Philidor Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation 3…Nf6 4. dxe5
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Statistics from Lichess
390,186 games: White 56.1% / Draw 5.4% / Black 38.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 245,796246K | ||
| 125,475125K | ||
| 8,2158,215 | ||
| 7,7857,785 | ||
| 720720 | ||
| 536536 | ||
| 522522 | ||
| 428428 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.73 White is better
Best play: 4... Nxe4 5. Qd5 Nc5 6. Bg5 Qd7 7. exd6 Qxd6 8. Nc3 Qxd5 9. Nxd5
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 60% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 643K | |
| 1400–1799 | 486K | |
| 1800–2199 | 165K | |
| 2200 and up | 17K | |
| Masters, over the board | 255 |
Master games
- Solodovnichenko, Y. – Predojevic, B.
- Quesada Perez, Y. – Sambuev, B.
- Byrne, R. E. – Petrosian, T. V.
- Chandler, M. G. – Gulko, B. F.
- Hracek, Z. – Nevednichy, V.
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: Nimzowitsch Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. dxe5 (4 moves).
In 390,186 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 56.1%, Black 38.6% and 5.4% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Nxe4, in 63% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Philidor Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation, Rellstab Variation and Philidor Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation, Sokolsky Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 4. dxe5
The most played answer, 4…Nxe4, also scores best for Black: 47.0%, with Black winning 44.3% and White 50.4% of 246K games. Of the main answers, 4…dxe5 scores lowest: 30.4%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4…Nxe4.
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
This line has lost ground since 2016: 0.013% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.02%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.02% | 7,114 |
| 2017 | 0.016% | 8,677 |
| 2018 | 0.016% | 12,236 |
| 2019 | 0.015% | 18,579 |
| 2020 | 0.016% | 46,461 |
| 2021 | 0.017% | 65,395 |
| 2022 | 0.016% | 59,976 |
| 2023 | 0.015% | 55,899 |
| 2024 | 0.014% | 49,383 |
| 2025 | 0.013% | 46,025 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.013% | 14,394 |
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 (2)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Philidor Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation (C41)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/philidor-defense-nimzowitsch-variation-2