King's Indian Defence
E60 · Played as black · Advanced · Indian Defences
Allow White the centre then attack it with pieces and pawns
The main line
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 e5 7.O-O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.b4 a5
Strategic ideas
- Allow White a big centre with d4–c4–e4, then strike with …e5
- Launch a kingside attack with …f5–f4 after White plays d5
- Use the g4 square as a dark-square outpost for the knight
- Sacrifice material to open attacking lines against White's king
- Create mutual attacks where Black's kingside initiative proves faster
Key themes
- Dynamic — The KID is built on imbalance — both sides fight for entirely different strategic goals
- Attack — Black's kingside attack with …f5–f4 is one of the most feared attacking plans in chess
- Counterattack — Black allows White's centre to form and then demolishes it with counterattacking pawn breaks
Typical plans
Black allows White to build a big centre with d4–c4–e4 and then strikes with …e5. If White advances d5, both sides commit to opposite-wing attacks — White on the queenside, Black on the kingside. The resulting positions are among the sharpest and most double-edged in chess, rewarding players with strong attacking intuition and tactical precision.
Move by move
- d4 — White claims the centre.
- Nf6 — Black develops, controlling e4 with a piece rather than a pawn.
- c4 — White expands further in the centre.
- g6 — Black prepares to fianchetto, planning to attack White's centre with pieces and pawns later rather than occupy it now.
- Nc3 — White develops toward a big pawn centre with e4 next.
- Bg7 — Black completes the fianchetto, eyeing the long diagonal and preparing to castle.
- e4 — White builds the ideal big centre — the very thing Black invited.
- d6 — Black restrains e5 and prepares the thematic …e5 break later.
- Nf3 — White defends e4 and completes development.
- O-O — Black castles, ready to strike the centre with …e5 or …c5 depending on White's setup.
- Be2 — White develops modestly, keeping options open before committing to a central plan.
- e5 — Black strikes the centre immediately, the point of allowing White's big pawn duo.
- O-O — White castles into safety before deciding how to meet Black's central break.
- Nc6 — Black develops, adding pressure to d4.
- d5 — White advances, gaining space and forcing Black's knight to reroute.
- Ne7 — Black repositions the knight, preparing …f5 and the thematic kingside expansion.
- b4 — White launches the Bayonet Attack, racing on the queenside before Black's kingside storm arrives.
- a5 — Black challenges the advance at once, refusing to let White's queenside expansion run unopposed.