Caissa Codex
E81

King's Indian Defense: Steiner Attack 7…h6 8. Bf4

Chess diagram: King's Indian Defense: Steiner Attack after 8. Bf4

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Statistics from Lichess

397 games: White 48.9% / Draw 4.0% / Black 47.1%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
7777
6868
6565
4545
3939
2929
1515
1414

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.15 The position is about equal

Best play: 8... e6 9. Qd2 exd5 10. cxd5 a6 11. Be2 b5 12. h4 h5 13. a4

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

Overview

King's Indian Defense: Steiner Attack (ECO E81, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the King's Indian Defense: Steiner Attack, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Bg5 c5 7. d5 h6 8. Bf4 (8 moves).

In 397 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.9%, Black 47.1% and 4.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 8…Nh5, in 19% of those games.

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Other lines from the same position

Instead of 6…c5 7. d5 h6 8. Bf4, the position after King's Indian Defense: Steiner Attack also goes on to:

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “King's Indian Defense: Steiner Attack (E81)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-indian-defense-steiner-attack-2

https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-indian-defense-steiner-attack-2