King's Indian Defense: give up the center, then strike back

The King's Indian Defense is 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6. Black is in no hurry to grab the center. Black lets White set up the pawns, puts the bishop on g7, tucks the king away, and strikes back from the side later. It's a favorite weapon of many attacking players, and you'll run into it often in free chess online games too.

Moves and position

In the first four moves, the two sides have very different ideas:

1. 1. d4 White takes the center first. Black's 1... Nf6 watches e4 with the knight so White can't push it easily.
2. 2. c4 White adds another pawn to control the center. Black's 2... g6 gets ready to put the bishop on the long diagonal.
3. 3. Nc3 White's knight comes out to support e4. Black's 3... Bg7 puts the bishop in place, looking from g7 all the way to a1.
4. 4. e4 White holds the center with three pawns. Black's 4... d6 guards the e5 square and prepares to push e5 later.

Why would Black give up the center? Because the further pawns advance, the emptier the squares behind them become. Black waits for White to set up the pawns, then hits them with e5 or c5, and those center pawns can turn into targets.

What White wants

• A big center: The c4, d4 and e4 pawns cramp Black and make it hard for Black's pieces to come out.
• A queenside attack: Black usually attacks on the kingside, so White pushes c5 and b4 on the other wing to open up Black's queenside.
• Tuck the king away first: After developing the knights and bishops and castling, White decides whether to push d5 and lock the center.

What Black wants

• Castle first: The next move is usually 5... O-O. Once the king is safe, the counterattack begins.
• Push e5 to hit the center: This is the main counterattack. After White locks things up with d5, Black pushes the kingside pawns (f5, g5) and goes straight for White's king.
• The long diagonal: The g7 bishop keeps watching d4 and a1, and once the center opens it becomes very powerful.

Main lines

Classical Variation: 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5

This is the main line. White develops naturally and castles. After Black pushes e5, White locks the center with d5. Then each side plays on its own wing: White pushes pawns on the queenside, Black pushes pawns on the kingside, and it's a race to see who breaks through first. This line is sometimes called the "Mar del Plata Variation," and it is very sharp.

Sämisch Variation: 5. f3

White protects e4 with f3 first, so the black knight can't jump to g4 to cause trouble. Then White can play Qd2, castle queenside, and push the kingside pawns straight at Black's king. The downside is that the g1 knight comes out slowly.

Four Pawns Attack: 5. f4

This is White's greediest line: four pawns march forward together, trying to flatten Black. But with so many pawns up front, there's a lot of empty space behind them. Black usually strikes back at once with 6... c5, and the game gets wild very quickly.

A common trap: grabbing e5 after the queen trade

In the Classical Variation, White sometimes trades the center pawns and then the queens, hoping to make the game simple:

Here it's easy for White to think, "e5 is free, let's take it!" But after taking:

The key is the black knight on f6. As soon as it jumps away, the g7 bishop's diagonal opens and it sees the white knight on e5. White didn't think of that when grabbing the pawn. The right move is 9. Bg5, developing the bishop and pinning the black knight on f6 (if it moves, the rook on d8 behind it is lost), with no rush to take the pawn. Remember: when your opponent's pawn looks free, first check which of your own pieces will be left unguarded.

Who it suits

• Players who love to attack: Once the center is locked, Black can often throw everything at White's king.
• Players who don't mind complications: Each side attacks on its own wing, and one miscalculation loses. It's exciting.
• Players who want winning chances with Black: This isn't a defense that just hopes for a draw. It's an opening that plays to win.

It's very similar to the Grünfeld Defense, and the first three moves are almost the same. The difference is that the Grünfeld hits the center right away with d5, while the King's Indian plays d6 first and lets White set up the center before striking.

FAQ

Try it yourself

Use the button below to start a game against the computer from the King's Indian Defense. With Black, remember to castle first and then push e5. For other openings, go back to the openings guide. For something different, head back to the play chess for free home page.

Play this opening against the computer

Read next

• Grünfeld DefenseBlack hits the center with d5 and puts the bishop on g7, letting White build a big center on purpose, then attacks it with bishop, knight and c5.
• Benoni DefenseBlack plays c5 to make White push d5, getting a queenside pawn majority and active pieces in return. A very fighting defense.
• Pirc DefenseBlack plays d6, Nf6 and g6 and puts the bishop on the long diagonal at g7, letting White take the center first and counterattacking later.