King's Indian Defense
Initial Moves: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6
Strategic Summary & Main Idea
The King's Indian (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6) is the defence where Black hands over the centre on purpose and bets on tearing it down later, nearly always with ...e5 and an attack on White's king. It is also the one that concedes most among the major defences to 1.d4: the position measures +0.50 after 4...d6, and the Sämisch Attack reaches +0.81 — more than any line in the other nine openings in this batch.
The pawn structure this opening produces
After ...e5 and d5, the King's Indian produces the clearest structure in positional chess: locked, crossing pawn chains, White's pointing at the queenside and Black's at the kingside. Each side attacks where their own pawns point, which is why King's Indian games look like two different games happening on opposite halves of the board. White breaks with c5 and comes down the c-file; Black breaks with ...f5-f4 and goes for the king. The detail that decides it, and the one club players tend to miss, is time: White's queenside attack is quicker to assemble, which is why Black must spend zero moves on prophylaxis and all of them on the advance — the King's Indian punishes hesitation on both sides. There is a second structure, less discussed and just as important: when White trades on e5 instead of pushing d5, the centre opens and the King's Indian turns into an ordinary piece game with no thematic attack at all. That is what the engine showed in the blunder measured below — and it is why Black castles before breaking.
Typical Plans for White
- Close the centre with d5 and break with c5, entering down the c-file before Black's attack lands
- Sämisch Attack with f3 and Be3, propping up e4 and preparing long castling with g4 — the strongest measured here
- Averbakh with Be2 and Bg5, taking the e5 square away from Black's pawn before it advances
- Fianchetto with g3, keeping the centre flexible and playing against the structure rather than the king
- Trade on e5 at the moment the queens can come off: without queens, Black's attack ceases to exist
Typical Plans for Black
- Break with ...e5 and, after d5, play ...Ne7, ...f5 and ...f4 without looking back
- Manoeuvre the knight via d7 or e8 to free the f-pawn, which is the engine of the attack
- Trade on d4 only when it opens the g7-bishop's diagonal, and never out of habit
- Accept that the queenside will give way: the game is a race, not a defence
- Castle before ...e5, always: the attack only works with the king tucked away and queens on the board
Main Variations of the King's Indian Defense
| Variation | Move Sequence | Evaluation | Style / Characteristic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar del Plata Variation | 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 |
+0.59 | The line that defines the opening: opposite attacks and long calculation on both sides |
| Sämisch Attack | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 O-O 6.Be3 e5 7.d5 c6 |
+0.81 | f3 holds e4 and frees g4; the strongest weapon against the King's Indian on this page |
| Classical Variation | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 e5 7.O-O |
+0.48 | Natural development and short castling, accepting the race in its classical shape |
| Fianchetto Variation | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 O-O 5.Nf3 d6 |
+0.47 | No e4: White plays against the structure and sidesteps Black's thematic attack |
| Averbakh System | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 O-O 6.Bg5 |
+0.24 | The bishop on g5 discourages ...e5 and reduces the game to manoeuvring — at half the edge |
| Four Pawns Attack | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 |
+0.06 | The most ambitious advance and, measured, the least rewarding: a wide centre is an attackable one |
Evaluations measured by us with Stockfish 19, depth 22, on 14 Sep 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is the King's Indian still playable at the top?
It is played by choice, not by evaluation: the position measures +0.50 after 4...d6, the highest number among the major defences measured in this batch. What sustains it is practical — it produces attacking positions where one White mistake costs the whole game, and that never shows up in an opening evaluation.
Which line is most awkward for Black?
The Sämisch Attack, at +0.81. The move f3 looks modest and does two jobs at once: it holds e4 without using a piece and opens g4 for the pawn. Against it, Black's ...f5 plan runs slower, and speed is precisely what the King's Indian cannot afford to lose.
Why does the Four Pawns Attack concede so much?
Because a wide centre is an attackable one. After 5.f4 the position measures +0.06 — practically equal — and the reason is that Black gets concrete targets with ...c5 and ...e6 before White can support four advanced pawns with pieces.
Guides on this opening
- A practical guide to the English Opening: controlling the board with 1.c4 without memorizing endless lines
- The Jobava London System: attacking with 1.d4 without memorizing endless lines
- The London System: a complete guide, its plans, and how not to play on autopilot
- Benko Gambit: how to play the queenside pawn sacrifice, and what the engine charges for it
- Torre Attack: a practical guide to 3.Bg5, and which defences the system actually beats
- Grünfeld Defence: the Exchange Variation and the immediate ...Qa5 pressure
Common Mistakes & Where Most Amateurs Go Wrong
- 01 Black breaking with ...e5 before castling: queens come off, Black loses the right to castle, and the attack that justifies the whole opening ceases to exist. The line:
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 e5 6.dxe5 dxe5 7.Qxd8+ Kxd8+1.74 - 02 Black taking the e4-pawn before ...d6: the c3-knight recaptures and the f6-knight has nowhere to go back to. The line:
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 Nxe4+5.41
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