King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation, Positional Defense, Main Line
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Statistics from Lichess
2,388 games: White 49.9% / Draw 6.2% / Black 43.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 626626 | ||
| 452452 | ||
| 296296 | ||
| 276276 | ||
| 181181 | ||
| 174174 | ||
| 173173 | ||
| 6969 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.53 White is slightly better
Best play: 10. h3 exd4 11. Nxd4 Nc5 12. Qc2 Re8 13. Bf4 Nh5 14. Be3 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, Positional Defense, Main Line (ECO E96, 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 Nbd7 8. Re1 c6 9. Bf1 a5 (9 moves).
In 2,388 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.9%, Black 43.9% and 6.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 10. Rb1, in 26% of those games.
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How to play against the King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation, Positional Defense, Main Line
10. Be3 scores best for White: 55.2%, with White winning 52.6% and Black 42.2% of 173 games. The most played, 10. Rb1, scores 53.4% in 626 games, and 10. dxe5 scores lowest: 50.0%. Stockfish's first choice is 10. h3.
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, Positional Defense, Main Line (E96)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-indian-defense-orthodox-variation-positional-defense-main-line