The King's Indian Defence, Sämisch Variation: 0-0 begins with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 0-0 (ECO E81). With 2,470,313 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, Sämisch Variation. On the White side, Aleksey Dreev (85 games), Florin Gheorghiu (71 games), Chris G Ward (69 games) top the database. Notable Black exponents: Wolfgang Uhlmann (66 games), Svetozar Gligoric (62 games), John D M Nunn (56 games).
Performance Across Rating Levels
How well the King's Indian Defence, Sämisch Variation: 0-0 works depends on what level you're playing at. At 1200 Elo, the opening shows up in 0.00% of games (26,583 samples). White scores 50.5%, Black 46.3%, draws 3.2%. Move up to 1800 Elo and the share shifts to 0.08%, with White winning 51.5% versus Black's 44.1%. Among 2500-rated players the line appears in 0.30% of games and draws spike to 8.5%, indicating tight preparation. Positions also become less sharp as level rises (sharpness 0.97 → 0.92).
Time Control Patterns
The King's Indian Defence, Sämisch Variation: 0-0 skews toward blitz chess. In bullet, it appears in 0.05% of games (1,439,878); White wins 51.3%. Blitz shows 0.06% adoption across 2,188,374 games, White scoring 50.7%. In rapid, the share rises to 0.03% — 277,198 games, White 51.1%.
Move Diversity and Theory Depth
What players actually play after the opening moves depends heavily on rating. At 1200 Elo, the top reply is Be3, played 46.4% of the time. There are 4 other moves seeing meaningful share, and 77.6% of games stick to established theory. Entropy: 2.40. By 2500, Be3 dominates at 65.7% of replies; only 3 viable alternatives remain and 99.6% of moves are theory. Entropy drops to 1.30. The narrowing is significant — strong players consolidate around a small set of best moves, while amateurs scatter across many plausible-looking options.
Historical Trends
Year-over-year data tells you whether this opening is a contemporary fixture or a fading one. Adoption peaked in 2015 at 0.08% (18,791 games). By 2025 it sits at 0.05% — a 9% shift overall, leaving the line flat.
Main Lines and Variations
The main branches off 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 0-0 include:
- King's Indian Defence, Sämisch Variation: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4... b6
- King's Indian Defence, Sämisch Variation: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4... Nc6
- King's Indian Defence, Sämisch Variation: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4... e5
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 56.5% — versus 93.9% at 2000. The most popular deviation is Bd3 (played 19.5% 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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