- ECO code
- E91
- Moves
- 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2
- Family
- King's Indian Defense
- To move
- Black
- Master games
- 553
- Average game length
- 46 moves
- Years covered
- 1928–2026
King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation is the opening filed under ECO code E91, reached after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2. It belongs to the King's Indian Defense family and is known as the Orthodox Variation; in the resulting position it is Black to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 553 games on this line — the 196th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1928 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 170 games. An average game here lasts 46 moves.
White wins 32% of those games, 35% end in a draw, and Black wins 33%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores better here by 5 percentage points.
From this position the most popular move is 6...e5, played in 470 games, followed by 6...Nbd7 (26) and 6...Na6 (24). 6...e5 leads into King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation (E92). After 6...e5 White scores 32% and Black 31%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is So,W (23 games); on the Black side, Firouzja,Alireza (51).
2 named variations branch off this position and have their own page here, among them King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation (E92); King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation (E94).
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Results in master games
- White 32% (175)
- Draws 35% (195)
- Black 33% (183)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6...e5 | 470 | 32/37/31 | King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation (E92) |
| 6...Nbd7 | 26 | 35/15/50 | — |
| 6...Na6 | 24 | 21/33/46 | — |
| 6...c5 | 12 | 25/33/42 | — |
| 6...Bg4 | 9 | 11/56/33 | — |
| 6...c6 | 4 | 25/25/50 | — |
| 6...Nc6 | 4 | 75/25/0 | — |
| 6...b6 | 2 | 100/0/0 | — |
Variations from this position
- Orthodox Variation (E92) · 6...e5 · 470 games
- Orthodox Variation (E94) · 6...e5 7.O-O · 328 games
How the position is reached
- Queen's Pawn Game · 1.d4 · 45,810 games
- Indian Defense · 1.d4 Nf6 · 29,631 games
- Indian Defense: Normal Variation · 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 · 22,243 games
- Indian Defense: West Indian Defense · 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 · 6,337 games
- King's Indian Defense · 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 · 4,545 games
- King's Indian Defense: Normal Variation · 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 · 2,024 games
- King's Indian Defense: Normal Variation · 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 · 1,879 games
- King's Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Rare Defenses · 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 · 636 games
Played most often by
As White
- So,W 23
- Carlsen,M 20
- Giri,A 19
As Black
- Firouzja,Alireza 51
- Nakamura,Hi 24
- Grischuk,A 23
Games per decade
- 1920s 1
- 1940s 2
- 1950s 16
- 1960s 21
- 1970s 13
- 1980s 20
- 1990s 98
- 2000s 94
- 2010s 118
- 2020s 170
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duda,J | Carlsen,M | 0-1 | 2026 | Chess.com Open Playoffs |
| Katsanis,Vasileios Dim | Caruana,F | 0-1 | 2026 | Titled Tue 24th Feb 2026 |
| Drygalov,Sergey | Carlsen,M | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Titled Tue 16th Jun 2026 |
| Amburgy,Ryan | So,W | 0-1 | 2026 | Naroditsky Mem Blitz 2026 |
| Vidit,S | Erigaisi,Arjun | 0-1 | 2026 | Tata Steel India Blitz |
| Carlsen,M | Lazavik,Denis | 1-0 | 2026 | SpeedChess Final 2025 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation?
It is the opening with ECO code E91, reached after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2. It belongs to the King's Indian Defense family.
Is the King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation good for White or for Black?
In 553 master games on this line White wins 32%, 35% are drawn and Black wins 33%. The collection average is White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28% — so this line is a slightly better bargain for Black than the field as a whole.
What is the main continuation of the King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation?
6...e5 — played in 470 of the master games on this line, which leads into King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation (E92).
Which grandmasters play the King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation?
On the White side So,W (23), Carlsen,M (20), Giri,A (19); on the Black side Firouzja,Alireza (51), Nakamura,Hi (24), Grischuk,A (23).
Every number on this page is computed from Katuranga's master game collection; names and ECO codes follow the lichess opening book (CC0).
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