1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.d5 Nbd7 opens the King's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4... Nbd7, ECO E93. With 141,599 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... e5. On the White side, Andreas Huss (10 games), Vlastimil Hort (9 games), Vladimir S Antoshin (7 games) top the database. Notable Black exponents: Svetozar Gligoric (14 games), Lothar Vogt (8 games), Zigurds Lanka (8 games).
Performance Across Rating Levels
Popularity and results vary sharply by rating level. The 1200 bracket has 3,304 games (0.00% of all games at that level); White wins 44.7%, Black 51.3%, 4% are drawn. By 1800, popularity is 0.00% and White's score is 43.8% to Black's 51.5%. At the top end (2500+ Elo), popularity is 0.01% with 8.1% draws — a clear sign of how much theory rules the line at master level. White's score improves by 7.5pp from the 1200 bracket to the 2500 bracket — the line rewards preparation.
Move Diversity and Theory Depth
Move choice is far from uniform in the King's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4... Nbd7. At 1200 Elo, the top reply is O-O, played 62.5% of the time. There are 4 other moves seeing meaningful share, and 83.9% of games stick to established theory. Entropy: 1.89. By 2500, Bg5 dominates at 31.8% of replies; only 4 viable alternatives remain and 89.4% of moves are theory. Entropy drops to 2.10. Even elite players don't fully agree on the best continuation here, which keeps the position dynamic.
Common Mistakes
- 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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