E60
King’s Indian Defense
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7
In the King’s Indian Defense, aim to understand the plans and pawn structures, not just memorize the first moves.
The King’s Indian lets White build a big pawn center, then counterattacks it — often with a ferocious kingside pawn storm after ...e5 and ...f5. It is one of the sharpest, most exciting defenses to 1.d4.
It demands courage and understanding of opposite-wing attacks: White races on the queenside, Black mates on the kingside. Timing is everything.
Key plans
- Classic plan: ...e5, then ...f5–f4 and a kingside pawn avalanche.
- White counters on the queenside with c5 and b4.
- Know when to close the center vs. keep it flexible.
Play the King’s Indian Defense? See where you go wrong.
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Analyze my games free →Variations of the King’s Indian Defense
- Fianchetto Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3
- Fianchetto Variation, Immediate Fianchetto1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3
- Normal Variation, King's Knight Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4
- Santasiere Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. b4
- Fianchetto Variation, Benjamin Defense1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Nf3 d6 5. g3 O-O 6. Bg2 c6 7. O-O Qb6
- Semi-Classical Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Nf3 O-O 5. e3 d6 6. Be2
- Smyslov Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Nf3 d6 5. Bg5
- Fianchetto Variation, Carlsbad Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. Nc3 d6 6. Nf3 Nc6
- Fianchetto Variation, Delayed Fianchetto1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Nf3 d6 5. g3
- Fianchetto Variation, Kavalek Defense1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O c6 7. Nc3 Qa5
- Fianchetto Variation, Simagin Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Nf3 d6 5. g3 O-O 6. Bg2 Nc6 7. O-O Bg4
- Fianchetto Variation, Uhlmann-Szabo System1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Nc6 7. Nc3 e5
- Fianchetto1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Nf3 d6 5. g3
- Fianchetto Variation, Panno Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Nc6 7. Nc3 a6
- Fianchetto Variation, Panno Variation, Blockade Line1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Nc6 7. Nc3 a6 8. d5 Na5 9. Nd2 c5 10. Qc2 e5
- Fianchetto Variation, Panno Variation, Donner Line1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Nc6 7. Nc3 a6 8. d5 Na5 9. Nd2 c5 10. Qc2 Rb8 11. b3 b5 12. Bb2 bxc4 13. bxc4 Bh6
- Fianchetto Variation, Panno Variation, Korchnoi Line1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Nc6 7. Nc3 a6 8. h3 Rb8 9. Be3 b5 10. Nd2
- Fianchetto Variation, Yugoslav System1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 d6 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O c5
- Fianchetto Variation, Double Fianchetto Attack1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 d6 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Nc3 e5 8. b3
- Fianchetto Variation, Hungarian Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 d6 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Nc3 a6
- Fianchetto Variation, Pterodactyl Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 c5 5. Bg2 Qa5+
- Fianchetto Variation, Yugoslav Variation, Rare Line1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. Nc3 d6 6. Nf3 c5
- Fianchetto Variation, Yugoslav Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O c5 7. Nc3
- Fianchetto Variation, Yugoslav Variation, Exchange Line1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O c5 7. Nc3 Nc6 8. dxc5 dxc5
- Fianchetto Variation, Yugoslav Variation, Advance Line1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O c5 7. Nc3 Nc6 8. d5
- Fianchetto Variation, Classical Fianchetto1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Nc3 e5
- Fianchetto Variation, Debrecen Defense1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. Nc3 d6 6. Nf3 Nbd7
- Fianchetto Variation, Classical Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Nc3 e5 8. e4
- Fianchetto Variation, Long Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Nf3 d6 5. g3 O-O 6. Bg2 Nbd7 7. O-O e5 8. e4 Re8 9. h3 exd4 10. Nxd4 Nc5 11. Re1 a5
- Fianchetto Variation, Classical Main Line1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Nc3 e5 8. e4 c6 9. h3
- Normal Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4
- Accelerated Averbakh Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Bg5
- Kramer Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nge2
- Makogonov Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. h3
- Normal Variation, Deferred Fianchetto1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. g3
- Pomar System1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. g3 O-O 6. Bg2 e5 7. Nge2
- Averbakh Variation1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Bg5
- Normal Variation, Standard Development1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2
- Semi-Averbakh System1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Be3
- Averbakh1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be3
Related openings
Grunfeld Defense: Counterthrust VariationIndian Defense: Anti-Grunfeld, Adorjan GambitIndian Defense: Anti-Grunfeld, Advance VariationIndian Defense: Anti-Grunfeld, Alekhine VariationIndian Defense: Anti-Grunfeld, Alekhine Variation, Leko GambitIndian Defense: Anti-Grunfeld, Basman-Williams AttackIndian Defense: West Indian DefenseKing's Indian Defense: Fianchetto VariationKing's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Immediate FianchettoKing's Indian Defense: Normal Variation, King's Knight Variation