Chess opening · ECO E61

King's Indian Defense

The King's Indian Defense starts 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3. It ranks #64 of the 174 openings on this site by how often rated players on Lichess reach it.

The position after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3. Black to move.

Move by move

  1. 1. d4White pushes the d-pawn two squares to d4, staking a claim in the center.
  2. 1... Nf6Black develops the kingside knight to f6.
  3. 2. c4White pushes the c-pawn two squares to c4.
  4. 2... g6Black advances the g-pawn to g6.
  5. 3. Nc3White develops the queenside knight to c3.

What players choose next, by rating

The three most common Black moves from this position in rated Lichess games, grouped by the rating of the player making the move. Bg7 is the most popular next move in every rating band.

RatingMost commonSecondThird
Under 1200Bg7 100%––
1200–1399Bg7 76%d5 20%d6 4%
1400–1599Bg7 68%d5 27%d6 3%
1600–1799Bg7 66%d5 30%d6 3%
1800–1999Bg7 65%d5 31%d6 2%
2000 and upBg7 57%d5 40%c5 2%

Related openings

Indian Defense: West Indian DefenseThe line this one grows fromGrünfeld DefenseA variation of this lineKing's Indian Defense: Sämisch VariationA variation of this lineKing's Indian Defense: Orthodox VariationA variation of this line

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