Crush Them With The King’s Indian Defense
The King’s Indian Defense is one of the most exciting openings in all of chess. It usually leads to dynamic, combative middlegames. This makes it a popular choice for ambitious players who want to win with the Black pieces. However, playing the King’s Indian is also demanding. It is known for being heavy on opening theory and replete with tactics.
Depending on what White does, Black may look to attack on the kingside, attack on the queenside, or play a positional queenless middlegame. It is an opening for Black well-suited to universal players who can adapt their plans from one game to the next.
In this article, you will learn:
- Some of the main opening ideas in the King’s Indian Defense.
- Instructive lessons from grandmaster games.
- How to find out more about this important chess opening for Black.
Introduction To The King’s Indian Defense
The King’s Indian Defense is characterized by Black replying to 1. d4 with 1. …Nf6, followed by a kingside fianchetto of their dark-squared bishop. Black will then usually castle kingside.
A frequent series of first moves in the King’s Indian Defense goes as follows: 1. d4 Nf6, 2. c4 g6, 3. Nc3 Bg7, 4. e4 d6.
White has many options on move five. These include:
- The Sämisch Variation (with 5. f3) - by supporting their e-pawn with another pawn, White solidifies their grip on the center. White will often look to castle queenside and attack on the kingside.
- The Four Pawns Attack (with 5. f4) - another aggressive setup where White tries to assert absolute dominance in the center by taking more space with their pawns.
- The Averbakh Variation and Semi-Averbakh Variation (with 5. Be2 followed by 6. Bg5 or 6. Be3) - by delaying the development of their kingside knight, White will tend to go for an early kingside pawn storm via a quick g4 advance.
- The Makogonov Variation (with 5. h3) - this little pawn move is another way for White to support an early g4 push, thus preventing Black from playing their key …f5 break.
Each of these is a serious option for White. Anyone who wishes to play the King’s Indian Defense with Black must take the time to familiarize themselves with all of them!
However, for the rest of this article, we will stick to the Main Line: 5. Nf3, where White develops their kingside knight to its most natural square. The game will usually continue with both sides castling kingside and reaching a position similar to that shown below after 5. Nf3 0-0, 6. Be2 e5, 7. 0-0 Nc6.
White now faces another critical decision.
- 8. dxe5 releases the tension in the center and can lead to a trade of queens once Black recaptures with 8. …dxe5. Black is at least equal in these positions. d4 can be a potential weak square for Black to target, especially if White’s knight on f3 can be eliminated - for example via …Bg4 and …Bxf3.
- 8. Be3 is another reasonably common move. However, Black can harass this important bishop via 8. …Ng4. If White does not move their bishop out of harm’s way, then Black should capture 9. …Nxe3 and enjoy a comfortable advantage thanks to having the bishop pair.
- 8. d5 is the main move, after which Black should continue 8. …Ne7. This is the Mar del Plata Variation - a critical “starting point” of the King’s Indian Defense. Literally tens of thousands of games have been played at master level from this exact position.
To gain a better understanding of the typical plans for Black, let us take a look at how several elite-level King’s Indian Defense games played out from here.
Great Games In The King’s Indian Defense
Kluger vs. Bronstein, 1961
The Soviet grandmaster David Bronstein was one of the early pioneers of the King’s Indian Defense. Here, we get to see some of Black’s typical ideas to aggressively attack on the kingside.
Related: Check out Bronstein’s acclaimed game collection: Zurich International Chess Tournament 1953.
Every King’s Indian player needs to know about the importance of the …f5 pawn advance.
It may seem “risky” to push pawns in front of your own king like this, but given that the center is closed, Black’s king is not in too much danger. Indeed, it is White’s king that will come under fire - as we shall soon see.
Bronstein made this key advance possible with 9. …Nd7, followed by 10. …f5.
The battle lines have been drawn. Black will look to attack the kingside, while White will try to make inroads on the queenside.
A little later, Bronstein played another interesting move: 14. …Kh8. The idea behind this was to free the g8 square for his rook, lining it up against the White king on the semi-open g-file.
We get to see the importance of Black having a rook on the g-file when Bronstein unleashed the star move of the game: 26. …Nh4!!
The knight is untouchable. If White had captured the knight via 27. gxh4, then Bronstein would have played 27. …Bxc3+, regaining the piece as well as revealing a discovered check against the White king. Once White escaped from the check, White’s queen would fall on the next move.
