King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Classical Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
266,493 games: White 49.5% / Draw 6.6% / Black 43.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 102,834103K | ||
| 73,39473K | ||
| 39,97140K | ||
| 10,83611K | ||
| 10,68611K | ||
| 6,7636,763 | ||
| 4,7474,747 | ||
| 4,5384,538 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 13, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.56 White is slightly better
Best play: 8... Re8 9. Re1 exd4 10. Nxd4 Nc5 11. h3 a6 12. b3 Rb8 13. Bb2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1,344 | |
| 1400–1799 | 15K | |
| 1800–2199 | 129K | |
| 2200 and up | 126K | |
| Masters, over the board | 7,671 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Carlsen, M. – Giri, A.
- Firouzja, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Ding Liren – Mamedyarov, S.
- Kasparov, G. – Topalov, V.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Classical Variation (ECO E68, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Classical Fianchetto, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Nc3 e5 8. e4 (8 moves).
In 266,493 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.5%, Black 43.9% and 6.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 8…exd4, in 39% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Classical 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: Fianchetto Variation, Classical Variation
8…c6 scores best for Black: 48.1%, with Black winning 44.8% and White 48.6% of 73K games. The most played, 8…exd4, scores 48.1% in 103K games, and 8…Re8 scores lowest: 46.3%. Stockfish's first choice is 8…Re8.
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
Popularity by year
The King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Classical Variation peaked in 2018 at 0.014% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.01% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0096% | 3,443 |
| 2017 | 0.011% | 6,303 |
| 2018 | 0.014% | 10,765 |
| 2019 | 0.012% | 15,386 |
| 2020 | 0.013% | 37,566 |
| 2021 | 0.0094% | 36,689 |
| 2022 | 0.0092% | 34,610 |
| 2023 | 0.0096% | 36,064 |
| 2024 | 0.0094% | 33,734 |
| 2025 | 0.01% | 34,876 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.011% | 12,185 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Classical Variation (E68)”. Lichess data as of 13 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-indian-defense-fianchetto-variation-classical-variation