King's Indian Attack, with Bf5
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Statistics from Lichess
451,969 games: White 49.6% / Draw 7.3% / Black 43.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 261,048261K | ||
| 78,95279K | ||
| 64,62665K | ||
| 23,79624K | ||
| 6,6116,611 | ||
| 4,8064,806 | ||
| 2,5682,568 | ||
| 1,9511,951 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.35 White is slightly better
Best play: 5. d3 e6 6. Nh4 Bg4 7. Qe1 e5 8. e4 dxe4 9. dxe4 Nbd7
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 48% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up and 43% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 19K | |
| 1400–1799 | 74K | |
| 1800–2199 | 229K | |
| 2200 and up | 173K | |
| Masters, over the board | 3,045 |
Master games
- Caruana, F. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Grischuk, A.
- Carlsen, M. – Grischuk, A.
- Caruana, F. – Aronian, L.
- Caruana, F. – Grischuk, A.
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, with Bf5 (ECO A07, Flank Openings) is a variation of the King's Indian Attack, reached after 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 c6 4. O-O Bf5 (4 moves).
In 451,969 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.6%, Black 43.1% and 7.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. d3, in 58% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations. In all, 5 named lines continue from it.
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, with Bf5
5. c4 scores best for White: 55.9%, with White winning 52.0% and Black 40.1% of 65K games. The most played, 5. d3, scores 53.3% in 261K games, and 5. d4 scores lowest: 52.5%. Stockfish's first choice is 5. d3.
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, with Bf5 has gained ground since 2016: 0.02% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.013%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.013% | 4,807 |
| 2017 | 0.017% | 9,241 |
| 2018 | 0.019% | 14,802 |
| 2019 | 0.017% | 21,734 |
| 2020 | 0.018% | 52,898 |
| 2021 | 0.015% | 59,757 |
| 2022 | 0.016% | 60,278 |
| 2023 | 0.017% | 65,215 |
| 2024 | 0.018% | 64,839 |
| 2025 | 0.02% | 67,958 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.021% | 22,789 |
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
Variations (3)
All 5 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Indian Attack, with Bf5 (A07)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-indian-attack-with-bf5