Indian Defense: Colle System, King's Indian Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
593,448 games: White 43.9% / Draw 5.3% / Black 50.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 228,721229K | ||
| 141,493141K | ||
| 65,84366K | ||
| 50,12150K | ||
| 28,46628K | ||
| 25,51326K | ||
| 18,63319K | ||
| 7,4487,448 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 28, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.12 The position is about equal
Best play: 5. h3 O-O 6. O-O Nc6 7. c4 Re8 8. Nc3 e5 9. Bc2 Nb4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 54% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 173K | |
| 1400–1799 | 417K | |
| 1800–2199 | 331K | |
| 2200 and up | 23K | |
| Masters, over the board | 28 |
Master games
- Armas, J. – Nijboer, F.
- Dergatschova Daus, A. – Kharlov, A.
- Wantola, I. – Bernal Moro, L. J.
- Angelis, M. – Banikas, H.
- Denker, A. S. – Byrne, R. E.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Indian Defense: Colle System, King's Indian Variation (ECO A48, Flank Openings) is a variation of the East Indian Defense, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. e3 Bg7 4. Bd3 d6 (4 moves).
In 593,448 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 43.9%, Black 50.8% and 5.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. O-O, in 39% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Indian Defense: Colle System, King's Indian Variation
The most played answer, 5. O-O, also scores best for White: 47.1%, with White winning 44.4% and Black 50.2% of 229K games. Of the main answers, 5. c3 scores lowest: 46.3%. Stockfish's first choice is 5. h3.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The Indian Defense: Colle System, King's Indian Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.026% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.017%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.017% | 6,043 |
| 2017 | 0.018% | 10,147 |
| 2018 | 0.019% | 14,909 |
| 2019 | 0.019% | 23,254 |
| 2020 | 0.02% | 59,147 |
| 2021 | 0.02% | 77,225 |
| 2022 | 0.025% | 93,847 |
| 2023 | 0.024% | 91,864 |
| 2024 | 0.025% | 90,682 |
| 2025 | 0.026% | 88,491 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.026% | 27,997 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Indian Defense: Colle System, King's Indian Variation (A48)”. Lichess data as of 28 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/indian-defense-colle-system-kings-indian-variation