The Nimzo-Indian Defense is 1. 2. 3. : as Black you pin the c3 knight to your opponent's king, and that knight is the piece guarding e4. In 34,976 Lichess games between 900 and 1700 (data from September 2026), you score 48% with it. Online players rated over 2200 score 49 out of 100, and the evaluation after gives your opponent only 0.1 pawns.
Lichess games from September 2026 (30,577,162 rated 900 to 1700) and 31,791 over-the-board games rated 2300+ from the last 12 months. Data updated: October 14, 2026.
68 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
On move 4, opponents rated 900 to 1700 spread their choices: 4. in 20 out of 100 games, 4. and 4. in 19 each, and 4. in 15. You score between 47 and 49 against all four. 4. puts the bishop between the knight and the king, so if you take on c3 it recaptures with the bishop and avoids doubled pawns. Strong players rarely bother with it: 6 out of 100 among online players over 2200. They go for 4., at 31 out of 100, and 4., at 25. At your level 4. turns up in just 8 out of 100 games.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20.2% | 51.5% | 6.0% | no data | |
| 18.8% | 52.9% | 9.4% | 6.4% | |
| 18.6% | 52.6% | no data | no data | |
| 14.7% | 52.3% | 8.0% | 4.2% | |
| 9.0% | 53.0% | 25.1% | 22.8% | |
| 7.8% | 52.2% | 31.3% | 57.1% | |
| no data | no data | 10.8% | 6.4% | |
| no data | no data | no data | 2.7% |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26.4% | 50.5% | 55.0% | 70.1% | |
| 20.2% | 47.7% | 1.0% | no data | |
| 19.4% | 54.2% | 4.9% | 1.1% | |
| 14.1% | 56.1% | 5.2% | 3.7% | |
| 10.5% | 53.6% | 16.6% | 6.4% | |
| 9.3% | 45.3% | 15.9% | 16.7% | |
| no data | no data | no data | 1.1% |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39.2% | 49.5% | 52.8% | 61.7% | |
| 31.9% | 51.0% | 4.6% | 1.4% | |
| 10.3% | 63.3% | 10.7% | 16.8% | |
| 9.9% | 51.1% | 7.0% | 15.9% | |
| 8.6% | 42.7% | 24.5% | 4.3% | |
| no data | no data | 0.4% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59.1% | 46.2% | 64.0% | 80.6% | |
| 23.5% | 45.2% | 19.5% | 12.9% | |
| 17.4% | 50.0% | 7.4% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 5.6% | 6.5% | |
| no data | no data | 2.3% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 1.2% | no data |
Against 4., strong players continue 5. 6. 7. . The whole line is about the c3 knight and the e4 square. Your b4 bishop pins that knight, the piece guarding e4, while your f6 knight eyes the same square. Once your opponent kicks the bishop, you trade it for the knight and saddle them with two pawns on the c-file.
4. props up d4 with a pawn and opens the diagonal for the f1 bishop, but it doesn't attack anything. That gives you time to tuck your king away: 56 out of 100 strong players choose . With your king castled, the bishop can sit on b4 and let your opponent make the decision.
5. puts the bishop on the diagonal aimed at h7 and adds a second defender of e4. That's why comes next, in 66 out of 100 strong games: your pawn hits e4 and c4, and you get the structure of d5 and e6 against c4 and d4. Only the d3 bishop defends the c4 pawn.
6., picked by 39 out of 100 strong players, attacks your bishop with a pawn. , played in 76 out of 100 games, trades it for the knight with check, and every strong player in the sample recaptures with 7.. Your opponent is left with pawns on c3 and c4 and an isolated pawn on a3. , in 76 out of 100 games, grabs the c4 pawn, which no pawn defends: if the d3 bishop doesn't win it back, your opponent is a pawn down.
Then comes the break this structure is built for, and its target is d4. Strong players push the c7 pawn to c5 to hit d4 from the side. In the model position, with the white bishop already on c4, 73 out of 100 do it, and only 14 out of 100 go for the push to e5 instead. With the pawn on c5, your b8 knight can come to c6 without blocking it and add pressure on d4.
At your level the line rarely gets this far. After 4., castling is the most common reply, but only in 26 out of 100 games. After 5., 59 out of 100 players at your level find , and you score 54 out of 100 with it.
Plan played in 74% of the 455 over-the-board games rated 2300+ with this structure.
Online, 2200+: 73.4% of 6,291. Over the board, 2300+: 73.6% of 455; the alternative, : 13.7% and 16.0%.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 22,801 | 32.5% | |
| 7,371 | 56.3% | |
| 4,121 | 53.7% | |
| 2,181 | 66.0% | |
| 1,450 | 38.6% | |
| 556 | 76.1% | |
| 423 | 100.0% | |
| 420 | 76.0% |
After 4. 5., retreating with leaves the bishop in range of 6.. After 7. 8. you're simply a piece down. gives up the bishop for the knight before it gets trapped. 7 out of 100 players go for it, and it gets punished: you score 34 with it and 48 with the trade.
