Philidor Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
561,485 games: White 55.4% / Draw 5.1% / Black 39.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 390,643391K | ||
| 102,711103K | ||
| Klein Variation | 23,24523K | |
| 15,44815K | ||
| 14,96715K | ||
| 7,0727,072 | ||
| 2,8192,819 | ||
| 1,1151,115 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 28, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.88 White is better
Best play: 4. dxe5 Nxe4 5. Qd5 Nc5 6. Bg5 Qd7 7. exd6 Bxd6 8. Nc3 Qe6+
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 better this line does for Black: Black scores 43% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 39% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1.2M | |
| 1400–1799 | 702K | |
| 1800–2199 | 238K | |
| 2200 and up | 39K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,116 |
Master games
- Amin, B. – Jobava, B.
- Stein, L. – Petrosian, T. V.
- Van Foreest, J. – Sokolov, I.
- Howell, D. – Maghsoodloo, P.
- Solodovnichenko, Y. – Predojevic, B.
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
Philidor Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation (ECO C41, Open Games) is a variation of the Philidor Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 (3 moves).
In 561,485 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 55.4%, Black 39.5% and 5.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. dxe5, in 70% of those games.
It branches into 4 named variations; the most played are Philidor Defense: Lion Variation and Philidor Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation, Klein Variation. In all, 11 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Philidor Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation
The most played answer, 4. dxe5, also scores best for White: 58.8%, with White winning 56.1% and Black 38.5% of 391K games. Of the main answers, 4. Nc3 scores lowest: 56.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. dxe5.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White'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 Philidor Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.019% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.031%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.031% | 10,929 |
| 2017 | 0.024% | 13,406 |
| 2018 | 0.024% | 18,631 |
| 2019 | 0.022% | 27,203 |
| 2020 | 0.023% | 68,235 |
| 2021 | 0.024% | 93,254 |
| 2022 | 0.022% | 84,344 |
| 2023 | 0.021% | 79,397 |
| 2024 | 0.02% | 70,358 |
| 2025 | 0.019% | 65,881 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.019% | 20,756 |
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)
Transpositions
All 11 named lines that continue from here
- C41 Philidor Defense: Lion Variation 4 moves
- C41 Nimzowitsch Variation 4 moves
- C41 Klein Variation 4 moves
- C41 Philidor Defense: Nimzowitsch, Locock Variation 4 moves
- C41 Bishop Sacrifice 6 moves
- C41 Lion's Claw, with Bc4 and h6 6 moves
- C41 Lion's Claw, with Be2 and c6 6 moves
- C41 Rellstab Variation 5 moves
- C41 Sokolsky Variation 5 moves
- C41 Philidor Defense: Nimzowitsch, Larobok Variation 7 moves
- C41 Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Forcing Line 8 moves
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Philidor Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation (C41)”. Lichess data as of 28 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/philidor-defense-nimzowitsch-variation