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Chess Opening Theory/1. d4/1...Nf6/2. c4/2...g6/3. Nc3/3...Bg7/4. e4/4...d6

< Chess Opening Theory‎ | 1. d4‎ | 1...Nf6‎ | 2. c4‎ | 2...g6‎ | 3. Nc3‎ | 3...Bg7‎ | 4. e4
The latest reviewed version was checked on 13 November 2022. There are 2 pending changes awaiting review.
King's Indian Defence
a b c d e f g h
8a8 black rookb8 black knightc8 black bishopd8 black queene8 black kingf8 black kingg8 black kingh8 black rook8
7a7 black pawnb7 black pawnc7 black pawnd7 black kinge7 black pawnf7 black pawng7 black bishoph7 black pawn7
6a6 black kingb6 black kingc6 black kingd6 black pawne6 black kingf6 black knightg6 black pawnh6 black king6
5a5 black kingb5 black kingc5 black kingd5 black kinge5 black kingf5 black kingg5 black kingh5 black king5
4a4 black kingb4 black kingc4 white pawnd4 white pawne4 white pawnf4 black kingg4 black kingh4 black king4
3a3 black kingb3 black kingc3 white knightd3 black kinge3 black kingf3 black kingg3 black kingh3 black king3
2a2 white pawnb2 white pawnc2 black kingd2 black kinge2 black kingf2 white pawng2 white pawnh2 white pawn2
1a1 white rookb1 black kingc1 white bishopd1 white queene1 white kingf1 white bishopg1 white knighth1 white rook1
a b c d e f g h
Position in Forsyth-Edwards Notation (FEN)

rnbqk2r/ppp1ppbp/3p1np1/8/2PPP3/2N5/PP3PPP/R1BQKBNR w

Moves: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6

King's Indian Defence

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4...d6

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The move d6 ensures that White can't kick the Black Knight with e5. It also prepares to play e5 or c5 at some possible point. White has a variety of choices here.

By far the most popular line is the Classical main line, 5. Nf3, which results in a race on opposite sides: White tries to break through on the queenside before Black's forces get to the White king.

In the aggressive Sämisch Variation (5. f3), White will normally castle queenside (although castling kingside can also occur) and attack along the h-file. Black, meanwhile, will try to open the b-file with the advance ...b7-b5.

The most megalomaniacal variation is the Four Pawns' Attack, which sets up a fourth pawn on the fourth rank (hence the name) and gains a lot of space. Black must react quickly to avoid getting crushed by White's center.

Then, there is the quirky variation arising after 5. h3(Makogonov), which stops a knight from getting into g4 while retaining the option of Nf3.

The most positional variation in the King's Indian is the Fianchetto Variation. In this variation, normally the position is more fluid. Black usually exchanges his e-pawn for White's d-pawn, resulting in a situation where Black tries to play on the queenside dark squares and against e4, while White lines his forces up against d6 and the kingside.

In all of these variations, very sharp play ensues, making it the favorite of players such as Kasparov, Fischer, and Bronstein.

Theory table

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For explanation of theory tables, see theory table and for notation, see algebraic notation..

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6

5 6 7 8
Classical main line Nf3
O-O		 Be2
e5		 O-O
Nc6		 d5
Ne7		 +/=
Fianchetto Variation g3
O-O		 Bg2
Nbd7		 Nf3
c6		 O-O
e5		 +/=
Sämisch Variation f3
O-O		 Be3
Nc6		 Qd2
a6		 Nge2
Rb8		 =
Averbakh Variation Be2
O-O		 Bg5
c5		 d5
e6		 Qd2
exd5		 +/=
Four Pawns Attack f4
O-O		 Nf3
c5		 d5
e6		 Be2
exd5		 =∞
Makogonov variation h3
O-O		 Bg5
c5		 d5
b5		 cxb5
a6		 =∞

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References

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Wikipedia has related information at King's Indian Defence

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