1h2g3f4e5d6c7b8a

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3

Shown from Black's side. ECO E61.

Opening guide · an opening for Black

King's Indian Defense

The King's Indian Defense starts 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6, with ...Bg7, ...d6 and castling to follow. Black lets White build a large pawn centre and then attacks it with ...e5 or ...c5. In the main lines the centre locks, White plays on the queenside and Black attacks the king.

Games in our sample
24,343
White wins
49.4%
Draws
4.9%
Black wins
45.7%
Open this position on the analysis boardResults by rating

How the King's Indian Defense scores at each rating

Each row is one rating band. The share is how much of all the games in that band started with this opening.

RatingGamesShareWhite winsDrawsBlack wins
under 10001470.1%49.7%2.7%47.6%
1000 to 11996200.2%50.6%2.7%46.6%
1200 to 13991,4830.3%48.1%4.0%47.9%
1400 to 15992,9730.5%49.3%4.6%46.1%
1600 to 17994,8050.7%49.3%4.0%46.7%
1800 to 19996,2641.2%49.4%4.4%46.2%
2000 to 21994,9651.9%49.1%4.9%46.0%
2200 and over3,0862.7%50.6%8.1%41.3%
All ratings24,3430.8%49.4%4.9%45.7%

Counted from 3,156,949 rated blitz, rapid and classical games played on Lichess from 2026-10-01 to 2026-10-02 (the first 5,000,000 games of the month's public file; bullet and unrated games left out). The rating is the average of the two players' Lichess ratings. Source: the Lichess open database (public domain).

Main lines

The named lines of the King's Indian Defense that were played most in our sample, each with the position it reaches.

  • 1h2g3f4e5d6c7b8a

    Normal Variation

    1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4

    2,633 games · White 47.9% · draws 4.0% · Black 48.1%

    Analyse this position
  • 1h2g3f4e5d6c7b8a

    Normal Variation, Rare Defenses

    1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3

    2,472 games · White 48.3% · draws 4.7% · Black 47.0%

    Analyse this position
  • 1h2g3f4e5d6c7b8a

    Normal Variation, King's Knight Variation

    1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4

    1,768 games · White 45.8% · draws 5.4% · Black 48.8%

    Analyse this position
  • 1h2g3f4e5d6c7b8a

    Orthodox Variation

    1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2

    1,528 games · White 52.5% · draws 4.8% · Black 42.7%

    Analyse this position
  • 1h2g3f4e5d6c7b8a

    Four Pawns Attack

    1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f4

    1,258 games · White 50.6% · draws 4.1% · Black 45.3%

    Analyse this position
  • 1h2g3f4e5d6c7b8a

    Smyslov Variation

    1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Nf3 d6 5. Bg5

    1,013 games · White 47.1% · draws 4.4% · Black 48.5%

    Analyse this position

Ideas for White

  • Take the space with e4, Nf3 and Be2, castle, and after d5 play on the queenside with c5.

Ideas for Black

  • After ...e5 and d5, move the knight from f6 and push ...f5 to start the kingside attack.

Questions

What are the moves of the King's Indian Defense?
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3. In the ECO classification it is filed under E61.
How does the King's Indian Defense score?
In 24,343 games with it in our sample, White won 49.4%, 4.9% were drawn and Black won 45.7%.
At which ratings is the King's Indian Defense played most?
Among players rated 2200 and over it is 2.7% of all games in our sample, its highest share. Its lowest share, 0.1%, is among players rated under 1000.
Which line of the King's Indian Defense is played most?
King's Indian Defense: Normal Variation (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4), with 2,633 games in our sample.

Related openings