King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation, Flexible Defense
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Bg5 h6
The King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation, Flexible Defense is a chess opening classified as ECO E73, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Bg5 h6. It is a line of the King's Indian Defense. White is to move.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 132 times by this move order. White won 49%, 9% were drawn and Black won 42%. The most popular continuation is 7. Be3 (92% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.49 (Stockfish, depth 50; best line 7. Be3 c5 8. dxc5 Qa5 9. f3 dxc5)
- ECO
- E73
- Moves
- 12 plies
- FEN
rnbq1rk1/ppp1ppb1/3p1npp/6B1/2PPP3/2N5/PP2BPPP/R2QK1NR w KQ - 0 7- PGN
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Bg5 h6
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 1 | |
| 1500-1999 | 44 | |
| 2000+ | 87 | |
| All | 132 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 7. Be3 | 122 (92%) | |
| 7. Bh4 | 7 (5%) | |
| 7. Bd2 | 2 (2%) | |
| 7. Bf4 | 1 (1%) |
Master games
537 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 52%, draw 20%, Black 28%). The strongest:
- Igel3.0.5 (3512) – AllieSteinv0.8-120f959_PS1.7 (3543) 1/2-1/2 · TCEC 21 Premier 2021 · 2021-06-26
- AllieSteinv0.8-120f959_PS1.7 (3543) – Igel3.0.5 (3512) 1/2-1/2 · TCEC 21 Premier 2021 · 2021-06-23
- GM Vasyl Ivanchuk (2769) – GM Victor Bologan (2732) 1-0 · World Rapid Final · 2012-07-07
- GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2726) – GM Victor Bologan (2732) 1-0 · World Rapid Final · 2012-07-07
- GM Erigaisi Arjun (2759) – GM Nodirbek Yakubboev (2685) 1-0 · Titled Tue 4th Aug 2026 · 2026-08-04
Highest-rated Lichess games
- GM AtalikS (2661) – Alisherkaaaa (2645) 0-1 · 2026-09-02 · 180 + 0s
- FM sparking-genio (2559) – Washington91 (2587) 1-0 · 2026-09-07 · 180 + 0s
- FM sparking-genio (2566) – TRATINCICA79 (2575) 1/2-1/2 · 2026-09-04 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Bg5
More King's Indian Defense lines (all)
- King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation E60
- King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Immediate Fianchetto E60
- King's Indian Defense: Normal Variation, King's Knight Variation E60
- King's Indian Defense: Santasiere Variation E60
- King's Indian Defense: Semi-Classical Variation, Benoni Variation E60
- King's Indian Defense: Semi-Classical Variation, Hollywood Variation E60
- King's Indian Defense E61
- King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Benjamin Defense E61
- King's Indian Defense: Semi-Classical Variation E61
- King's Indian Defense: Semi-Classical Variation, Exchange Variation E61
- King's Indian Defense: Semi-Classical Variation, Queenside Storm Line E61
- King's Indian Defense: Smyslov Variation E61
Opening names and moves from the Lichess openings dataset; statistics from the Lichess open database, 2026-09 (CC0), sample of 12.6 million games, bots excluded; evaluations from Lichess cloud analysis (all CC0). Master games from The Week in Chess #920–#1664 by Mark Crowther, used with permission.