King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation, Donner Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
17,514 games: White 49.0% / Draw 6.8% / Black 44.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 5,6685,668 | ||
| 3,6003,600 | ||
| 2,6582,658 | ||
| 1,7651,765 | ||
| 1,6501,650 | ||
| 1,3161,316 | ||
| 571571 | ||
| 7171 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.74 White is better
Best play: 8. d5 a5 9. Bg5 h6 10. Be3 Ng4 11. Bc1 Na6 12. h3 Nf6
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, Donner Defense (ECO E94, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O c6 (7 moves).
In 17,514 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.0%, Black 44.2% and 6.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. d5, in 32% 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: Orthodox Variation, Donner Defense
8. Re1 scores best for White: 54.1%, with White winning 50.8% and Black 42.5% of 1,650 games. The most played, 8. d5, scores 54.1% in 5,668 games, and 8. dxe5 scores lowest: 50.1%. Stockfish's first choice is 8. d5.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation, Donner Defense (E94)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-indian-defense-orthodox-variation-donner-defense