Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation
The Three Knights Variation of the Nimzo-Indian Defense is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3, usually called the Kasparov Variation. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
2,261,376 games: White 48.3% / Draw 5.2% / Black 46.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 666,810667K | ||
| 410,669411K | ||
| 370,935371K | ||
| Queen's Gambit Declined: Ragozin Defense | 285,456285K | |
| 271,688272K | ||
| 151,823152K | ||
| 29,36529K | ||
| 19,91220K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 26, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.14 The position is about equal
Best play: 4... b6 5. e3 O-O 6. Bd3 d5 7. O-O Ba6 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Bxa6
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, 51% at 2200 and up and 54% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 155K | |
| 1400–1799 | 931K | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.4M | |
| 2200 and up | 295K | |
| Masters, over the board | 8,075 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Ding Liren
- Carlsen, M. – Caruana, F.
- Topalov, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Topalov, V.
- So, W. – Carlsen, M.
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 26, 2026
Description
The Three Knights Variation of the Nimzo-Indian Defense is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3, usually called the Kasparov Variation. White develops the knight to a natural square and waits to see Black's reply. The same position arises from the Bogo-Indian Defense if White answers 3.Nf3 Bb4+ with 4.Nc3.
History
Garry Kasparov used 4.Nf3 to great effect against Anatoly Karpov in their 1985 World Championship match: he played it six times, scoring three wins and three draws. Today it is a favourite weapon of GM Alexei Barsov and of former Women's Champion Nona Gaprindashvili.
Black's replies
- 4...d5 transposes to the Ragozin Defense of the Queen's Gambit Declined.
- 4...b6 5.Bg5 Bb7 transposes to a Nimzo/Queen's Indian hybrid.
- 4...c5 or 4...O-O are the most common moves that stay within Nimzo-Indian territory.
The main line
After 4...c5, 5.e3 transposes to the Rubinstein System, but the main move is 5.g3, a position that also arises from the Fianchetto Variation. 5.g3 cxd4 6.Nxd4 O-O 7.Bg2 d5 8.cxd5 Nxd5 can be considered the main line. Black has dissolved White's centre, but the bishop on g2 presses on Black's queenside, and White can add to it with 9.Qb3.
The numbers
On Lichess White wins 48.3% of the 2.3 million games and Black 46.5%; from 1800 up the results are nearly level. In 8,075 master games over the board 45.1% were drawn, White won 31.7% and Black 23.1%.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation
4…b6 scores best for Black: 51.4%, with Black winning 48.7% and White 45.9% of 371K games. The most played, 4…O-O, scores 49.0% in 667K games, and 4…Ne4 scores lowest: 46.1%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4…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
Popularity by year
The Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.076% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.11% (its peak: 0.12% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.11% | 37,590 |
| 2017 | 0.11% | 59,810 |
| 2018 | 0.12% | 93,104 |
| 2019 | 0.11% | 134,475 |
| 2020 | 0.098% | 287,975 |
| 2021 | 0.086% | 335,493 |
| 2022 | 0.086% | 323,700 |
| 2023 | 0.085% | 318,895 |
| 2024 | 0.078% | 280,459 |
| 2025 | 0.076% | 265,413 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.078% | 85,222 |
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 (5)
Transpositions
All 7 named lines that continue from here
- E20 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Romanishin Variation 6 moves
- E20 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Romanishin Variation, English Hybrid 8 moves
- E43 Nimzo-Indian Defense: St. Petersburg Variation 8 moves
- E43 Nimzo-Indian Defense: St. Petersburg Variation 6 moves
- E21 Korchnoi Variation 5 moves
- E43 St. Petersburg Variation 9 moves
- E21 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation, Euwe Variation 5 moves
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: Three Knights Variation (E21)”. Lichess data as of 26 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/nimzo-indian-defense-three-knights-variation