The King's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4... 8.d5 begins with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Nf3 d6 5.g3 0-0 6.Bg2 c5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d5 (ECO E66). Across rating levels it shows up in 108,387 recorded games — enough data to map exactly where it succeeds and where it stalls.
History and Notable Players
It arises from the King's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4... 7.0-0. On the White side, Milan Vukic (19 games), Margarita Voiska (6 games), Efim Geller (6 games) top the database. Notable Black exponents: Svetozar Gligoric (14 games), Robert E Byrne (9 games), Kvetoslav Znamenacek (7 games).
Performance Across Rating Levels
The picture changes a lot as you climb the rating ladder. The 1200 bracket has 725 games (0.00% of all games at that level); White wins 54.5%, Black 41.9%, 3.6% are drawn. By 1800, popularity is 0.00% and White's score is 51.5% to Black's 43.7%. Among 2500-rated players the line appears in 0.03% of games and draws spike to 8.3%, indicating tight preparation. White's edge erodes by 8.6pp from 1200 to 2500 Elo, suggesting Black's counterplay is easier to find with experience.
Move Diversity and Theory Depth
What players actually play after the opening moves depends heavily on rating. At 1200 Elo, the top reply is Ne5, played 30.6% of the time. There are 5 other moves seeing meaningful share, and 74.2% of games stick to established theory. Entropy: 2.38. By 2500, Na5 dominates at 95.3% of replies; only 1 viable alternatives remain and 99.2% of moves are theory. Entropy drops to 0.34. The narrowing is significant — strong players consolidate around a small set of best moves, while amateurs scatter across many plausible-looking options.
Common Mistakes
- Drifting away from main theory — At 400 Elo, theory adherence sits at 81.3% — versus 88.6% at 2000. The most popular deviation is Nb4 (played 27.1% 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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