Tree path 7 levels Indian Defense: West Indian Defense › King's Indian Defense › Normal Variation › King's Indian Defense: Normal Variation › Standard Development › King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation › Benoni Defense
King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation, Benoni Defense
Overview
King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation, Benoni Defense is a named branch in the Indian Defenses group of chess theory, classified under ECO E74.
The Indian Defenses group covers Indian defences — hypermodern lines where Black challenges the centre with pieces rather than pawns.
The line arises from 12 plies — specifically the moves 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Bg5 c5.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation, part of the broader Indian Defense: West Indian Defense system.
2 named variations grow from this line, including Advance Variation, Exchange Variation.
Together the deeper variations number 3 across the full subtree.
Use the board to walk through every move, check how the position has scored on Lichess, or take it head-to-head against Stockfish.
- ECO code
- E74
- Group
- Indian Defenses (E)
- Plies
- 12
- Direct variations
- 2
- Total in subtree
- 3
This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.
Statistics from Lichess
95,878 games · White 49.4% / Draw 6.8% / Black 43.8%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| d5 | 84,890 | |
| dxc5 | 6,788 | |
| Nf3 | 3,197 | |
| e5 | 659 | |
| Qd2 | 164 | |
| h4 | 61 | |
| Bxf6 | 49 | |
| Be3 | 23 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 02:45:17
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