King's Indian: Four Pawns Attack
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 · E76–E79
Part of King's Indian Defense
Starting positionWhite to move
0 / 16
The chain has to be defended by pieces
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
- 5.
- 6.
- 7.
- 8.
The idea
White throws all four central pawns forward to smother Black's position — the sharpest and most double-edged way to meet the King's Indian.
Main line: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 O-O 6.Nf3 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Be2 exd5
What White wants
- Advance the pawn mass and restrict every black piece
- Keep the pawns defended with pieces before pushing further
- Win the space battle before Black's counterattack starts
What Black wants
- Attack the pawn chain at its base with ...c5 and ...e6
- Trade pawns to open the position for the g7 bishop
- Play ...f5 and ...Nf6–h5 against the overextended centre
Key idea
Understand this and the moves stop needing to be memorised.
The chain has to be defended by pieces
White's four pawns gain central space, but their advances need piece support. ...c5 challenges d4; after d5, ...e6 attacks that advanced pawn. Central exchanges can free Black's bishops and open king lines, so development matters as much as the size of the centre.
Common mistake
Pushing another pawn before checking the exchanges. An e5 advance may allow ...dxe5 and open lines while White is uncastled; it is not automatically a losing move. Calculate the recaptures and develop enough pieces to support the remaining centre.
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/pp3pbp/3p1np1/2pp4/2P1PP2/2N2N2/PP2B1PP/R1BQK2R w KQ - 0 9
Analyze this position