King's Indian Defense: Zinnowitz Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
948,944 games: White 46.3% / Draw 4.9% / Black 48.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 225,218225K | ||
| 196,254196K | ||
| 135,630136K | ||
| 114,015114K | ||
| 100,996101K | ||
| 51,77552K | ||
| 28,03128K | ||
| 27,07327K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.10 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... h6 7. Bc1 c5 8. Be2 e6 9. O-O Nc6 10. d5 Nd4 11. dxe6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for White: White scores 51% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 172K | |
| 1400–1799 | 689K | |
| 1800–2199 | 509K | |
| 2200 and up | 41K | |
| Masters, over the board | 116 |
Master games
- Vachier Lagrave, M. – Naroditsky, D.
- Boensch, U. – Schmaltz, R.
- Arnold, M. – Fishbein, A.
- Hort, V. – Lakic, N.
- Stocek, J. – Popov, M. R.
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: Zinnowitz Variation (ECO E90, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the King's Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Rare Defenses, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Bg5 (6 moves).
In 948,944 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.3%, Black 48.9% and 4.9% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…Nbd7, in 24% 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: Zinnowitz Variation
6…c6 scores best for Black: 53.1%, with Black winning 50.8% and White 44.5% of 52K games. The most played, 6…Nbd7, scores 50.9% in 225K games, and 6…Bg4 scores lowest: 50.2%. Stockfish's first choice is 6…h6.
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: Zinnowitz Variation peaked in 2020 at 0.042% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.031% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.035% | 12,456 |
| 2017 | 0.036% | 19,802 |
| 2018 | 0.041% | 31,862 |
| 2019 | 0.042% | 52,357 |
| 2020 | 0.042% | 122,934 |
| 2021 | 0.041% | 160,762 |
| 2022 | 0.038% | 141,276 |
| 2023 | 0.035% | 131,898 |
| 2024 | 0.033% | 119,375 |
| 2025 | 0.031% | 108,942 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.031% | 33,954 |
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: Zinnowitz Variation (E90)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/kings-indian-defense-zinnowitz-variation