King's Indian Defense: Accelerated Averbakh Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
656,313 games: White 48.2% / Draw 4.4% / Black 47.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 438,639439K | ||
| 83,23383K | ||
| 63,51964K | ||
| 19,86020K | ||
| 15,35115K | ||
| 10,91811K | ||
| 6,5136,513 | ||
| 4,8394,839 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 28, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.22 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... h6 6. Bd2 O-O 7. Bd3 c5 8. d5 e6 9. Nge2 exd5 10. Nxd5
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 better this line does for White: White scores 51% under 1400, 54% at 2200 and up and 58% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 97K | |
| 1400–1799 | 419K | |
| 1800–2199 | 370K | |
| 2200 and up | 34K | |
| Masters, over the board | 680 |
Master games
- Grischuk, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Grischuk, A.
- Topalov, V. – Radjabov, T.
- Sokolov, I. – Bacrot, E.
- Vallejo Pons, F. – Saric, I.
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 Defense: Accelerated Averbakh Variation (ECO E70, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the King's Indian Defense: Normal Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Bg5 (5 moves).
In 656,313 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.2%, Black 47.4% and 4.4% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…O-O, in 67% 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 Defense: Accelerated Averbakh Variation
5…h6 scores best for Black: 51.0%, with Black winning 48.6% and White 46.7% of 83K games. The most played, 5…O-O, scores 49.6% in 439K games, and 5…Nbd7 scores lowest: 48.8%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5…h6.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black'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 Defense: Accelerated Averbakh Variation peaked in 2018 at 0.028% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.023% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.023% | 8,097 |
| 2017 | 0.026% | 14,343 |
| 2018 | 0.028% | 22,329 |
| 2019 | 0.028% | 35,016 |
| 2020 | 0.028% | 81,206 |
| 2021 | 0.028% | 108,595 |
| 2022 | 0.026% | 98,159 |
| 2023 | 0.024% | 91,098 |
| 2024 | 0.024% | 84,848 |
| 2025 | 0.023% | 78,484 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.022% | 24,620 |
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 Defense: Accelerated Averbakh Variation (E70)”. Lichess data as of 28 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-indian-defense-accelerated-averbakh-variation