King's Indian Defense: Semi-Averbakh System
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Statistics from Lichess
409,519 games: White 50.8% / Draw 5.0% / Black 44.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 155,444155K | ||
| 71,85372K | ||
| 65,48065K | ||
| 35,32635K | ||
| 24,33824K | ||
| 18,16818K | ||
| 10,27910K | ||
| 8,3428,342 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.54 White is slightly better
Best play: 6... c5 7. d5 e6 8. Nf3 exd5 9. cxd5 b5 10. e5 dxe5 11. Bxc5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 54% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 58% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 6,196 | |
| 1400–1799 | 70K | |
| 1800–2199 | 220K | |
| 2200 and up | 139K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,624 |
Master games
- Aronian, L. – Grischuk, A.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Radjabov, T.
- Aronian, L. – Caruana, F.
- Nakamura, H. – Grischuk, A.
- Giri, A. – Van Foreest, J.
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: Semi-Averbakh System (ECO E73, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the King's Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Standard Development, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Be3 (6 moves).
In 409,519 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.8%, Black 44.2% and 5.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…e5, in 38% 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: Semi-Averbakh System
6…c5 scores best for Black: 50.0%, with Black winning 46.8% and White 46.8% of 35K games. The most played, 6…e5, scores 46.2% in 155K games, and 6…c6 scores lowest: 45.1%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6…c5.
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
Popularity by year
The King's Indian Defense: Semi-Averbakh System has gained ground since 2016: 0.017% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0088%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0088% | 3,140 |
| 2017 | 0.012% | 6,679 |
| 2018 | 0.016% | 12,654 |
| 2019 | 0.015% | 18,263 |
| 2020 | 0.016% | 46,245 |
| 2021 | 0.014% | 53,718 |
| 2022 | 0.016% | 61,265 |
| 2023 | 0.017% | 62,923 |
| 2024 | 0.016% | 58,924 |
| 2025 | 0.017% | 60,687 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.017% | 18,815 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Indian Defense: Semi-Averbakh System (E73)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-indian-defense-semi-averbakh-system