Starting from 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 0-0 6.Be3 e5 7.d5 c6 8.Nge2 cxd5, players enter the King's Indian Defence, Sämisch Variation: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4... cxd5 — ECO E89. Lichess records 10,270 games in this line, which gives us a reliable view of how it actually performs in practice.
History and Notable Players
It arises from the King's Indian Defence, Sämisch Variation: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4... c6. Among the most prolific White practitioners are Luben Popov (9 games), Valentina Gunina (4 games), Hannes Stefansson (4 games). Black-side regulars include Svetozar Gligoric (7 games), Leonhard William Barden (4 games), Jonathan Penrose (3 games).
Move Diversity and Theory Depth
Move choice is far from uniform in the King's Indian Defence, Sämisch Variation: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4... cxd5. At 1200 Elo, the top reply is cxd5, played 88.4% of the time. There are 2 other moves seeing meaningful share, and 100% of games stick to established theory. Entropy: 0.63. By 2500, cxd5 dominates at 98% of replies; only 1 viable alternatives remain and 100% of moves are theory. Entropy drops to 0.15.
Common Mistakes
- Neglecting development — It can feel productive to make extra pawn moves early, but falling behind in piece development is what loses most amateur games — especially in open positions where active pieces find squares fast.
- 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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