Torre Attack: Classical Defense, Nimzowitsch Variation
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
213,629 games: White 48.0% / Draw 6.3% / Black 45.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 154,422154K | ||
| 47,51448K | ||
| 9,0209,020 | ||
| 1,0481,048 | ||
| 442442 | ||
| 375375 | ||
| 197197 | ||
| 164164 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.03 The position is about equal
Best play: 4. Bh4 c5 5. e3 cxd4 6. exd4 Nc6 7. Nbd2 Be7 8. c3 O-O
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 49% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up and 55% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 37K | |
| 1400–1799 | 85K | |
| 1800–2199 | 104K | |
| 2200 and up | 61K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,388 |
Master games
- So, W. – Giri, A.
- Harikrishna, P. – Nakamura, H.
- Carlsen, M. – Korobov, A.
- Carlsen, M. – Dubov, D.
- Salov, V. – 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
Torre Attack: Classical Defense, Nimzowitsch Variation (ECO A46, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Torre Attack: Classical Defense, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bg5 h6 (3 moves).
In 213,629 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.0%, Black 45.6% and 6.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. Bh4, in 72% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Torre Attack: Classical Defense, Nimzowitsch Variation
The most played answer, 4. Bh4, also scores best for White: 52.0%, with White winning 48.9% and Black 44.9% of 154K games. Of the main answers, 4. Bxf6 scores lowest: 49.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. Bh4.
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 Torre Attack: Classical Defense, Nimzowitsch Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.0073% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.012%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.012% | 4,370 |
| 2017 | 0.013% | 6,912 |
| 2018 | 0.012% | 9,066 |
| 2019 | 0.01% | 12,887 |
| 2020 | 0.0092% | 27,051 |
| 2021 | 0.0079% | 30,859 |
| 2022 | 0.0079% | 29,630 |
| 2023 | 0.0078% | 29,252 |
| 2024 | 0.0074% | 26,391 |
| 2025 | 0.0073% | 25,233 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0075% | 8,269 |
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. “Torre Attack: Classical Defense, Nimzowitsch Variation (A46)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/torre-attack-classical-defense-nimzowitsch-variation