO E43, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 b6 6. e3 Bb7 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O (8 moves).
In 53,453 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.5%, Black 47.9% and 5.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 8…d6, in 41% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 8. O-O
The most played answer, 8…d6, also scores best for Black: 53.0%, with Black winning 50.3% and White 44.3% of 22K games. Of the main answers, 8…d5 scores lowest: 44.7%. Stockfish's first choice is also 8…d6.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Nimzo-Indian Defense: St. Petersburg Variation (E43)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/nimzo-indian-defense-st-petersburg-variation-9