The King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Orthodox Variation begins with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 0-0 6.Be3 e5 (ECO E85). With 510,878 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: Sämisch Variation, Normal Defense (5...0-0). On the White side, Rainer Knaak (22 games), Florin Gheorghiu (19 games), Anatoly Karpov (19 games) top the database. Notable Black exponents: Svetozar Gligoric (36 games), Wolfgang Uhlmann (36 games), Praveen Mahadeo Thipsay (18 games).
Performance Across Rating Levels
Popularity and results vary sharply by rating level. The 1200 bracket has 3,167 games (0.00% of all games at that level); White wins 52.9%, Black 44.1%, 3% are drawn. At 1800 the opening surfaces in 0.02% of games; White wins 52%, Black 43.2%, draws 4.8%. At the top end (2500+ Elo), popularity is 0.04% with 7.9% draws — a clear sign of how much theory rules the line at master level. White's edge erodes by 4.2pp from 1200 to 2500 Elo, suggesting Black's counterplay is easier to find with experience.
Time Control Patterns
The King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Orthodox Variation skews toward blitz chess. In bullet, it appears in 0.01% of games (240,295); White wins 51.9%. Blitz shows 0.01% adoption across 446,694 games, White scoring 51.6%. In rapid, the share rises to 0.01% — 63,235 games, White 52.1%.
Move Diversity and Theory Depth
Move choice is far from uniform in the King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Orthodox Variation. At 1200 Elo (3,153 games), the top reply is d5, played 75.1% of the time. Two other moves each take at least 5% of games, and the top three moves account for 91.6% of games. Entropy: 1.35. By 2500 (5,010 games), d5 is still the top reply, at 48.9%; only one other move still reaches 5% and the top three moves account for 98.3% of games. Entropy drops to 1.21.
Historical Trends
Long-term, the trajectory of this opening is informative. Adoption peaked in 2015 at 0.02% (4,234 games). By 2025 it sits at 0.01%, 54% below the peak and roughly back to its 2013 level, leaving the line flat over the full period.
Main Lines and Variations
From the position after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 0-0 6.Be3 e5, the recognised continuations are:
- King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Closed Variation
- King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Orthodox Variation (7.Nge2 c6)
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, the three most-played moves cover 78.6% of games, against 93.1% at 2000. The most popular deviation is Bd3 (played 6.3% 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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