Chess opening · ECO E91
King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation
The Orthodox Variation is White's classical way to handle the King's Indian: Nf3, Be2 and castling short, with no early pawn storm. White keeps the big center and plans to use the extra space. Black's standard reply is 6...e5, hitting d4 at once. From there the game often locks with d5, and each side attacks on its own wing.
- Rank by weighted share
- #146 of 159
Key moves
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2
- 5. Nf3The knight goes to its natural square, covering d4 and e5. Unlike the Sämisch, White keeps the f-pawn at home, so the king can castle short quickly and the center stays well protected.
- 6. Be2A modest square for the bishop, but it clears the way for castling short. With the king about to reach g1, Black gets the usual moment to hit d4 with ...e5.
Why ...e5 does not drop a pawn
At first glance 6...e5 seems to give away the e5 pawn. After 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.Qxd8 Rxd8 9.Nxe5, though, Black has 9...Nxe4, and after 10.Nxe4 Bxe5 the material is level again. The g7 bishop's line toward e5 and the loose e4 pawn are what make this work.
White can also trade queens and then play 9.Bg5 instead of taking, which leads to a quiet endgame with Black's rook already on d8.
The race after d5
After 7.O-O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7, the center is closed. White's play lies on the queenside with b4 and c5, often after rerouting the f3 knight through e1 to d3. Black reroutes the f6 knight, often to d7 or e8, and pushes ...f5, ...f4 and sometimes ...g5 toward the white king.
Neither side tends to defend passively here. Each tries to break through on its own wing before the opponent does.
Into the closed center
6... e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5 Ne7
The c6 knight, hit by the d5 pawn, drops back to e7, from where it can head for the kingside. White will expand on the queenside while Black moves the f6 knight to d7 or e8 to clear the way for ...f5.
Top replies by rating
e5 leads every band, and its share doubles from the 1400 to 1599 band to 2000 and up. Nbd7 holds second place throughout.
| Rating | Top | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1400–1599 | e5 27% | Nbd7 23% | Bg4 11% |
| 1600–1799 | e5 25% | Nbd7 19% | c5 13% |
| 1800–1999 | e5 42% | Nbd7 18% | c5 13% |
| 2000 and up | e5 54% | Nbd7 13% | Na6 9% |
Related openings
Try it on the board. The first coached game and three analyses are free.