King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation, Korchnoi Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
5,418 games: White 50.8% / Draw 4.7% / Black 44.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,7371,737 | ||
| 1,7321,732 | ||
| 834834 | ||
| 336336 | ||
| 238238 | ||
| 137137 | ||
| 122122 | ||
| 8686 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.38 White is slightly better
Best play: 9... a5 10. a3 Nd7 11. Ne1 f5 12. f3 Nc5 13. Nd3 b6 14. Qc2
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, Korchnoi Attack (ECO E97, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation, Aronin-Taimanov Defense, 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. Bd2 (9 moves).
In 5,418 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.8%, Black 44.6% and 4.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 9…Nd7, in 32% of those games.
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How to play against the King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation, Korchnoi Attack
9…h6 scores best for Black: 50.6%, with Black winning 48.2% and White 47.0% of 336 games. The most played answer, 9…Nd7, scores lowest: 46.2% in 1,737 games. Stockfish's first choice is 9…a5.
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: Orthodox Variation, Korchnoi Attack (E97)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-indian-defense-orthodox-variation-korchnoi-attack