A01

Nimzo-Larsen Attack: English Variation

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Statistics from Lichess

1,657,029 games: White 48.6% / Draw 4.9% / Black 46.5%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next move	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
	1,521,9951.5M
	39,84040K
	22,11622K
	18,40818K
	12,72913K
	9,9909,990
Sicilian Defense: Czerniak Attack	8,7998,799
	6,0086,008

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 13, 2026

Engine evaluation

0.00 The position is about equal

Best play: 2. Bb2 Nf6 3. e3 Nc6 4. Nf3 g6 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 Bg7

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

By rating

Rating changes little here: Black scores 48% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 47% in master games (wins plus half the draws).

Players	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400	407K
1400–1799	1M
1800–2199	904K
2200 and up	156K
Masters, over the board	595

Master games

So, W. – Carlsen, M. 0–1, 2017
Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M. ½–½, 2025
Nakamura, H. – Grischuk, A. 0–1, 2012
Praggnanandhaa, R. – Aronian, L. 0–1, 2025
Nakamura, H. – Yu Yangyi ½–½, 2017

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-Larsen Attack: English Variation (ECO A01, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Nimzo-Larsen Attack, reached after 1. b3 c5 (1 move).

In 1,657,029 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.6%, Black 46.5% and 4.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 2. Bb2, in 92% of those games.

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Description

Popularity by year

The Nimzo-Larsen Attack: English Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.071% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.044%.

0.044%0.071%

Numbers by year

Year	Share of games	Games
2016	0.044%	15,761
2017	0.049%	26,846
2018	0.054%	42,236
2019	0.059%	73,590
2020	0.056%	165,370
2021	0.061%	238,971
2022	0.065%	242,882
2023	0.068%	255,826
2024	0.068%	245,366
2025	0.071%	244,807
2026 (Jan–Apr)	0.073%	79,538

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

Transpositions

B20 Sicilian Defense: Czerniak Attack after 2. e4

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Nimzo-Larsen Attack: English Variation (A01)”. Lichess data as of 13 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/nimzo-larsen-attack-english-variation