The King’s Indian, 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6, lets White build a big centre and then attacks it with ...e5 or ...c5. When the centre closes, Black launches a king-side pawn storm with ...f5 while White plays on the queen side. It is the ultimate fighting defence.
Key ideas
1Fianchetto, castle, then strike the centre with ...e5 (or ...c5).
2After d5 closes the centre, reroute the f6 knight (…Ne8 or …Nd7) and play ...f5.
3The g7 bishop is the soul of the opening: never trade it cheaply.
4White attacks on the queen side with c5; Black must be faster on the king side.
5Against the Fianchetto and Sämisch, be more flexible: ...c5, ...Nc6 and ...a6/...Rb8 are useful.
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Against 1.d4 most defences argue about the centre at once. The King's Indian lets White have it. Black fianchettoes, castles, and only then strikes with ...e5, by which time White has pawns on c4, d4 and e4 and a choice: hold the tension, trade, or push d5 and start a race.
What you will learn
01Set up ...Nf6, ...g6, ...Bg7, ...d6 and ...O-O in the same order against every White system.
02Strike with ...e5 against the Classical and Sämisch, and with ...c5 against the Four Pawns.
03When d5 closes the centre, reroute the f6 knight and begin the ...f5 pawn storm.
The main line
The Classical main line runs 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 e5 7.O-O Nc6. 6...e5 is the first challenge, and White's reply 7.O-O keeps the tension rather than taking or pushing. 7...Nc6 adds a second attacker to d4 and invites d5, the move that fixes the structure.
Once d5 comes, the plans split cleanly. White has more space on the queen side and plays c5 and b4. Black has the e5 pawn as a shield and plays ...Ne7 or ...Nd7, ...f5 and often ...f4, aiming everything at the White king. The g7 bishop is the piece that makes it work.
The two beginner errors are opposites. One is striking with ...e5 or ...c5 before castling, which leaves the king in the centre when the position opens. The other is waiting too long after d5, so White's queen-side play arrives first.
How to practise it
Learn the Classical line first and note that Black's first five moves never change. In Drill, White's moves appear and yours are checked; the test is move six, where ...e5 must come before anything else. Add the Sämisch and Four Pawns next, since both throw the f-pawn forward and want different answers. The Fianchetto line follows on its review date.
It suits a beginner who wants attacking chances with Black and accepts being worse for a while to get them. The set-up is easy; the timing of ...e5 and ...f5 takes practice.
What is the main line of the King's Indian?
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 e5 7.O-O Nc6, the Classical variation. The Sämisch 5.f3, the Four Pawns 5.f4 and the Fianchetto with g3 are the other systems here.