Caissa Codex
B00

Nimzowitsch Defense: Declined Variation

Chess diagram: Nimzowitsch Defense: Declined Variation after 2. Nf3

Type a move and press Enter: e4, Nf3, O-O, or from and to squares like g1f3 (e7e8q to promote). The board is also played with the mouse.

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Statistics from Lichess

9,223,750 games: White 49.2% / Draw 4.5% / Black 46.2%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
King's Knight Opening: Normal Variation 3,931,4243.9M
1,453,5031.5M
Nimzowitsch Defense: Williams Variation 1,162,4461.2M
Nimzowitsch Defense: Colorado Countergambit 923,152923K
545,196545K
Nimzowitsch Defense: Franco-Nimzowitsch Variation 524,811525K
272,972273K
220,074220K

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

Engine evaluation

+0.19 The position is about equal

Best play: 2... e5 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5

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

By rating

Rating changes little here: White scores 54% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 56% in master games (wins plus half the draws).

PlayersGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400 7.2M
1400–1799 8.3M
1800–2199 4.6M
2200 and up 618K
Masters, over the board 4,009

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: Declined Variation (ECO B00, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Nimzowitsch Defense, reached after 1. e4 Nc6 2. Nf3 (2 moves).

In 9,223,750 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.2%, Black 46.2% and 4.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 2…e5, in 43% of those games.

It branches into 4 named variations; the most played are Nimzowitsch Defense: Williams Variation and Nimzowitsch Defense: Franco-Nimzowitsch Variation. In all, 8 named lines continue from it.

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How to play against the Nimzowitsch Defense: Declined Variation

2…d5 scores best for Black: 52.4%, with Black winning 50.1% and White 45.3% of 1.5M games. The most played, 2…e5, scores 47.1% in 3.9M games, and 2…e6 scores lowest: 46.7%. Stockfish's first choice is 2…e5.

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

The Nimzowitsch Defense: Declined Variation has stayed between 0.33% and 0.41% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.35% in 2025).

Numbers by year
YearShare of gamesGames
20160.41%146,640
20170.39%216,837
20180.38%297,656
20190.4%495,296
20200.37%1,095,864
20210.35%1,375,757
20220.33%1,254,923
20230.34%1,272,173
20240.36%1,306,696
20250.35%1,228,184
2026 (Jan–Apr)0.35%386,760

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 (4)

Other lines from the same position

Instead of 2. Nf3, 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 8 named lines that continue from here

Cite this page

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

https://chesscodex.org/openings/nimzowitsch-defense-declined-variation