Instead, White played 27. Rf1, but after 27…Nf3+, White was forced to give up the exchange via 28. Rxf3 exf3.
Bronstein went on to convert his material advantage into a win.
Click here to view the full game.
Korchnoi vs. Fischer, 1970
The American grandmaster Bobby Fischer strongly favored the King’s Indian Defense when facing 1. d4 with the Black pieces. His games are highly instructive for anyone who wants to play this opening.
Related: Check out more from the great Bobby Fischer in My 60 Memorable Games.
It began with Fischer removing his knight from f6 via 10. …Ne8 in order to make the …f5 advance. As mentioned earlier, this is a vital move for Black in many variations of the King’s Indian Defense. It challenges White’s center and helps create space for Black on the kingside.
A few moves later, Fischer went for a rook lift. By playing 15. …Rf6 followed by 17. …Rg6, Fischer was able to get his rook lined up against the White king — an idea that this game shares with the Bronstein game we examined earlier.
Thanks to the supporting position of his rook on the g-file, Fischer was soon able to push ahead with 19. …g4. This helped open lines on the kingside after 20. fxg4 Nxg4.
The entire game is worth studying to see just how Fischer maneuvered his pieces into exactly the right positions. However, let us jump forward to another key moment when Fischer made a thematic piece sacrifice via 28. …Nxh3!!
A sacrifice on h3 is often necessary to break through White’s stubborn defenses. The game continued 29. gxh3 Bxh3+, 30. Kf2 Ng4+, 31. Bxg4 Bxg4, at which point White resigned.
There are too many problems for White to deal with. His queen is en prise, while the threat of 32. …Qh4+ is also devastating. Notice the role that the Black pawn on f4 plays in controlling the e3 square, while the Black rook dominates the g-file.
White’s extra material is uselessly over on the queenside, unable to aid in the defense of their king. This is a great example of how Black can secure victory in the King’s Indian Defense.
Click here to view the full game.
Ljubojevic vs. Kasparov, 1993
Garry Kasparov is another legend of the King’s Indian Defense. In this game, we get to see his skills on full display.
Related: Understanding the Mindset of a Chess Champion.
Just as we saw in the previous two games, Kasparov made his intentions clear by advancing f-pawn - first with 11. …f5 and then with 13. …f4.
By fixing White’s own f-pawn in place on f3, Black creates a target to attack once he is eventually able to advance …g4. Kasparov did so a few moves later.
Take note of how Black’s light-squared bishop on c8 is able to support the …g4 advance without leaving its starting square. It is quite common for this bishop to remain on c8 deep into the middlegame.
Later, Kasparov lined up his heavy pieces on the g-file.
With his forces poised to strike, Kasparov then made a thematic sacrifice we have seen already: 29. …Bxh3!!
The point is that White cannot capture 30. gxh3 due to 30. …Qg1#.
As you can see, knowledge of the sorts of thematic maneuvers and sacrifices we have seen in these games is extremely helpful when playing the King’s Indian Defense.
Click here to view the full game.
Next Steps
Now that you have had a taste for the King’s Indian Defense, go ahead and give it a try in blitz chess. This practical experience will provide you with a deeper understanding of this chess opening for Black and the types of middlegames it leads to.
If you decide you want to play the King’s Indian Defense in serious tournament games, it would be wise to continue your education. For that, we have a further recommendation for you.
Book Recommendation
Authored by two strong Soviet chess masters, The Art of the King’s Indian is the perfect guide to learning this opening. Drawing upon their decades of experience, you will be fully prepared for whatever White can throw at you.
Need any further convincing? This book is endorsed with a foreword from the immortal Garry Kasparov - the 13th World Chess Champion and perhaps the most famous practitioner of the King’s Indian Defense of all time.
Summary: Is The King’s Indian Defense Right For You?
The King’s Indian Defense could be a great addition to your Black opening repertoire if you:
- Love dynamic, unbalanced positions. The King’s Indian is known for leading to double-edged middlegames. This should be the sort of chess that you thrive in.
- Enjoy sharp, tactical battles. Critical moments often decide the outcome of King’s Indian Defense games. You should be confident in your ability to navigate the complications successfully.
- Are you prepared to learn the opening theory? There is no getting around the fact that the King’s Indian is a theoretically demanding opening. You need to be ready to roll up your sleeves and study the theory if you aspire to play the King’s Indian Defense to a high level.
If that sounds like a chess opening for Black that you would enjoy, then click here to continue your journey in the King’s Indian Defense!