King's Indian Defense

Overview

The King's Indian Defense (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6) is an aggressive, hypermodern defense where Black allows White to build a broad pawn center before counter-attacking it. It leads to deeply complex middlegames with mutual chances and opposite-side attacks.

Position after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6

Key Ideas

• Black fianchettoes the king's bishop and plays ...d6, ...e5 to challenge the center.
• In the Classical Variation, both sides attack on opposite flanks after White's d5 closes the center.
• Black's typical kingside attack involves ...f5, ...f4, ...g5, and ...Nf6-h5.
• White counters with queenside expansion via c5 and a break on the b- or a-file.
• The Samisch Variation (f3) aims to build a massive center and restrict Black's play.

Main Variations

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History

The King's Indian Defense was developed in the early 20th century and became a world-class weapon through the games of Bronstein, Gligoric, Fischer, and Kasparov. Kasparov's legendary victories in this opening helped define its fighting reputation.