King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation, Geller Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
82,201 games: White 53.3% / Draw 4.9% / Black 41.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 49,57650K | ||
| 14,52415K | ||
| 7,5557,555 | ||
| 4,0934,093 | ||
| 1,7071,707 | ||
| 1,6081,608 | ||
| 1,5491,549 | ||
| 586586 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 26, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.54 White is slightly better
Best play: 7. Qc2 e5 8. d5 Nc5 9. h3 a5 10. Nf3 Bd7 11. Nd2 Qe7
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, Geller 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 Nbd7 (6 moves).
In 82,201 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.3%, Black 41.8% and 4.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. Qd2, in 60% 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, Geller Defense
The most played answer, 7. Qd2, also scores best for White: 56.5%, with White winning 54.0% and Black 41.1% of 50K games. Of the main answers, 7. Nf3 scores lowest: 53.9%. Stockfish's first choice is 7. Qc2.
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, Geller Defense (E73)”. Lichess data as of 26 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-indian-defense-averbakh-variation-geller-defense