7 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 5.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 34.4%; scores 47.7%.
Against 4., keeps the pin, but 5. hits the bishop again. After 6., the c5 pawn takes b6 away from it, and after 7. the bishop is gone. Take on c3 with instead. 4 out of 100 players choose it; you score 32 with it against 49 with the trade.
4 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 6.3 pawns of advantage. It scores 32.1%; scores 48.9%.
Against 4., moves the d7 pawn and opens the diagonal from a4 to e8. 5. gives check and hits your b4 bishop, which has no defender. After 6. the knight is pinned, and the toughest defense still drops a pawn: 7. . With you score 54; with , 45.
2 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 5 pawns of advantage. It scores 45.4%; scores 53.7%.
After 4. 5., ends with the bishop boxed in: 6. 7.. On c5 the b4 and d4 pawns would recapture, and the b4 pawn covers a5. After 8. you've given the bishop for a pawn, and you score 23 out of 100. Drop it back to e7 with .
8 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 5.7 pawns of advantage.
After 4. 5., recapturing with is an inaccuracy. 6. hits the knight and the b4 bishop, which only that knight defends. After 7., the pawn kicks the knight and takes the center. keeps a pawn on d5. 60 out of 100 players take with the knight, and at your level it costs little: 44 against 48.
60 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 43.7%; scores 47.5%.
Against 4., backing off with drops the pin for nothing. The c3 knight guards e4 again, and your opponent plays 5. with pawns on c4, d4 and e4. trades first and, if they recapture with the b2 pawn, leaves them two pawns on the c-file. You score 37 after the retreat and 49 after the trade.
4 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.2 pawns of advantage. It scores 36.6%; scores 48.9%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 22,016 | ||
| Not castled | 5,957 | |
| Not castled | Not castled | 2,256 |
| 1,877 | ||
| Not castled | 1,453 | |
| 660 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 889 | ||
| Not castled | 133 | |
| 56 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 28 |
| Not castled | 21 | |
| 16 |
1. 2. 3. 4. · 5,767 amateur games · 5 over the board
With 4. your opponent pins your f6 knight to the queen; 19 out of 100 play it.
1. 2. 3. 4. · 5,591 amateur games · 52 over the board
With 4. your opponent develops and guards d4 again; you score 47 out of 100 against it.
1. 2. 3. 4. · 4,305 amateur games · 129 over the board
With 4. your opponent challenges the bishop right away, so you choose between taking on c3 and retreating.
1. 2. 3. 4. · 3,256 amateur games · 390 over the board
After 4. you're in the strong players' main line, which rarely shows up at your level.
1. 2. 3. 4. · 3,169 amateur games · 263 over the board
4. guards c3 with the queen to recapture without doubled pawns, the strong players' second choice.
1. 2. 3. 4. · E40
2,000 amateur games · White's score: 53.6%
1. 2. 3. 4. · E43
899 amateur games · White's score: 49.7%
1. 2. 3. 4. · E22
810 amateur games · White's score: 50.8%
1. 2. 3. 4. · E20
798 amateur games · White's score: 48.6%
1. 2. 3. 4. · E20
423 amateur games · White's score: 48.8%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. · E48
342 amateur games · White's score: 54.4%
1. 2. 3. 4. · E20
320 amateur games · White's score: 51.7%
1. 2. 3. 4. · E40
302 amateur games · White's score: 55.0%
1. 2. 3. 4. · E20
106 amateur games · White's score: 53.8%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · E46
57 amateur games · White's score: 44.7%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · E43
55 amateur games · White's score: 50.0%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. · E51
36 amateur games · White's score: 52.8%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · E42
29 amateur games · White's score: 56.9%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · E23
14 amateur games · White's score: 42.9%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · E44
11 amateur games · White's score: 36.4%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. · E41
4 amateur games · White's score: 25.0%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · E46
4 amateur games · White's score: 50.0%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. · E20
3 amateur games · White's score: 0.0%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. · E42
3 amateur games · White's score: 33.3%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · E45
3 amateur games · White's score: 33.3%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. · E42
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. · E23
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. · E23
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · E44
Yes, it's a sound defense. After the evaluation gives White only 0.1 pawns. At 900 to 1700 you score 48 out of 100 with it, and online players over 2200 score 49. Its point is concrete: you pin the c3 knight that guards e4, and you can trade on c3 to leave your opponent with two pawns on the c-file.
Yes. Your result hardly depends on rating: in every band from 900 to 1700 you score between 47 and 48 out of 100. At these ratings you mostly meet 4., 4. or 4. rather than 4.. The plan is easy to remember: castle, put a pawn on d5, and take on c3 when 6. hits your bishop.