Starting from 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 Nc6, players enter the King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation, Aronin-Taimanov Defense — ECO E97. With 1,003,722 games on record, the patterns below come from the largest practical sample available.
History and Notable Players
It arises from the King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation. On the White side, Lubomir Ftacnik (83 games), Vladimir Epishin (72 games), Ivan Farago (69 games) top the database. Notable Black exponents: Wolfgang Uhlmann (81 games), Mark L Hebden (71 games), Friso Nijboer (67 games).
Performance Across Rating Levels
The picture changes a lot as you climb the rating ladder. The 1200 bracket has 4,320 games (0.00% of all games at that level); White wins 49.4%, Black 46.8%, 3.8% are drawn. By 1800, popularity is 0.02% and White's score is 50.1% to Black's 45.4%. At 2500, 0.25% of games go into this opening; draws sit at 8.3% — the line is well-mapped at this level.
Time Control Patterns
Time control matters here: blitz players reach for this opening more than others. In bullet, it appears in 0.01% of games (397,754); White wins 51.4%. Blitz shows 0.03% adoption across 910,496 games, White scoring 51.4%. In rapid, the share rises to 0.01% — 91,662 games, White 50.7%.
Move Diversity and Theory Depth
Move choice is far from uniform in the King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation, Aronin-Taimanov Defense. At 1200 Elo, the top reply is d5, played 77.2% of the time. There are 3 other moves seeing meaningful share, and 95.3% of games stick to established theory. Entropy: 1.19. By 2500, d5 dominates at 87.1% of replies; only 3 viable alternatives remain and 99.8% of moves are theory. Entropy drops to 0.70.
Historical Trends
Long-term, the trajectory of this opening is informative. Adoption peaked in 2018 at 0.03% (62,650 games). By 2025 it sits at 0.02%, 55% below the peak and roughly back to its 2013 level, leaving the line flat over the full period.
Main Lines and Variations
After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 Nc6, the established follow-ups are:
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 90.6% — versus 97.4% at 2000. The most popular deviation is dxe5 (played 19.2% 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
Ready to try the King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation, Aronin-Taimanov Defense against a bot? Pick an opponent at your level and play a game.
