King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation, Flexible Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
113,166 games: White 53.1% / Draw 5.6% / Black 41.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 92,96493K | ||
| 12,32312K | ||
| 6,5296,529 | ||
| 755755 | ||
| 373373 | ||
| 105105 | ||
| 4141 | ||
| 3030 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.41 White is slightly better
Best play: 7. Be3 c5 8. dxc5 Qa5 9. Bd2 Qxc5 10. Nf3 Bg4 11. O-O Nc6
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, Flexible Defense (ECO E73, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Bg5 h6 (6 moves).
In 113,166 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.1%, Black 41.3% and 5.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. Be3, in 82% 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: Averbakh Variation, Flexible Defense
The most played answer, 7. Be3, also scores best for White: 56.5%, with White winning 53.7% and Black 40.6% of 93K games. Of the main answers, 7. Bf4 scores lowest: 53.6%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7. Be3.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation, Flexible Defense (E73)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-indian-defense-averbakh-variation-flexible-defense