Starting from 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 0-0 6.Be3 e5 7.Nge2 c6, players enter the King's Indian Defence, Sämisch Variation: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4... c6 — ECO E86. With 28,379 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: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4... e5. Among the most prolific White practitioners are Carsten Hoi (13 games), Klaus Bischoff (12 games), Javier B Campos Moreno (11 games). Black-side regulars include Praveen Mahadeo Thipsay (12 games), Dusan Popovic (10 games), Wolfgang Uhlmann (9 games).
Move Diversity and Theory Depth
What players actually play after the opening moves depends heavily on rating. At 1200 Elo, the top reply is d5, played 46.8% of the time. There are 2 other moves seeing meaningful share, and 89.4% of games stick to established theory. Entropy: 1.83. By 2500, Qd2 dominates at 74.7% of replies; only 2 viable alternatives remain and 99.1% of moves are theory. Entropy drops to 0.92. That entropy collapse is the signature of a line where preparation pays off: at the top, players know the best move and play it.
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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