E72

King's Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Deferred Fianchetto

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Statistics from Lichess

98,029 games: White 48.3% / Draw 5.5% / Black 46.2%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next move	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
	81,20181K
	4,7324,732
	2,5922,592
	2,3962,396
	1,9151,915
	1,5881,588
	1,2791,279
	908908

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026

Engine evaluation

−0.01 The position is about equal

Best play: 5... O-O 6. Nge2 c5 7. Bg2 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nc6 9. Nde2 a6 10. 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: Normal Variation, Deferred Fianchetto (ECO E72, 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. g3 (5 moves).

In 98,029 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.3%, Black 46.2% and 5.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…O-O, in 83% of those games.

It continues into one named variation, King's Indian Defense: Pomar System.

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Description

Variations (1)

E72 Pomar System 5…O-O 6. Bg2 e5 7. Nge2

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “King's Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Deferred Fianchetto (E72)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-indian-defense-normal-variation-deferred-fianchetto