1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 0-0 6.Bg5 c5 7.d5 e6 opens the King's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4... e6, ECO E75. With 27,554 games on record, the patterns below come from the largest practical sample available.
History and Notable Players
It arises from the King's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4... c5. Among the most prolific White practitioners are Lev Polugaevsky (7 games), Ivan Farago (7 games), Wolfgang Uhlmann (6 games). Black-side regulars include Svetozar Gligoric (10 games), Branko Damljanovic (6 games), Owen M Hindle (6 games).
Performance Across Rating Levels
The picture changes a lot as you climb the rating ladder. Among 1200-rated players, it appears in 0.00% of games — 122 of them on record — with White winning 45.9% and Black 48.4%. Move up to 1800 Elo and the share shifts to 0.00%, with White winning 50% versus Black's 45.3%. At the top end (2500+ Elo), popularity is 0.01% with 10.4% draws — a clear sign of how much theory rules the line at master level.
Move Diversity and Theory Depth
Looking at move selection shows how forcing — or not — the position really is. At 1200 Elo, the top reply is Nf3, played 40.5% of the time. There are 3 other moves seeing meaningful share, and 77.7% of games stick to established theory. Entropy: 2.49. By 2500, Qd2 dominates at 61% of replies; only 2 viable alternatives remain and 93.5% of moves are theory. Entropy drops to 1.50. That entropy collapse is the signature of a line where preparation pays off: at the top, players know the best move and play it.
Common Mistakes
- Neglecting development — It can feel productive to make extra pawn moves early, but falling behind in piece development is what loses most amateur games — especially in open positions where active pieces find squares fast.
- 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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