King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Yugoslav Variation, Rare Line
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Statistics from Lichess
211,455 games: White 49.4% / Draw 6.6% / Black 44.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Yugoslav Variation | 113,492113K | |
| 51,54352K | ||
| 22,00822K | ||
| 16,01316K | ||
| 3,3663,366 | ||
| 1,4361,436 | ||
| 1,2921,292 | ||
| 648648 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.29 The position is about equal
Best play: 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5 Na5 9. Nd2 e6 10. Rb1 Re8 11. b4 cxb4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 46% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up and 41% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 7,140 | |
| 1400–1799 | 40K | |
| 1800–2199 | 124K | |
| 2200 and up | 61K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,318 |
Master games
- Mamedyarov, S. – Carlsen, M.
- Vidit, S. – Carlsen, M.
- Leko, P. – Carlsen, M.
- Mamedyarov, S. – Morozevich, A.
- Mamedyarov, S. – Firouzja, A.
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, Yugoslav Variation, Rare Line (ECO E64, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Immediate Fianchetto, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. Nc3 d6 6. Nf3 c5 (6 moves).
In 211,455 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.4%, Black 44.0% and 6.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. O-O, in 54% 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: Fianchetto Variation, Yugoslav Variation, Rare Line
The most played answer, 7. O-O (King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Yugoslav Variation), also scores best for White: 54.3%, with White winning 50.8% and Black 42.2% of 113K games. Of the main answers, 7. e3 scores lowest: 48.7%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7. O-O.
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
Popularity by year
The King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Yugoslav Variation, Rare Line has gained ground since 2016: 0.0083% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0067% (its peak: 0.0099% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0067% | 2,387 |
| 2017 | 0.008% | 4,404 |
| 2018 | 0.0099% | 7,779 |
| 2019 | 0.0098% | 12,203 |
| 2020 | 0.009% | 26,246 |
| 2021 | 0.0073% | 28,616 |
| 2022 | 0.008% | 29,865 |
| 2023 | 0.008% | 29,984 |
| 2024 | 0.0078% | 27,811 |
| 2025 | 0.0083% | 28,648 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.009% | 9,835 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Yugoslav Variation, Rare Line (E64)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-indian-defense-fianchetto-variation-yugoslav-variation-rare-line