King's Indian Defence

White seizes maximum space with pawns on c4, d4, e4 and f4, building an imposing but potentially over-extended centre. Black castles and hits back with ...c5, aiming to undermine the pawn chain before White can consolidate. The resulting positions are sharp and tactical, rewarding precise move-order knowledge.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7…

White plays f3 to bolster the e4 pawn and prepares to develop the bishop to e3, creating a solid but ambitious setup. Black responds with ...e5, inviting a central closure after which both sides launch opposite-side attacks. The Sämisch often leads to rich, double-edged middlegames with mutual chances.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7…

White mirrors Black's fianchetto with g3 and Bg2, steering the game into calmer, more positional waters. Black develops the knight to d7 rather than c6, keeping the c-pawn flexible and preparing ...e5 at the right moment. This variation suits players who prefer strategic manoeuvring over sharp tactical battles.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7…

White develops the bishop to g5 early, eyeing a pin on f6 and discouraging the standard ...e5 break. Black sidesteps with ...c5, challenging the d4 pawn and seeking queenside counterplay instead. The Averbakh leads to unique middlegame structures that differ significantly from other King's Indian lines.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7…

After Black plays ...e5, White immediately closes the centre with d5, leading to a locked pawn structure. Black responds with ...a5 to secure space on the queenside and prevent b4, while manoeuvring pieces to optimal squares. Play becomes a strategic battle of regrouping, with Black typically aiming for ...f5 to open the kingside.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7…

After the Classical setup, White launches an immediate queenside offensive with 9.b4, grabbing space and preparing c5 to crack open lines. One of the most critical modern lines, the Bayonet Attack forces Black to choose between direct kingside play and a more restrained positional approach.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7…

Black's most aggressive response in the Classical, preparing ...f5 to launch a kingside pawn storm. Named after the legendary 1953 Candidates tournament, the Mar del Plata features mutual attacks on opposite wings, with Black's kingside onslaught racing against White's queenside play.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7…

White plays a quiet but venomous 6.h3, preventing ...Bg4 and keeping flexible plans for the centre and kingside. A modern favourite at the top level, the Makogonov sidesteps heavy theory while retaining a solid positional edge and multiple development schemes.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7…

White trades on e5 early, simplifying the centre and aiming for a stable structural edge with the d5 pawn and queenside play. The Exchange Variation leads to clear positional plans where White seeks to exploit the extra central space while Black looks for piece activity and kingside chances.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7…

Flexible bishop development with Be3 keeping all options open.

White plays the flexible 7.Be3 in the Classical, keeping the option to support d4 with Nf3-d2 or to push d5 at the right moment. Named after the great Yugoslav grandmaster Svetozar Gligoric, this system avoids the immediate commitment to the Bayonet or Mar del Plata structures and leads to rich strategic battles.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7…

Queenside expansion with ...Nc6, ...a6, ...Rb8 in the Fianchetto.

In the Fianchetto, Black plays ...Nc6 followed by ...a6 and ...Rb8 to prepare the thematic ...b5 break. The Panno is one of Black's most ambitious replies to the Fianchetto, immediately staking out queenside territory rather than playing the slower ...Nbd7 setup. Leads to dynamic positions with chances for both sides.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7…

Sidestepping KID theory with a solid London-style setup.

White avoids mainstream KID theory by reaching a London System setup against the Indian move order, playing 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Bf4. The bishop on f4 controls the e5 square and prevents Black's typical ...e5 break, leading to slow strategic positions where White builds a solid pyramid with c3, e3 and h3.

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bf4 Bg7…

Switching to Benoni counterplay when ...e5 is prevented.

White stops ...e5 with Be2 and Bg5, so Black switches plans and plays the Benoni-style ...c5. After d5 exd6 structures arise, Black gets queenside play and the g7 bishop finally comes to life.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7…

Standard development and the ...e5 break against the Fianchetto.

White fianchettoes with g3 and Bg2, the most solid anti-King's Indian system. Black develops with ...Nbd7 and strikes with ...e5, aiming for a slower but healthy version of the standard KID plans.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7…

Meeting modern flexible setups with standard King's Indian plans.

