Caissa Codex
B00

Nimzowitsch Defense 1…Nc6 2. d4

Chess diagram: Nimzowitsch Defense after 2. d4

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Statistics from Lichess

8,050,533 games: White 48.0% / Draw 4.2% / Black 47.8%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Kennedy Variation 3,409,8963.4M
Scandinavian Variation 2,937,9552.9M
789,631790K
Mikenas Variation 397,601398K
201,960202K
99,47999K
87,98888K
37,62038K

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.48 White is slightly better

Best play: 2... d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. c3 e6 5. Be2 f6 6. f4 g5 7. Bh5+

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 56% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 54% in master games (wins plus half the draws).

PlayersGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400 3.7M
1400–1799 4.9M
1800–2199 4.8M
2200 and up 629K
Masters, over the board 1,965

Master games

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

Nimzowitsch Defense (ECO B00, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Nimzowitsch Defense, reached after 1. e4 Nc6 2. d4 (2 moves).

In 8,050,533 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.0%, Black 47.8% and 4.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 2…e5, in 42% of those games.

It branches into 5 named variations; the most played are Nimzowitsch Defense: Kennedy Variation and Nimzowitsch Defense: Scandinavian Variation. In all, 28 named lines continue from it.

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How to answer 2. d4

The most played answer, 2…e5 (Kennedy Variation), also scores best for Black: 53.3%, with Black winning 51.2% and White 44.7% of 3.4M games. Of the main answers, 2…e6 scores lowest: 43.3%. Stockfish's first choice is 2…d5.

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

This line has lost ground since 2016: 0.32% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.4%.

Numbers by year
YearShare of gamesGames
20160.4%143,929
20170.39%217,180
20180.38%298,343
20190.37%466,998
20200.31%911,979
20210.28%1,092,482
20220.28%1,039,828
20230.29%1,093,048
20240.33%1,167,188
20250.32%1,119,236
2026 (Jan–Apr)0.32%356,275

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)

Other lines from the same position

Instead of 2. d4, the position after Nimzowitsch Defense also goes on to:

Transpositions

This position is also reached from these lines, by another move order:

From here, a move transposes into another named line:

All 28 named lines that continue from here

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Nimzowitsch Defense (B00)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/nimzowitsch-defense-2

https://chesscodex.org/openings/nimzowitsch-defense-2