King's Indian Attack: Wahls Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
499,352 games: White 48.4% / Draw 6.8% / Black 44.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 281,572282K | ||
| 57,70858K | ||
| 56,36756K | ||
| 38,16138K | ||
| 18,71419K | ||
| 12,40412K | ||
| 9,7879,787 | ||
| 5,5065,506 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.04 The position is about equal
Best play: 6. c4 Nc6 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. h4 Rb8 9. Qd2 e5 10. Nc3 Re8
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for Black: Black scores 50% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up and 51% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 32K | |
| 1400–1799 | 98K | |
| 1800–2199 | 282K | |
| 2200 and up | 153K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,573 |
Master games
- Ivanchuk, V. – Topalov, V.
- Grischuk, A. – Artemiev, V.
- Caruana, F. – Le Quang Liem
- Karjakin, S. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Nakamura, H. – Hou Yifan
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
King's Indian Attack: Wahls Defense (ECO A05, Flank Openings) is a variation of the King's Indian Attack: Symmetrical Defense, reached after 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. O-O O-O 5. d3 d5 (5 moves).
In 499,352 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.4%, Black 44.8% and 6.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Nbd2, in 56% 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 King's Indian Attack: Wahls Defense
The most played answer, 6. Nbd2, also scores best for White: 53.2%, with White winning 49.7% and Black 43.4% of 282K games. Of the main answers, 6. c4 scores lowest: 50.2%. Stockfish's first choice is 6. c4.
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 King's Indian Attack: Wahls Defense peaked in 2018 at 0.025% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.018% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.017% | 5,978 |
| 2017 | 0.022% | 12,043 |
| 2018 | 0.025% | 19,945 |
| 2019 | 0.024% | 29,426 |
| 2020 | 0.023% | 66,735 |
| 2021 | 0.019% | 74,432 |
| 2022 | 0.018% | 68,559 |
| 2023 | 0.018% | 66,304 |
| 2024 | 0.018% | 63,383 |
| 2025 | 0.018% | 63,592 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.019% | 20,946 |
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. “King's Indian Attack: Wahls Defense (A05)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-indian-attack-wahls-defense