King's Indian Defense: Moves, Plans, Main Lines and Tactics

What is the King's Indian Defense?

The King's Indian starts with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6. Black does not fight for the centre with pawns at once. Instead, Black puts the bishop on g7, castles, and waits for the right moment to hit the centre with ...e5 or ...c5.

This is a "hypermodern" idea: let White take space, then attack that space. The White centre on c4, d4 and e4 looks strong, but it can also become a target. The King's Indian has the ECO codes E60 to E99.

Until the mid-1930s many strong players thought the opening was too risky for Black. Soviet players then worked out its ideas, and it became one of the most respected and most exciting defences in chess.

The main ideas for both sides

Black's plans

• Strike with ...e5. The main idea. If White closes the centre with d5, Black plays on the kingside.
• The kingside pawn storm. With the centre locked, Black plays ...Ne8 or ...Nd7, then ...f5, ...f4 and ...g5, and throws everything at White's king. Many King's Indian games are won with a direct mating attack.
• The g7 bishop. It looks blocked by Black's own e5 pawn, but if the long diagonal opens it becomes very strong.
• ...c5 or ...c6 and ...b5. In some lines Black plays on the queenside instead, as in a Benoni.

White's plans

• Use the space. White has more room and can play on the queenside with b4, c5 and Nd2-c4 to break open the c-file.
• Close the centre with d5, then race. Speed is everything: White wants to open the queenside before Black's kingside attack lands.
• Stop the attack. In the Samisch, the f3 pawn makes ...f5 less dangerous, and White can castle long and attack Black's king instead.

Main variations of the King's Indian

White has many systems against the King's Indian. These are the ones you will meet most. Each move order below is checked move by move.

The Classical (5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 e5) is the main battlefield. After 7.O-O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 White chooses between 9.Ne1, which leads to the famous Mar del Plata, and the sharp Bayonet Attack with 9.b4.

The Samisch (5.f3) is White's most aggressive set-up. The f3 pawn protects e4 and prepares Be3, Qd2 and often g4 and h4. Black usually answers with ...c5, ...e5 or the queenside plan with ...a6, ...c6 and ...b5.

The Four Pawns Attack (5.f4) grabs the most space of all. It is risky for White, because the pawns can become targets after 5...O-O 6.Nf3 c5.

The Fianchetto Variation (with g3 and Bg2) is the calm way. White puts the bishop on the long diagonal too, so Black's kingside attack is much harder.

A classic trick and typical tactics

The Exchange line looks harmless, but it hides a trick that surprises many club players. After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 e5 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.Qxd8 Rxd8 White may think the e5 pawn is free: 9.Nxe5. But Black answers 9...Nxe4! and wins the pawn straight back: after 10.Nxe4 Bxe5 the g7 bishop takes on e5 and then eyes b2 on the long diagonal. We checked it with Stockfish: the position is equal, so White's "free pawn" won nothing. The lesson: once the e5 pawn is gone, White's e4 pawn is often loose.

Typical tactics to know:

• The long diagonal. When the e5 pawn disappears, the g7 bishop suddenly attacks b2, c3 and a1.
• Sacrifices on g3 and h3. In the race lines, Black often gives a piece to open White's king.
• c5 and Nb5 break-ins. White's queenside attack aims at c7, the weak square in Black's camp.

Who plays the King's Indian?

The King's Indian has been played by many world champions. Mikhail Tal, Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov all used it to win famous attacking games. Kasparov played it for most of his career and only gave it up after Vladimir Kramnik scored very well against it in the early 2000s. In the modern game, Hikaru Nakamura, Teimour Radjabov and Ding Liren are well known King's Indian players. You can watch engines fight with it in our engine games in the King's Indian.

Is it right for you? Play the King's Indian if you like sharp games, a kingside attack and taking risks to win with Black. If you prefer a solid, classical game against 1.d4, look at the Queen's Gambit Declined or the Nimzo-Indian.

Practice the King's Indian Defense in the Rama Chess trainer

Reading a guide is the first step. To make the moves stick, practise them. Our opening trainer has 58 King's Indian Defense lines. Each one is checked with Stockfish. You watch the moves with arrows, replay them from memory, then take a test. The full set of lines is part of Rama Chess Premium.

A good start is the Classical (E92 to E99) and the Samisch (E81 to E89), because they are the most common at every level.

See all our chess opening guides.

Keep learning

King's Indian Defense FAQ

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