Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Modern Variation 2. Bb2 Nc6
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Statistics from Lichess
5,058,737 games: White 49.6% / Draw 4.6% / Black 45.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 2,979,8043M | ||
| 681,205681K | ||
| 446,574447K | ||
| 255,466255K | ||
| 204,090204K | ||
| 185,776186K | ||
| 126,927127K | ||
| 53,37953K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
0.00 The position is about equal
Best play: 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e4 5. Nd4 h5 6. c4 Rh6 7. a3 d5
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 | 2.6M | |
| 1400–1799 | 4.6M | |
| 1800–2199 | 2.3M | |
| 2200 and up | 437K | |
| Masters, over the board | 4,022 |
Master games
- Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Grischuk, A.
- Vachier Lagrave, M. – Caruana, F.
- Caruana, F. – Anand, V.
- Nakamura, H. – Caruana, F.
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: Modern Variation, reached after 1. b3 e5 2. Bb2 Nc6 (2 moves).
In 5,058,737 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.6%, Black 45.8% and 4.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. e3, in 59% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played is Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Pachman Gambit.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 2…Nc6
The most played answer, 3. e3, also scores best for White: 53.5%, with White winning 51.2% and Black 44.2% of 3M games. Of the main answers, 3. d3 scores lowest: 48.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3. e3.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White'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
This line has stayed between 0.17% and 0.21% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.2% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.17% | 59,916 |
| 2017 | 0.18% | 99,110 |
| 2018 | 0.18% | 139,168 |
| 2019 | 0.18% | 223,672 |
| 2020 | 0.18% | 519,675 |
| 2021 | 0.2% | 771,976 |
| 2022 | 0.2% | 758,210 |
| 2023 | 0.21% | 780,906 |
| 2024 | 0.2% | 717,596 |
| 2025 | 0.2% | 691,450 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.2% | 220,843 |
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 (3)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Modern Variation (A01)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/nimzo-larsen-attack-modern-variation-2