The King's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4... 5.Be2 begins with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 (ECO E73). Lichess records 1,591,454 games in this line, which gives us a reliable view of how it actually performs in practice.
History and Notable Players
It arises from the King's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4... 4.e4. On the White side, Ivan Farago (172 games), Wolfgang Uhlmann (142 games), Sergey Volkov (90 games) top the database. Notable Black exponents: Wolfgang Uhlmann (75 games), Lothar Vogt (71 games), Svetozar Gligoric (53 games).
Performance Across Rating Levels
The picture changes a lot as you climb the rating ladder. At 1200 Elo, the opening shows up in 0.00% of games (17,106 samples). White scores 53.2%, Black 43.9%, draws 2.9%. By 1800, popularity is 0.04% and White's score is 52.4% to Black's 43.2%. At 2500, 0.30% of games go into this opening; draws sit at 8.6% — the line is well-mapped at this level. White's edge erodes by 4.0pp from 1200 to 2500 Elo, suggesting Black's counterplay is easier to find with experience.
Time Control Patterns
Look at the same opening across time controls and blitz stands out. In bullet, it appears in 0.02% of games (612,776); White wins 52.8%. Blitz shows 0.04% adoption across 1,375,263 games, White scoring 51.8%. In rapid, the share rises to 0.02% — 212,436 games, White 52.5%.
Move Diversity and Theory Depth
What players actually play after the opening moves depends heavily on rating. At 1200 Elo, the top reply is O-O, played 76% of the time. There are 2 other moves seeing meaningful share, and 86.8% of games stick to established theory. Entropy: 1.50. By 2500, O-O dominates at 94.8% of replies; only 1 viable alternatives remain and 97.6% of moves are theory. Entropy drops to 0.44. The narrowing is significant — strong players consolidate around a small set of best moves, while amateurs scatter across many plausible-looking options.
Historical Trends
Long-term, the trajectory of this opening is informative. Adoption peaked in 2018 at 0.04% (70,808 games). By 2025 it sits at 0.03% — a 113% shift overall, leaving the line on the rise.
Main Lines and Variations
The main branches off 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 include:
Each branch leads to a different middlegame character — the resulting pawn structure decides what kind of game you get.
Common Mistakes
- Drifting away from main theory — At 400 Elo, theory adherence sits at 85.3% — versus 94.8% at 2000. The most popular deviation is e5 (played 8.8% of the time at 400, much less so up top). It looks fine but quietly hands the better-prepared side an edge.
- Neglecting development — Extra pawn moves in the opening are tempting, especially when you "know the moves". Developing a piece each turn is the simple correction.
- Letting White own the centre — Hypermodern openings concede central space on purpose, but only if you strike back in time. Delay the counter-blow and you end up squeezed.
Practice on Chessiverse
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