1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6
The King's Indian Defense arises after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6. Black lets White build a big pawn centre with c4, d4 and e4, fianchettoes the bishop to g7, castles, and only then strikes at the centre with ...e5 or ...c5.
This hypermodern approach gives White space and a comfortable game at first. Black's compensation comes later. In the main lines the centre locks after d4-d5, White attacks on the queenside, and Black launches a pawn storm against White's king with ...f5, ...f4 and ...g5.
It is one of the sharpest and most rewarding defences to 1.d4, but it is also demanding: the races between the two attacks leave little room for error.
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Black plays for a win with a kingside attack in the main lines. The plans (...e5, ...f5, ...f4, ...g5) are clear, and the fianchettoed bishop on g7 becomes a monster once the centre opens.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 e5 7.O-O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Ne1 Nd7 10.Be3 f5 11.f3 f4 12.Bf2 g5
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After 8.d5 the centre is locked: White pawns on c4, d5 and e4, Black pawns on d6 and e5. Each side attacks where its pawn chain points. White's chain points at the queenside, so White plays c4-c5. Black's points at the kingside, so Black plays ...f5-f4 and ...g5-g4.
These positions are races. White usually breaks through first on the queenside; Black's attack is slower to build but aims directly at the king. Games are often decided by a single tempo.
If White keeps the tension instead of playing d5, Black can exchange on d4 and play against the e4 pawn with ...Re8 and ...Nf6, using the open long diagonal for the g7 bishop.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 O-O 6.Be3 e5
White supports e4 with the f-pawn and prepares Be3, Qd2 and often long castling, followed by a kingside attack with g4 and h4. The f3 pawn also takes g4 away from Black's pieces.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 O-O 6.Nf3 c5 7.d5 e6
White grabs maximum space with pawns on c4, d4, e4 and f4. Black has to hit back at once with ...c5 and ...e6 to open lines before White's centre rolls forward.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 O-O 5.Bg2 d6 6.O-O Nbd7 7.Nc3 e5 8.e4
White fianchettoes the f1 bishop, which makes the king much harder to attack. The play is more positional, with Black fighting in the centre with ...e5 and ...c6 rather than racing on the kingside.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 e5 7.O-O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.b4
Instead of 9.Ne1, White starts the queenside attack at once with b4, preparing c5. It is one of the most testing modern answers to the Classical King's Indian.
The King's Indian was considered dubious until the 1940s and 1950s, when Soviet players such as David Bronstein, Isaac Boleslavsky and Efim Geller showed how much dynamic potential Black has.
Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov made it one of their main weapons against 1.d4. The Mar del Plata Variation is named after the Argentine city where the plan with ...Ne7 and ...f5 was tested in the 1950s.
Copy the position at the end of the main line, open the chess move calculator, paste it into the “Paste FEN” box under the board and press the FEN button next to it. Stockfish 19 then suggests a move for the side to play, at the strength set on the calculator's slider, and you can play on from there to test your own ideas.
r1bq1rk1/pppnn1bp/3p4/3Pp1p1/2P1Pp2/2N2P2/PP2BBPP/R2QNRK1 w - - 0 131. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5 Ne7 9. Ne1 Nd7 10. Be3 f5 11. f3 f4 12. Bf2 g5For a move-by-move review of a whole game you played with this opening, use the chess analysis board.
Knowing the moves is not the same as playing them under pressure. Play chess against the computer with the black pieces and answer 1.d4 with the King's Indian Defense, then sharpen the tactics that come out of it with chess puzzles.
Go deeper: Chess tactics for beginners · Castling rules and timing
It can be, if you like attacking chess, because the plans are clear. But Black gives White a big centre and the main lines are sharp races, so it suits players who are comfortable defending first and attacking later.
Both start 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4. In the King's Indian, Black plays ...g6, ...Bg7 and ...d6 and lets White take the whole centre. In the Nimzo-Indian, Black plays ...e6 and ...Bb4 after 3.Nc3, pinning the knight and fighting for e4 directly.
It is the main line of the Classical King's Indian: 7.O-O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7. White plays on the queenside with c4-c5, Black storms the kingside with ...f5, ...f4 and ...g5. It is famous for its fast, double-edged races.
The Classical (5.Nf3 and 6.Be2) is the main line. The Sämisch (5.f3) leads to a direct attack, and the Fianchetto (g3 and Bg2) is the safest positional choice.
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