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King's Indian: Fianchetto Variation

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 · E60–E69

Part of King's Indian Defense

Starting positionWhite to move

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A different kingside target

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The idea

White answers the King's Indian with g3 and Bg2, strengthening the kingside and developing a bishop before deciding how far to expand the centre.

Main line: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Nf3 d6 5.g3 O-O 6.Bg2 Nbd7 7.O-O e5 8.e4 c6

What White wants

  • Neutralise the g7 bishop and play for a small, lasting edge
  • Gain space with e4 and then expand on the queenside
  • Trade into an endgame where the extra space tells

What Black wants

  • Play ...e5 and ...c6 or ...exd4 to free the position
  • Prefer well-prepared central counterplay to an automatic kingside pawn storm
  • Trade pieces and equalise structurally

Key idea

Understand this and the moves stop needing to be memorised.

A different kingside target

The g3 pawn and g2 bishop change the targets around White's king. The bishop is useful defensively, but does not make the king invulnerable. Black commonly contests the centre with ...e5 and ...c6; a kingside attack needs concrete preparation rather than a borrowed Classical plan.

Common mistake

Assuming the fianchetto guarantees king safety or an endgame advantage. White still needs to answer central breaks and ...f5 counterplay. Expand with e4 or c5 only when the pieces support the pawn structure and the king's diagonals remain secure.

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.

r1bq1rk1/pp1n1pbp/2pp1np1/4p3/2PPP3/2N2NP1/PP3PBP/R1BQ1RK1 w - - 0 9

Analyze this position

Related openings

King's Indian Defense1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 · E60–E99Black lets White build a huge centre and then attacks it with a kingside pawn storm — the most combative defence to 1.d4 in existence.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.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.Catalan Opening1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Be7 · E01–E09White combines the Queen's Gambit with a kingside fianchetto, aiming the bishop down the long diagonal at Black's queenside.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: 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.