Nimzowitsch Defense: Kennedy Variation, Linksspringer Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
4,446,134 games: White 46.3% / Draw 3.7% / Black 49.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 3,656,7803.7M | ||
| 411,541412K | ||
| 284,679285K | ||
| 58,97559K | ||
| 18,05018K | ||
| 3,5623,562 | ||
| 3,4623,462 | ||
| 3,2063,206 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.76 White is better
Best play: 3... Nce7 4. Nf3 Ng6 5. h4 h5 6. Bg5 Nf6 7. Nc3 Bb4 8. Qd3
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 59% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 3.8M | |
| 1400–1799 | 3.4M | |
| 1800–2199 | 2.6M | |
| 2200 and up | 215K | |
| Masters, over the board | 202 |
Master games
- Wang Hao – Zubov, A. U.
- Beliavsky, A. G. – Miles, A. J.
- Enders, P. – Sadler, M.
- Vitiugov, N. – Conquest, S.
- Blomqvist, E. – Bauer, C.
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: Kennedy Variation, Linksspringer Variation (ECO B00, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Nimzowitsch Defense: Kennedy Variation, reached after 1. e4 Nc6 2. d4 e5 3. d5 (3 moves).
In 4,446,134 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.3%, Black 49.9% and 3.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…Nce7, in 82% 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, Linksspringer Variation
The most played answer, 3…Nce7, also scores best for Black: 54.4%, with Black winning 52.5% and White 43.7% of 3.7M games. Of the main answers, 3…Nd4 scores lowest: 29.6%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3…Nce7.
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, Linksspringer Variation dipped to 0.15% of Lichess games in 2021 and has recovered since: 0.2% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.18% | 62,852 |
| 2017 | 0.17% | 93,991 |
| 2018 | 0.17% | 136,436 |
| 2019 | 0.18% | 227,321 |
| 2020 | 0.16% | 458,132 |
| 2021 | 0.15% | 595,094 |
| 2022 | 0.16% | 586,900 |
| 2023 | 0.17% | 622,641 |
| 2024 | 0.19% | 693,095 |
| 2025 | 0.2% | 683,453 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.19% | 212,264 |
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, Linksspringer Variation (B00)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/nimzowitsch-defense-kennedy-variation-linksspringer-variation