1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Nf3 d6 5.g3 0-0 6.Bg2 Nc6 7.0-0 a6 opens the King's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4... a6, ECO E63. Across rating levels it shows up in 265,302 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... 5.g3. On the White side, Oleg M Romanishin (32 games), Ognjen Cvitan (30 games), Istvan Csom (28 games) top the database. Notable Black exponents: Victor Bologan (48 games), Bartosz Socko (45 games), Alexei Fedorov (40 games).
Performance Across Rating Levels
How well the King's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4... a6 works depends on what level you're playing at. Among 1200-rated players, it appears in 0.00% of games — 704 of them on record — with White winning 50.7% and Black 45.6%. Move up to 1800 Elo and the share shifts to 0.00%, with White winning 45.5% versus Black's 49%. Among 2500-rated players the line appears in 0.09% of games and draws spike to 9.8%, indicating tight preparation. Positions also become less sharp as level rises (sharpness 0.96 → 0.90).
Move Diversity and Theory Depth
Move choice is far from uniform in the King's Indian Defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4... a6. At 1200 Elo, the top reply is e4, played 21.8% of the time. There are 8 other moves seeing meaningful share, and 52.7% of games stick to established theory. Entropy: 3.19. By 2500, b3 dominates at 32.5% of replies; only 6 viable alternatives remain and 68.7% of moves are theory. Entropy drops to 2.72.
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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