Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Nimzowitsch Line
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Statistics from Lichess
273,500 games: White 49.6% / Draw 7.8% / Black 42.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 107,235107K | ||
| 72,24672K | ||
| 27,41827K | ||
| 13,80014K | ||
| 12,14112K | ||
| 11,93012K | ||
| 9,2999,299 | ||
| 5,6925,692 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.25 The position is about equal
Best play: 8. Ne5 Nbd7 9. Qa4 c6 10. Nxc6 Bxc6 11. Qxc6 Rc8 12. Qb5 Rxc4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1,764 | |
| 1400–1799 | 26K | |
| 1800–2199 | 172K | |
| 2200 and up | 82K | |
| Masters, over the board | 904 |
Master games
- Sarana, A. – Nakamura, H.
- Kortschnoj, V. – Karpov, A.
- Salov, V. – Ljubojevic, L.
- Petrosian, T. V. – Tal, M.
- Andersson, U. – Karpov, A.
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
Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Nimzowitsch Line (ECO E18, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Nc3 d5 (7 moves).
In 273,500 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.6%, Black 42.6% and 7.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. Ne5, in 39% 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 Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Nimzowitsch Line
The most played answer, 8. Ne5, also scores best for White: 57.1%, with White winning 52.8% and Black 38.6% of 107K games. Of the main answers, 8. Re1 scores lowest: 48.1%. Stockfish's first choice is also 8. Ne5.
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 Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Nimzowitsch Line has gained ground since 2016: 0.01% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0085% (its peak: 0.014% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0085% | 3,021 |
| 2017 | 0.012% | 6,514 |
| 2018 | 0.014% | 10,934 |
| 2019 | 0.013% | 15,876 |
| 2020 | 0.012% | 35,295 |
| 2021 | 0.0098% | 38,377 |
| 2022 | 0.01% | 38,477 |
| 2023 | 0.01% | 37,793 |
| 2024 | 0.0099% | 35,669 |
| 2025 | 0.01% | 35,663 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.011% | 11,700 |
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. “Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Nimzowitsch Line (E18)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-indian-defense-classical-variation-traditional-variation-nimzowitsch-line