Nimzowitsch Defense: Kennedy Variation, Keres Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
193,324 games: White 52.2% / Draw 4.4% / Black 43.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 70,94471K | ||
| 52,65153K | ||
| 24,56325K | ||
| 15,90616K | ||
| 7,1877,187 | ||
| 6,6976,697 | ||
| 4,0544,054 | ||
| 2,3162,316 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.64 White is slightly better
Best play: 4... Bc5 5. Bf4 d6 6. Qd2 Nf6 7. O-O-O Bd7 8. Nf3 Qe7 9. Nd4
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 55% under 1400, 57% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 161K | |
| 1400–1799 | 167K | |
| 1800–2199 | 101K | |
| 2200 and up | 12K | |
| Masters, over the board | 41 |
Master games
- Karjakin, S. – Zubov, A. U.
- Dolmatov, S. – Gulko, B. F.
- Akopian, V. – Miles, A. J.
- Howell, J. C. – Miles, A. J.
- Fedorchuk, S. A. – Miles, A. J.
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 27, 2026
Overview
Nimzowitsch Defense: Kennedy Variation, Keres Attack (ECO B00, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Nimzowitsch Defense: Kennedy Variation, reached after 1. e4 Nc6 2. d4 e5 3. dxe5 Nxe5 4. Nc3 (4 moves).
In 193,324 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.2%, Black 43.3% and 4.4% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Nf6, in 37% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Nimzowitsch Defense: Kennedy Variation, Keres Attack
4…Bc5 scores best for Black: 49.5%, with Black winning 47.3% and White 48.4% of 25K games. The most played, 4…Nf6, scores 45.6% in 71K games, and 4…d6 scores lowest: 44.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4…Bc5.
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: Kennedy Variation, Keres Attack has gained ground since 2016: 0.0078% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0046%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0046% | 1,628 |
| 2017 | 0.0051% | 2,801 |
| 2018 | 0.0058% | 4,524 |
| 2019 | 0.0063% | 7,871 |
| 2020 | 0.007% | 20,387 |
| 2021 | 0.0079% | 30,983 |
| 2022 | 0.0078% | 29,110 |
| 2023 | 0.0079% | 29,544 |
| 2024 | 0.0078% | 28,066 |
| 2025 | 0.0078% | 27,110 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0078% | 8,588 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Nimzowitsch Defense: Kennedy Variation, Keres Attack (B00)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/nimzowitsch-defense-kennedy-variation-keres-attack