King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Sämisch Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
321,848 games: White 46.5% / Draw 6.5% / Black 47.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 116,307116K | ||
| 112,190112K | ||
| 71,14171K | ||
| 13,23813K | ||
| 7,9637,963 | ||
| 359359 | ||
| 121121 | ||
| 9797 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.42 White is slightly better
Best play: 7. Nge2 Nc6 8. d5 Ne5 9. Ng3 b5 10. cxb5 e6 11. Be2 exd5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1,658 | |
| 1400–1799 | 24K | |
| 1800–2199 | 185K | |
| 2200 and up | 118K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,995 |
Master games
- Svidler, P. – Radjabov, T.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Grischuk, A.
- Karjakin, S. – Giri, A.
- Svidler, P. – Grischuk, A.
- Morozevich, A. – Kamsky, G.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Sämisch Gambit (ECO E81, Indian Defenses) is a gambit in the King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Normal Defense, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 c5 (6 moves).
In 321,848 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.5%, Black 47.0% and 6.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. Nge2, in 36% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Sämisch Gambit Accepted.
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: Sämisch Variation, Sämisch Gambit
7. dxc5 scores best for White: 54.7%, with White winning 50.6% and Black 41.2% of 71K games. The most played, 7. Nge2, scores 51.4% in 116K games, and 7. d5 scores lowest: 45.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 7. Nge2.
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
Popularity by year
The King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Sämisch Gambit peaked in 2018 at 0.018% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.011% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.013% | 4,766 |
| 2017 | 0.016% | 9,001 |
| 2018 | 0.018% | 14,403 |
| 2019 | 0.016% | 19,928 |
| 2020 | 0.015% | 44,332 |
| 2021 | 0.012% | 45,014 |
| 2022 | 0.011% | 42,096 |
| 2023 | 0.012% | 43,410 |
| 2024 | 0.011% | 40,760 |
| 2025 | 0.011% | 39,676 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.012% | 12,864 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Sämisch Gambit (E81)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-indian-defense-samisch-variation-samisch-gambit