King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation

Main line

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 O-O 6.Be3 c5 7.Nge2 Nc6

Diagram shows the position after 6 half-moves of the main line. On SpeakChess you can drill this line move by move — the trainer plays the other side and corrects you instantly, then spaced repetition schedules each variation so you review it right before you would forget it.

Move by move

The first 12 moves of the main line, explained one at a time. Every move of every variation is annotated like this inside the trainer — this page shows the opening moves so you can judge the explanations before signing up.

1. 1.d4 White advances the pawn to d4, staking a claim right in the center and opening lines for the bishop and queen to develop later.
2. 1...Nf6 Black jumps the knight to f6, a great central square. It challenges White's control of the center and prepares to fight for important middle squares.
3. 2.c4 White pushes the pawn to c4, grabbing even more central space. Together with d4, these two pawns form a powerful duo that controls the heart of the board.
4. 2...g6 Black moves the pawn to g6, preparing to place the bishop on g7 where it will look down a long, open diagonal. This is the start of the King's Indian setup.
5. 3.Nc3 White brings the knight out to c3, a strong central square. It helps guard the d5 square and supports White's big pawn center.
6. 3...Bg7 Black fianchettoes the bishop to g7. Sitting on g7, the bishop will be a powerful long-range piece, aiming right through the center of the board.
7. 4.e4 White boldly pushes the pawn all the way to e4, building a huge pawn center. With pawns on c4, d4, and e4, White takes up a lot of space.
8. 4...d6 Black plays d6, giving the bishop on g7 a solid pawn foundation and getting ready to challenge White's big center at the right moment.
9. 5.f3 White pushes the pawn to f3, reinforcing the strong e4 and d4 pawns. This move is the key idea in the Saemisch Variation — White builds an iron center.
10. 5...O-O Black castles kingside, tucking the king safely behind the pawns on f7, g7, and h7 and bringing the rook to f8 where it can become active.
11. 6.Be3 White develops the bishop to e3, where it defends the d4 pawn and keeps an eye on important squares. It also opens up the possibility of castling queenside.
12. 6...c5 Black pushes the pawn to c5, directly challenging White's strong center. This is a typical King's Indian idea — attack the center before White gets too comfortable.

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Win rates by rating

Results from real online games, measured after the line shown in each row. Most opening sites show one aggregate number — how an opening scores depends heavily on who is playing it.

Most played continuations (2000-2200 rating)

After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 O-O 6.Be3 c5:

• d5 — played 36.9% of the time (White wins 44%, draws 4.2%, Black wins 51.8%)
• Nge2 — played 30.2% of the time (White wins 45.5%, draws 6.8%, Black wins 47.7%)
• dxc5 — played 22.1% of the time (White wins 55.8%, draws 5.5%, Black wins 38.7%)

Related openings

• King's Indian Defense
• King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation
• King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation
• King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack
• King's Indian Defense: Makogonov Variation

Frequently asked questions

Why play 5.f3 when it blocks the knight's natural square?

Because it makes e4 permanently secure without spending a piece, and it prepares g4 and h4. Black's whole King's Indian plan is to hit e4 with ...e5 and ...f5; the pawn on f3 makes ...f5 far less effective. The cost — an awkward square for the g1 knight and a slightly loosened kingside — is what makes the line double-edged.

How dangerous is the Sämisch for Black?

Very, if Black plays on autopilot. The standard ...e5 and ...f5 plan works badly here, so a King's Indian player who has not studied the Sämisch specifically often ends up passive and gets steamrolled. With the right approach — ...c5 as in the main line, or the Panno with ...Nc6 and ...a6 — Black gets fully adequate counterplay.

What is the 6...c5 gambit about?

Black offers the c-pawn to blow open the centre before White is coordinated. After 7.dxc5 dxc5 the queens often come off, but Black's pieces spring to life and White's slow setup becomes a liability. White can also decline with d5, transposing to a Benoni-flavoured position where the standard King's Indian race resumes.