King's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation, Stein Defense

A solid and aggressive chess opening, the King's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation, Stein Defense leads to dynamic and complex middlegame positions.

1. d4 2. Nf6 3. c4 4. g6 5. Nc3 6. Bg7 7. e4 8. d6 9. Nf3 10. O-O 11. Be2 12. e5 13. d5 14. a5

The opening is named after two famous grandmasters, Tigran Petrosian and Leonid Stein, who contributed significantly to its development and popularization. It is a variation of the King's Indian Defense, which is a popular and aggressive defense against 1.d4. The Petrosian Variation is characterized by the move 5.Nf3, which aims to control the center and prevent Black's pawn break with ...f5. The Stein Defense, on the other hand, is characterized by the move 10...a5, which aims to counter White's queenside expansion with c5.

In this opening, Black allows White to establish a strong pawn center with pawns on d4, e4, and c4. However, Black aims to counterattack this center later in the game with pawn breaks like ...f5 and ...c6. The resulting middlegame positions are often highly dynamic and complex, with both sides having chances for active play and tactical opportunities.

White's main plan in this opening is to expand on the queenside with moves like c5 and b4, while also trying to maintain control of the center. Black, on the other hand, will look for opportunities to undermine White's pawn center and create counterplay on the kingside with moves like ...Nh5, ...f5, and ...g5.

The Petrosian Variation, Stein Defense is a solid choice for players who enjoy playing aggressive and dynamic positions with Black. It has been played by many top-level grandmasters, including Garry Kasparov, Anatoly Karpov, and Viswanathan Anand, and remains a popular choice at all levels of play.

Frequency: 74.9 %Stockfish score: 0.5, depth 47
Games Statistics:
White/Draws/Black
38.1%
10.1%
51.8%
Bookmoves score:
RateWhiteBlack
0...180051.358.2
1800...200051.757.2
2000...220056.255.7
2200...250055.952.1
2500...56.749.5