King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation, Benoni Defense, Advance Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
98,847 games: White 49.9% / Draw 6.6% / Black 43.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation, Main Line | 27,68928K | |
| 20,80421K | ||
| 10,99811K | ||
| 10,86211K | ||
| 9,9679,967 | ||
| 8,0278,027 | ||
| 5,2045,204 | ||
| 1,6771,677 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.34 White is slightly better
Best play: 7... e6 8. Qc1 exd5 9. exd5 b5 10. cxb5 a6 11. Nf3 axb5 12. Bxb5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation, Benoni Defense, Advance Variation (ECO E74, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation, Benoni Defense, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Bg5 c5 7. d5 (7 moves).
In 98,847 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.9%, Black 43.4% and 6.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…e6, in 28% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation, Main Line.
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: Averbakh Variation, Benoni Defense, Advance Variation
7…b5 scores best for Black: 50.4%, with Black winning 46.6% and White 45.9% of 9,967 games. The most played, 7…e6, scores 46.6% in 28K games, and 7…Nbd7 scores lowest: 43.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 7…e6.
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
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation, Benoni Defense, Advance Variation (E74)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-indian-defense-averbakh-variation-benoni-defense-advance-variation