King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation, Classical System, Traditional Line
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Statistics from Lichess
29,338 games: White 53.3% / Draw 5.8% / Black 40.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation, Classical System, Benko Attack | 15,59716K | |
| 11,97812K | ||
| 1,2821,282 | ||
| 166166 | ||
| 118118 | ||
| 9090 | ||
| 3131 | ||
| 1818 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.66 White is slightly better
Best play: 11. Nd3 b6 12. Be3 a5 13. a3 Ba6 14. Nf2 f4 15. Bd2 c5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation, Classical System, Traditional Line (ECO E99, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation, Classical System, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5 Ne7 9. Ne1 Nd7 10. f3 f5 (10 moves).
In 29,338 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.3%, Black 40.9% and 5.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 11. g4, in 53% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation, Classical System, Benko Attack.
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How to play against the King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation, Classical System, Traditional Line
The most played answer, 11. g4 (King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation, Classical System, Benko Attack), also scores best for White: 59.3%, with White winning 55.8% and Black 37.1% of 16K games. Of the main answers, 11. Be3 scores lowest: 53.0%. Stockfish's first choice is 11. Nd3.
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
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation, Classical System, Traditional Line (E99)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-indian-defense-orthodox-variation-classical-system-traditional-line