King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation, Nc6 Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
40,665 games: White 52.3% / Draw 4.9% / Black 42.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 18,90019K | ||
| 9,8129,812 | ||
| 6,5266,526 | ||
| 2,4752,475 | ||
| 1,0091,009 | ||
| 669669 | ||
| 583583 | ||
| 288288 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 26, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.51 White is slightly better
Best play: 7. d5 Ne5 8. Nf3 Nxf3+ 9. Bxf3 h6 10. Be3 e6 11. Qd2 Kh7
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, Nc6 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 Nc6 (6 moves).
In 40,665 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.3%, Black 42.9% and 4.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. d5, in 46% 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, Nc6 Defense
The most played answer, 7. d5, also scores best for White: 56.9%, with White winning 54.5% and Black 40.7% of 19K games. Of the main answers, 7. h4 scores lowest: 52.0%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7. d5.
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, Nc6 Defense (E73)”. Lichess data as of 26 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-indian-defense-averbakh-variation-nc6-defense