King's Indian Defense: Semi-Classical Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
764,736 games: White 46.1% / Draw 5.9% / Black 47.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 257,011257K | ||
| King's Indian Defense: Semi-Classical Variation, Hollywood Variation | 140,842141K | |
| 105,514106K | ||
| 57,50458K | ||
| Benoni Variation | 56,50757K | |
| 39,32739K | ||
| 31,25231K | ||
| 18,54319K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 9, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.23 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... Bf5 7. d5 Ne4 8. Nxe4 Bxe4 9. O-O Bf5 10. Nd4 Bc8 11. e4
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 50% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 48% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 101K | |
| 1400–1799 | 415K | |
| 1800–2199 | 431K | |
| 2200 and up | 81K | |
| Masters, over the board | 504 |
Master games
- Caruana, F. – Carlsen, M.
- Ding Liren – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Grischuk, A. – Caruana, F.
- Harikrishna, P. – Nakamura, H.
- Mamedyarov, S. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
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-Classical Variation (ECO E61, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the King's Indian Defense, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Nf3 O-O 5. e3 d6 6. Be2 (6 moves).
In 764,736 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.1%, Black 47.9% and 5.9% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…Nbd7, in 34% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are King's Indian Defense: Semi-Classical Variation, Benoni Variation and King's Indian Defense: Semi-Classical Variation, Exchange Variation.
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-Classical Variation
6…Nc6 (King's Indian Defense: Semi-Classical Variation, Hollywood Variation) scores best for Black: 52.4%, with Black winning 49.5% and White 44.7% of 141K games. The most played, 6…Nbd7, scores 51.9% in 257K games, and 6…Bg4 scores lowest: 46.7%. Stockfish's first choice is 6…Bf5.
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-Classical Variation peaked in 2018 at 0.035% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.027% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.029% | 10,491 |
| 2017 | 0.032% | 17,571 |
| 2018 | 0.035% | 27,324 |
| 2019 | 0.033% | 41,527 |
| 2020 | 0.035% | 101,504 |
| 2021 | 0.03% | 118,640 |
| 2022 | 0.028% | 105,159 |
| 2023 | 0.028% | 105,939 |
| 2024 | 0.027% | 98,561 |
| 2025 | 0.027% | 95,021 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.027% | 30,111 |
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 (3)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “King's Indian Defense: Semi-Classical Variation (E61)”. Lichess data as of 9 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-indian-defense-semi-classical-variation