Tree path 9 levels Indian Defense: West Indian Defense › King's Indian Defense › Normal Variation › King's Indian Defense: Normal Variation › King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation › Normal Defense › King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Orthodox Variation › King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Closed Variation › King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Closed Variation
- Chess Codex
- Indian Defense: West Indian Defense E60
- King's Indian Defense E61
- Normal Variation E70
- King's Indian Defense: Normal Variation E70
- King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation E80
- Normal Defense E81
- King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Orthodox Variation E85
- King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Closed Variation E87
- King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Closed Variation E88 you are here
King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Closed Variation
Overview
King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Closed Variation is a named branch in the Indian Defenses group of chess theory, classified under ECO E88.
The Indian Defenses group covers Indian defences — hypermodern lines where Black challenges the centre with pieces rather than pawns.
Play reaches this position via 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 e5 7. d5 c6, after 14 plies of opening development.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Closed Variation, part of the broader Indian Defense: West Indian Defense system.
Use the board to walk through every move, check how the position has scored on Lichess, or take it head-to-head against Stockfish.
- ECO code
- E88
- Group
- Indian Defenses (E)
- Plies
- 14
This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.
Statistics from Lichess
95,202 games · White 52.0% / Draw 5.0% / Black 42.9%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Qd2 | 52,165 | |
| Bd3 | 27,448 | |
| Nge2 | 7,273 | |
| dxc6 | 3,544 | |
| g4 | 1,706 | |
| Be2 | 616 | |
| b4 | 595 | |
| h4 | 589 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 03:02:58
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