King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Exchange Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
17,364 games: White 51.0% / Draw 6.6% / Black 42.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 3,0983,098 | ||
| 3,0103,010 | ||
| 2,3632,363 | ||
| 2,1422,142 | ||
| 1,9741,974 | ||
| 1,6051,605 | ||
| 1,1951,195 | ||
| 575575 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.09 The position is about equal
Best play: 9... Bg4 10. Bxg4 Nxg4 11. Qxg4 Nxd4 12. Qd1 Nc6 13. Rc1 Qd7 14. O-O
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Exchange Variation (ECO E79, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Fluid Attack, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f4 O-O 6. Nf3 c5 7. Be2 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nc6 9. Be3 (9 moves).
In 17,364 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.0%, Black 42.4% and 6.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 9…Bd7, in 18% of those games.
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How to play against the King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Exchange Variation
The most played answer, 9…Bd7, also scores best for Black: 50.6%, with Black winning 46.8% and White 45.7% of 3,098 games. Of the main answers, 9…Ng4 scores lowest: 38.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 9…Bg4.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Exchange Variation (E79)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-indian-defense-four-pawns-attack-exchange-variation