- ECO code
- E81
- Moves
- 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 O-O
- Family
- King's Indian Defense
- To move
- White
- Master games
- 356
- Average game length
- 42 moves
- Years covered
- 1931–2026
King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Normal Defense is the opening filed under ECO code E81, reached after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 O-O. It belongs to the King's Indian Defense family and is known as the Sämisch Variation, Normal Defense; in the resulting position it is White to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 356 games on this line — the 270th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1931 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 1990s, with 128 games. An average game here lasts 42 moves.
White wins 44% of those games, 32% end in a draw, and Black wins 24%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores worse here by 4 percentage points.
From this position the most popular move is 6.Be3, played in 237 games, followed by 6.Nge2 (72) and 6.Bg5 (47). After 6.Be3 White scores 42% and Black 23%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Karpov, Anatoly (23 games); on the Black side, Kasparov, Gary (30).
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Results in master games
- White 44% (156)
- Draws 32% (114)
- Black 24% (86)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.Be3 | 237 | 42/35/23 | — |
| 6.Nge2 | 72 | 43/25/32 | — |
| 6.Bg5 | 47 | 55/26/19 | — |
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: Sämisch Variation · 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 · 433 games
Played most often by
As White
- Karpov, Anatoly 23
- Kortschnoj, Viktor 23
- Spassky, Boris V 22
As Black
- Kasparov, Gary 30
- Grischuk,A 16
- Polgar, Judit 15
Games per decade
- 1930s 3
- 1940s 1
- 1950s 36
- 1960s 36
- 1970s 11
- 1980s 13
- 1990s 128
- 2000s 40
- 2010s 55
- 2020s 33
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nosach,Roman Al | Caruana,F | 1-0 | 2026 | 2nd 3-0 Thu 9th Apr 2026 |
| Gong,Sunle | Grischuk,A | 0-1 | 2026 | Aeroflot Open A 2026 |
| Nosach,Roman Al | So,W | 0-1 | 2026 | Titled Tue 24th Mar 2026 |
| Abdusattorov,Nodirbek | Bodnaruk,A | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 21st Apr 2026 |
| Sklokin,Sergey | Firouzja,Alireza | 1/2-1/2 | 2025 | Titled Tue 30th Sep 2025 |
| Ivanchuk,V | Kim,Noah | 1-0 | 2025 | Titled Tue 11th Feb Late |
Frequently asked questions
What is the King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Normal Defense?
It is the opening with ECO code E81, reached after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 O-O. It belongs to the King's Indian Defense family.
Is the King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Normal Defense good for White or for Black?
In 356 master games on this line White wins 44%, 32% are drawn and Black wins 24%. The collection average is White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28% — so this line is no worse than usual for White than the field as a whole.
What is the main continuation of the King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Normal Defense?
6.Be3 — played in 237 of the master games on this line.
Which grandmasters play the King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Normal Defense?
On the White side Karpov, Anatoly (23), Kortschnoj, Viktor (23), Spassky, Boris V (22); on the Black side Kasparov, Gary (30), Grischuk,A (16), Polgar, Judit (15).
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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