Tree path 3 levels Indian Defense: West Indian Defense › King's Indian Defense › Semi-Classical Variation
- Chess Codex
- Indian Defense: West Indian Defense E60
- King's Indian Defense E61
- Semi-Classical Variation E61 you are here
King's Indian Defense: Semi-Classical Variation
Overview
King's Indian Defense: Semi-Classical Variation is a named branch in the Indian Defenses group of chess theory, classified under ECO E61.
The Indian Defenses group covers Indian defences — hypermodern lines where Black challenges the centre with pieces rather than pawns.
It is reached after 11 plies of play, with the move sequence 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Nf3 O-O 5. e3 d6 6. Be2.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from King's Indian Defense, part of the broader Indian Defense: West Indian Defense system.
3 named variations grow from this line, including Benoni Variation, Exchange Variation, Queenside Storm Line.
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
- E61
- Group
- Indian Defenses (E)
- Plies
- 11
- Parent
- King's Indian Defense
- Direct variations
- 3
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
764,736 games · White 46.1% / Draw 5.9% / Black 47.9%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Nbd7 | 257,011 | |
| Nc6 | 140,842 | |
| c5 | 105,514 | |
| Bg4 | 57,504 | |
| c6 | 56,507 | |
| Re8 | 39,327 | |
| b6 | 31,252 | |
| e5 | 18,543 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 02:34:11
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