Nimzowitsch Defense
The Nimzowitsch Defense (1.e4 Nc6) is named after Aron Nimzowitsch. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
21,684,521 games: White 48.6% / Draw 4.3% / Black 47.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Declined Variation | 8,479,0928.5M | |
| 7,850,0557.9M | ||
| 1,483,1191.5M | ||
| 1,359,9161.4M | ||
| 1,095,4451.1M | ||
| 383,506384K | ||
| Pseudo-Spanish Variation | 368,841369K | |
| 209,275209K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.49 White is slightly better
Best play: 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Be2 f6 5. f4 e6 6. c3 g5
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 better this line does for Black: Black scores 46% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 45% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 16.4M | |
| 1400–1799 | 17.5M | |
| 1800–2199 | 11.6M | |
| 2200 and up | 1.5M | |
| Masters, over the board | 6,319 |
Master games
- Ding, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Carlsen, M.
- Aronian, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Aronian, L. – Carlsen, M.
- 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 Nimzowitsch Defense (1.e4 Nc6) is named after Aron Nimzowitsch. It is a hypermodern reply: Black develops a knight at once and keeps the choice between ...d5 and ...e5, so the character of the game depends on Black's second move.
The idea
1...Nc6 blocks the c-pawn, so Black gives up the usual ...c5 or ...c6 plans and instead strikes the centre with ...d5 or ...e5 next move. Garry Kasparov and Raymond Keene wrote that it has never been fully accepted as a dependable opening, yet is sound and offers a great deal of unexplored territory.
Main lines
After 2.d4, Black has two main answers:
- Scandinavian Variation 2...d5, Nimzowitsch's own choice:
- 3.e5, usually met by ...Bf5;
- 3.exd5 Qxd5, followed by 4.Nf3;
- 3.Nc3 dxe4.
- Kennedy Variation 2...e5, favoured by Tony Miles:
- 3.Nf3 transposes to the Scotch Game;
- 3.d5 Nce7 gains space;
- 3.dxe5 Nxe5, followed by 4.Nf3 or 4.f4.
The most common reply in databases is 2.Nf3, when Black can choose 2...d6 (Williams Variation), 2...e6 (Franco-Nimzowitsch), 2...e5 with a normal open game, or the sharp Colorado Gambit 2...f5.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- Rare, so opponents are often unprepared.
- Flexible: Black can steer towards many different structures.
- Less theory than the main defences to 1.e4.
Weaknesses
- The knight on c6 blocks the c-pawn, which limits Black's usual counterplay.
- White can gain space with d4 and d5 or e5.
- It has never been fully accepted as a dependable opening.
Who should play it
The Nimzowitsch suits players who like unusual positions and want to take the opponent out of their preparation early. Because it can transpose into open games after 2...e5, it is also a practical choice for players who already know those positions.
The numbers
On Lichess White does better at lower levels (51.8% against 44.1% under 1400), but from 1800 up it is nearly even: 47.6% against 48% at 1800–2199, and 47.3% against 46.3% from 2200 up. In master games over the board, White wins 38.3%, Black 28.5% and 33.2% are drawn.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Nimzowitsch Defense
2. Nc3 scores best for White: 52.9%, with White winning 50.6% and Black 44.8% of 1.5M games. The most played, 2. Nf3, scores 51.5% in 8.5M games, and 2. f4 scores lowest: 50.1%. Stockfish's first choice is 2. d4.
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
The Nimzowitsch Defense has lost ground since 2016: 0.85% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 1.1%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1.1% | 375,991 |
| 2017 | 0.99% | 543,985 |
| 2018 | 0.94% | 738,261 |
| 2019 | 0.96% | 1,193,687 |
| 2020 | 0.85% | 2,493,120 |
| 2021 | 0.8% | 3,111,328 |
| 2022 | 0.77% | 2,899,548 |
| 2023 | 0.79% | 2,974,452 |
| 2024 | 0.87% | 3,107,794 |
| 2025 | 0.85% | 2,945,138 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.85% | 933,959 |
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 (7)
All 43 named lines that continue from here
No line matches.
- B00 Nimzowitsch Defense 2 moves
- B00 Breyer Variation 3 moves
- B00 Declined Variation 2 moves
- B00 French Connection 2 moves
- B00 Pirc Connection 2 moves
- B00 Pseudo-Spanish Variation 2 moves
- B00 Wheeler Gambit 2 moves
- B00 Nimzowitsch Defense: Colorado Countergambit 2 moves
- B00 Nimzowitsch Defense: El Columpio Defense 3 moves
- B00 Nimzowitsch Defense: Franco-Nimzowitsch Variation 2 moves
- B00 Kennedy Variation 2 moves
- B00 Mikenas Variation 2 moves
- B00 Neo-Mongoloid Defense 2 moves
- B00 Scandinavian Variation 2 moves
- B00 Nimzowitsch Defense: Williams Variation 2 moves
- B00 Woodchuck Variation 2 moves
- B00 Nimzowitsch Defense: Colorado Countergambit Accepted 3 moves
- B00 El Columpio Gambit 6 moves
- B00 Exchange Variation 6 moves
- B00 Pin Variation 6 moves
- B00 Nimzowitsch Defense: Hornung Gambit 3 moves
- B00 Bielefelder Gambit 3 moves
- B00 de Smet Gambit 3 moves
- B00 Hammer Gambit 3 moves
- B00 Herford Gambit 3 moves
- B00 Keres Attack 4 moves
- B00 Linksspringer Variation 3 moves
- B00 Main Line 4 moves
- B00 Paulsen Attack 4 moves
- B00 Riemann Defense 4 moves
- B00 Aachen Gambit 3 moves
- B00 Advance Variation 3 moves
- B00 Bogoljubow Variation 3 moves
- B00 Exchange Variation 3 moves
- B00 Bogoljubow Variation 3 moves
- B00 Brandics Gambit 3 moves
- B00 Erben Gambit 3 moves
- B00 Heinola-Deppe Gambit 3 moves
- B00 Vehre Variation 3 moves
- B00 Marshall Gambit 4 moves
- B00 Van Geet Opening: Berlin Gambit 4 moves
- B00 Nimzowitsch Defense: Scandinavian Variation, Bogoljubow Variation, Nimzowitsch Gambit 4 moves
- B00 Nimzowitsch Defense: Scandinavian Variation, Bogoljubow Variation, Richter Gambit 5 moves
Sources
- History and theory: adapted from the Wikipedia article Nimzowitsch 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. “Nimzowitsch Defense (B00)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/nimzowitsch-defense