Nimzowitsch Defense: El Columpio Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
60,493 games: White 52.7% / Draw 4.3% / Black 43.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 54,79955K | ||
| 2,5452,545 | ||
| 931931 | ||
| 646646 | ||
| 302302 | ||
| 276276 | ||
| 251251 | ||
| 190190 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.81 White is clearly better
Even so, Black scores 45.2% here in practice: wins plus half the draws in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500.
Best play: 4. d4 d6 5. h3 Nh6 6. Nc3 a6 7. Bg5 d5 8. Qd2 Ng8
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Nimzowitsch Defense: El Columpio Defense (ECO B00, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Nimzowitsch Defense: Declined Variation, reached after 1. e4 Nc6 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e5 Ng4 (3 moves).
In 60,493 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.7%, Black 43.0% and 4.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. d4, in 91% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Nimzowitsch Defense: El Columpio Defense, Pin Variation and Nimzowitsch Defense: El Columpio Defense, Exchange Variation.
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Variations (3)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Nimzowitsch Defense: El Columpio Defense (B00)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/nimzowitsch-defense-el-columpio-defense