King's Indian Defense: Makogonov Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
1,093,654 games: White 49.7% / Draw 5.2% / Black 45.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 895,819896K | ||
| 65,36865K | ||
| 32,50333K | ||
| 25,20725K | ||
| 18,57519K | ||
| 17,31617K | ||
| 12,51613K | ||
| 7,5507,550 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 10, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.48 White is slightly better
Best play: 5... e5 6. d5 a5 7. Bg5 Na6 8. Bd3 O-O 9. Nge2 Bd7 10. Qd2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 53% under 1400, 54% at 2200 and up and 60% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 34K | |
| 1400–1799 | 336K | |
| 1800–2199 | 659K | |
| 2200 and up | 195K | |
| Masters, over the board | 6,295 |
Master games
- Aronian, L. – Radjabov, T.
- Caruana, F. – Radjabov, T.
- Caruana, F. – Nakamura, H.
- Duda, J. – Carlsen, M.
- Aronian, L. – Nakamura, H.
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: Makogonov Variation (ECO E71, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the King's Indian Defense: Normal Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. h3 (5 moves).
In 1,093,654 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.7%, Black 45.1% and 5.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…O-O, in 82% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, King's Indian Defense: Karpov System.
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: Makogonov Variation
The most played answer, 5…O-O, also scores best for Black: 48.0%, with Black winning 45.4% and White 49.3% of 896K games. Of the main answers, 5…Nbd7 scores lowest: 46.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 5…e5.
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: Makogonov Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.049% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.038%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.038% | 13,613 |
| 2017 | 0.037% | 20,621 |
| 2018 | 0.042% | 32,838 |
| 2019 | 0.041% | 51,388 |
| 2020 | 0.039% | 113,029 |
| 2021 | 0.036% | 140,032 |
| 2022 | 0.041% | 152,614 |
| 2023 | 0.042% | 157,416 |
| 2024 | 0.045% | 162,412 |
| 2025 | 0.049% | 168,903 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.054% | 58,679 |
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: Makogonov Variation (E71)”. Lichess data as of 10 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-indian-defense-makogonov-variation