Library/Openings/King's Indian Defense/Sämisch Variation/Orthodox Variation/Bronstein Variation ECO E87
Opening· 24 plies

King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Orthodox Variation, Bronstein Variation

An entry in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO E87), reached after 24 half-moves: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 e5 7. d5 Nh5 8. Qd2 Qh4+ 9. g3 Nxg3 10. Qf2 Nxf1 11. Qxh4 Nxe3 12. Ke2 Nxc4.

King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Orthodox Variation, Bronstein Variation ECO E87
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No further variations branch from this position in our database. To explore neighbouring ideas:

About this opening

King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Orthodox Variation, Bronstein Variation is an opening in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings, classified under code E87. ECO group E (E00–E99) covers Indian defences against 1.d4, covering the Nimzo-Indian, Queen's Indian, King's Indian and Catalan systems. This particular variation is reached after 24 half-moves from the starting position, with the move sequence 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 e5 7. d5 Nh5 8. Qd2 Qh4+ 9. g3 Nxg3 10. Qf2 Nxf1 11. Qxh4 Nxe3 12. Ke2 Nxc4.

It belongs to the King's Indian Defense family. Within that family this is a level-3 branch (the Sämisch Variation → Orthodox Variation → Bronstein Variation line). The immediate parent line is King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Orthodox Variation, transitioned via 12…Nxc4.

The opening sequence in prose form: 1.d4 Nf6, 2.c4 g6, 3.Nc3 Bg7, 4.e4 d6, 5.f3 O-O, 6.Be3 e5. From this position the encyclopaedia records no further canonical continuations — practical play branches into unnamed transpositions or returns to the parent line for alternative ideas.

Use the interactive board above to walk through the moves position-by-position. Click any move in the navigation to step backwards, or use the keyboard arrow keys. For statistical data — how often master-level players have reached this position, White's win-rate, draw frequency, Black's score — see the panel in the right column.

Caissly's coverage of E87 extends through every named sub-variation in this line and across all four locales (English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian). Where editorial commentary exists for a specific variation it appears as the page body; otherwise the page presents the structural data, board, and statistics as shown here.