Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Modern Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
8,428,314 games: White 49.8% / Draw 4.6% / Black 45.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 7,902,0307.9M | ||
| 150,855151K | ||
| 89,27089K | ||
| 54,57355K | ||
| 52,27252K | ||
| King's Pawn Opening | 51,39451K | |
| 33,76334K | ||
| 19,72720K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
0.00 The position is about equal
Best play: 2. Bb2 Nc6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e4 5. Nd4 h5 6. Be2 Rh6
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 49% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 49% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 5.2M | |
| 1400–1799 | 7.9M | |
| 1800–2199 | 3.9M | |
| 2200 and up | 622K | |
| Masters, over the board | 4,987 |
Master games
- Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Grischuk, A.
- Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M.
- Vachier Lagrave, M. – Caruana, F.
- Caruana, F. – Anand, V.
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
Overview
Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Modern Variation (ECO A01, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Nimzo-Larsen Attack, reached after 1. b3 e5 (1 move).
In 8,428,314 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.8%, Black 45.7% and 4.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 2. Bb2, in 94% of those games.
It continues into one named variation. In all, 4 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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Popularity by year
The Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Modern Variation has stayed between 0.29% and 0.34% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.33% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.29% | 104,924 |
| 2017 | 0.31% | 168,698 |
| 2018 | 0.3% | 235,540 |
| 2019 | 0.31% | 381,955 |
| 2020 | 0.3% | 871,239 |
| 2021 | 0.33% | 1,274,518 |
| 2022 | 0.34% | 1,259,741 |
| 2023 | 0.34% | 1,293,841 |
| 2024 | 0.33% | 1,194,400 |
| 2025 | 0.33% | 1,149,786 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.33% | 363,871 |
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 (1)
Transpositions
All 4 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Modern Variation (A01)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/nimzo-larsen-attack-modern-variation