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King's Indian Defense

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 · E60–E99

Part of Indian Defense

Starting positionWhite to move

0 / 12

One side attacks the king, the other attacks the pawns

  1. 1.
  2. 2.
  3. 3.
  4. 4.
  5. 5.
  6. 6.

The idea

Black lets White build a huge centre and then attacks it with a kingside pawn storm — the most combative defence to 1.d4 in existence.

Main line: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 e5

What White wants

  • Take as much space as possible and hold the centre
  • Attack on the queenside with c5 and b4 where Black is weak
  • Keep enough defenders on the kingside to survive the storm

What Black wants

  • If d5 closes the centre, reroute Nf6 and prepare ...f5
  • Coordinate the kingside pawns and pieces without opening the king prematurely
  • Trade the centre pawns to open the position for the g7 bishop

Key idea

Understand this and the moves stop needing to be memorised.

One side attacks the king, the other attacks the pawns

If White closes the centre with d5, queenside space often favours White while Black prepares ...f5 on the kingside. Black must move Nf6 before advancing that pawn. An open centre demands different timing: neither wing attack is automatic.

Common mistake

Launching a pawn storm without checking whether the centre is closed. ...e5 and d5 are normal moves, not a demonstrated mistake; after central exchanges, open lines can make an unprepared kingside advance dangerous to Black's own king.

Representative position

The position this opening is aiming at. Copy the FEN, or open it in the analysis board and let the engine tell you what it is worth.

rnbq1rk1/ppp2pbp/3p1np1/4p3/2PPP3/2N2N2/PP2BPPP/R1BQK2R w KQ - 0 7

Analyze this position

Variations

4 lines branching from here.

Traps in this opening

Moves in this opening that look natural and lose.

King's Indian: The Unprotected e4 CaptureThe e4 pawn looks loose and ...f5 promises to chase any piece that recaptures. Black expects the pawn thrust to recover the sacrificed knight.
All opening traps

Related openings

Indian Defense1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 O-O · A45–A79, D70–D99, E00–E99The family name for every defence where Black develops the knight to f6 first and decides later whether the centre will be blocked, undermined or handed over.King's Indian: Classical Variation1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 · E91–E99The main line: White develops quietly with Be2 and castles, Black fixes the centre with ...e5, and both sides then attack on opposite wings.King's Indian: Samisch Variation1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 · E80–E89White supports e4 with f3, then develops Be3 and Qd2. Queenside castling and a kingside pawn attack are options, not obligations.King's Indian: Fianchetto Variation1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Nf3 d6 · E60–E69White answers the King's Indian with g3 and Bg2, strengthening the kingside and developing a bishop before deciding how far to expand the centre.King's Indian: Four Pawns Attack1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 · E76–E79White throws all four central pawns forward to smother Black's position — the sharpest and most double-edged way to meet the King's Indian.Grünfeld Defense1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 · D70–D99Black strikes at the centre immediately with ...d5 and lets White build an enormous pawn mass, planning to destroy it from the flanks.