A modern, flexible try where White prepares Be3 and Nge2 without allowing ...Bg4 or ...Ng4 tricks. Black continues with the standard ...e5 and ...Nh5 plans and should not fear the slight loss of time.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7…

Active counterplay with ...c5 and ...e6 against the Sämisch setup.

Against the Sämisch (5.f3), Black plays the gambit-style 6...c5, sacrificing a pawn after 7.dxc5 dxc5 8.Qxd8 Rxd8 to liquidate White's centre and reach an active endgame. Pioneered at the highest level by Bronstein and Geller, this active treatment avoids the heavy theory of mainline Sämisch positions.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7…

Handling the Trompowsky pin with active ...Ne4 and ...g5 ideas.

White sidesteps mainstream KID theory with the early 2.Bg5, pinning the f6 knight before Black can establish the standard fianchetto setup. After ...Ne4, White typically retreats with Bf4 or trades with Bh4-g3, steering the game into unique structures that avoid all the heavy KID main lines.

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 Ne4 3. Bf4 g5…

Undermining a huge pawn centre with ...c5 and ...e6 breaks.

White builds the biggest centre available with c4, d4, e4 and f4. Black hits back with ...c5 and ...e6, undermining the chain before it can roll forward. Sharp play where knowing the ...exd5 recapture ideas matters.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7…

Launching the kingside attack faster than White's queenside break.

The classic King's Indian race. White manoeuvres the knight to d2 to support c4-c5 on the queenside while Black plays ...f5 and ...Nf6 to storm the kingside. Speed of attack decides the game.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7…

Restraining White's b4 expansion before launching the kingside attack.

Black plays the restraining 9...a5 in the Classical mainline, preventing White's b4 expansion before committing to the typical ...Nd7 or ...Ne8 regrouping. Favoured by Kasparov and other elite players, this flexible move keeps Black's queenside intact while preparing the standard kingside pawn storm with ...f5. A modern alternative to the immediate Mar del Plata.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7…

Queenside expansion with ...Nc6, ...a6, ...Rb8 and ...b5.

Black develops with ...Nc6 against the Sämisch, preparing ...a6, ...Rb8 and ...b5 for queenside expansion. Named after Argentine grandmaster Oscar Panno, this system gives Black a clear strategic plan against the Sämisch structure - launching a queenside pawn storm to mirror White's typical kingside attack with g4 and h4.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7…

Challenging the Fianchetto centre with the active ...c5 break.

Black plays ...c5 against the Fianchetto, immediately challenging White's centre and accepting a Maroczy bind structure after d5. The Yugoslav system steers play into more open, dynamic positions than the standard ...Nbd7 setups, with Black aiming for active piece play along the half-open files.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7…

The modern ...Na6 regrouping against the Four Pawns Attack.

The modern handling of the Four Pawns Attack, where Black plays ...Na6 instead of the older ...c5. The knight heads to c7 to support ...b5 or to b4 to attack White's centre, while keeping the c-file flexible. A subtle but important repositioning that has become Black's main weapon against the Four Pawns at top level.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7…

The early Bg5 pin and its flexible transpositional possibilities.

White plays the early 5.Bg5 (before e4), pinning the f6 knight and discouraging the standard ...e5 break. Named after world champion Vasily Smyslov, this flexible system keeps multiple plans available - White can transpose to Averbakh-style positions with e4 or steer into unique structures with e3 and Nf3.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7…

Preparing the ...f5 break against White's Samisch setup.

Against the Samisch Black plays the classical ...e5 and meets d5 with the ...Nh5 manoeuvre, preparing ...f5. Slow, strategic play where both sides build up on opposite wings before the pawns clash.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7…

An active piece setup against White's fianchetto systems.

Black develops the knight to c6 and the bishop to f5, an active setup that pressures White's queenside and central squares. A good practical choice for players who dislike the slow ...Nbd7 plans.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7…

Turning the King's Indian into a Benoni with dynamic queenside play.

Black plays ...c5 instead of ...e5, transposing into Modern Benoni structures. The g7 bishop stares down the long diagonal while Black builds queenside pressure with ...a6 and ...b5.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7…