Nimzo-Indian Defense (E20): win rates at club level
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4, playing as black. Data from 371 Lichess blitz games at 1600-1800.
The position
The idea
Black pins the knight on c3 immediately, before White can play e4 and build an ideal classical center. Trading the bishop for that knight is a common and often willing choice, saddling White with doubled c-pawns as a long-term structural target in exchange for giving up the bishop pair, which is part of why the Nimzo-Indian is considered one of the most principled and respected replies to d4.
How it scores at your rating
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| Rating band | Games | White / draw / Black | Score for black | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1400-1600 | 211 | Not enough games at this band yet. | |||
| 1600-1800 | 371 | Not enough games at this band yet. | |||
| 1800-2000 | 609 | Not enough games at this band yet. | |||
| 2000+ | 853 | Not enough games at this band yet. | |||
What white actually plays next
Top replies at 1600-1800:
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| Move | Games | Played | Win / draw / loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bg5 | 82 | 22.1% | 41.5%Win rate: 95 percent confidence interval 31.4 to 52.3 percent, 82 games. / 1.2%Draw rate: 95 percent confidence interval 0.2 to 6.6 percent, 82 games. / 57.3%Loss rate: 95 percent confidence interval 46.5 to 67.5 percent, 82 games.Wide interval, small sample: treat this number cautiously. |
| Bd2 | 67 | 18.1% | 49.3%Win rate: 95 percent confidence interval 37.7 to 60.9 percent, 67 games. / 1.5%Draw rate: 95 percent confidence interval 0.3 to 8.0 percent, 67 games. / 49.3%Loss rate: 95 percent confidence interval 37.7 to 60.9 percent, 67 games.Wide interval, small sample: treat this number cautiously. |
| Nf3 | 64 | 17.3% | 53.1%Win rate: 95 percent confidence interval 41.1 to 64.8 percent, 64 games. / 3.1%Draw rate: 95 percent confidence interval 0.9 to 10.7 percent, 64 games. / 43.8%Loss rate: 95 percent confidence interval 32.3 to 55.9 percent, 64 games.Wide interval, small sample: treat this number cautiously. |
| a3 | 44 | 11.9% | 36.4%Win rate: 95 percent confidence interval 23.8 to 51.1 percent, 44 games. / 6.8%Draw rate: 95 percent confidence interval 2.3 to 18.2 percent, 44 games. / 56.8%Loss rate: 95 percent confidence interval 42.2 to 70.3 percent, 44 games.Wide interval, small sample: treat this number cautiously. |
| Qc2 | 40 | 10.8% | 40.0%Win rate: 95 percent confidence interval 26.3 to 55.4 percent, 40 games. / 5.0%Draw rate: 95 percent confidence interval 1.4 to 16.5 percent, 40 games. / 55.0%Loss rate: 95 percent confidence interval 39.8 to 69.3 percent, 40 games.Wide interval, small sample: treat this number cautiously. |
| e3 | 34 | 9.2% | 50.0%Win rate: 95 percent confidence interval 34.1 to 65.9 percent, 34 games. / 0.0%Draw rate: 95 percent confidence interval 0.0 to 10.2 percent, 34 games. / 50.0%Loss rate: 95 percent confidence interval 34.1 to 65.9 percent, 34 games.Wide interval, small sample: treat this number cautiously. |
Common mistakes at 1600-1800
No move at this band is both common and clearly low-scoring, controlling for rating gap. Players at this rating aren’t making an obvious mistake here.
Model games
Real games from the Lichess masters database.
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| White | Black | Result | Year | Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caruana (2835) | Carlsen (2863) | ½-½ | 2020 | View game |
| Caruana (2835) | Carlsen (2863) | 0-1 | 2020 | View game |
| Carlsen (2863) | Caruana (2828) | 1-0 | 2020 | View game |
| Carlsen (2882) | Ding Liren (2805) | ½-½ | 2019 | View game |
| Ding Liren (2806) | Carlsen (2864) | ½-½ | 2022 | View game |
Build a repertoire from here
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