King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation, Spanish Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
5,866 games: White 48.5% / Draw 5.7% / Black 45.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 3,0973,097 | ||
| 917917 | ||
| 562562 | ||
| 508508 | ||
| 245245 | ||
| 170170 | ||
| 141141 | ||
| 8282 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.63 White is slightly better
Best play: 7. Nf3 Bg4 8. O-O Nfd7 9. d5 Nc5 10. Nd4 Bxe2 11. Ndxe2 c6
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, Spanish 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 a6 (6 moves).
In 5,866 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.5%, Black 45.8% and 5.7% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. Qd2, in 53% 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, Spanish Defense
The most played answer, 7. Qd2, also scores best for White: 52.1%, with White winning 49.2% and Black 45.0% of 3,097 games. Of the main answers, 7. h4 scores lowest: 46.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 7. Nf3.
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, Spanish Defense (E73)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-indian-defense-averbakh-variation-spanish-defense