King's Indian Defense: Smyslov Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
1,539,893 games: White 48.1% / Draw 5.2% / Black 46.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,079,4671.1M | ||
| 143,336143K | ||
| 138,068138K | ||
| 52,70153K | ||
| 46,44746K | ||
| 27,57328K | ||
| 12,21512K | ||
| 10,68211K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.09 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... Bf5 6. e3 Ne4 7. Nxe4 Bxe4 8. Bd3 Bxd3 9. Qxd3 h6 10. Bf4
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 52% under 1400, 54% at 2200 and up and 58% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 168K | |
| 1400–1799 | 828K | |
| 1800–2199 | 903K | |
| 2200 and up | 124K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,059 |
Master games
- Dubov, D. – Rapport, R.
- Svidler, P. – Solak, D.
- Moiseenko, A. – Radjabov, T.
- Jussupow, A. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Matlakov, M. – Demchenko, A.
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: Smyslov 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 d6 5. Bg5 (5 moves).
In 1,539,893 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.1%, Black 46.7% and 5.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…O-O, in 70% 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: Smyslov Variation
5…h6 scores best for Black: 50.5%, with Black winning 47.9% and White 46.9% of 143K games. The most played, 5…O-O, scores 49.5% in 1.1M games, and 5…Nbd7 scores lowest: 48.5%. Stockfish's first choice is 5…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: Smyslov Variation peaked in 2020 at 0.065% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.055% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.048% | 17,006 |
| 2017 | 0.053% | 29,221 |
| 2018 | 0.062% | 48,970 |
| 2019 | 0.064% | 79,840 |
| 2020 | 0.065% | 188,986 |
| 2021 | 0.064% | 248,519 |
| 2022 | 0.062% | 231,065 |
| 2023 | 0.058% | 219,500 |
| 2024 | 0.057% | 202,670 |
| 2025 | 0.055% | 190,666 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.056% | 61,185 |
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: Smyslov Variation (E61)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-indian-defense-smyslov-variation