- The moves1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6
- Chosen byBlack
- ECOE60–E99
The King's Indian Defense begins 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6, and Black goes on with Bg7, d6 and castling kingside. Black makes no attempt to stop White from putting pawns on d4 and e4. The plan is to get the king to safety first and then strike back at the center with e5 or c5. If Black plays 3…d5 instead, it is the Grünfeld Defense, an opening of its own.
The opening is hypermodern: the idea is that the center can be controlled from a distance and attacked rather than occupied. Until the mid-1930s it was considered dubious, but three strong Soviet players, Alexander Konstantinopolsky, Isaac Boleslavsky and David Bronstein, made it respectable. Then it became a favorite of the world champions Bobby Fischer, Mikhail Tal and Garry Kasparov.
In the early 2000s the opening fell on hard times when Vladimir Kramnik scored very well against it, and Kasparov stopped playing it after several important losses to Kramnik. Today it is played by Hikaru Nakamura and Teimour Radjabov, among others.
The main line, move by move
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5 Ne7 9. Ne1 Nd7 10. Be3 f5 11. f3 f4 12. Bf2 g5
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The ideas
White wants to
- Keep the big pawn center and use the space it gives.
- Close the center with d5 and then break through on the queenside with c5.
- Keep Black's kingside attack at bay, often with f3 and a bishop on f2.
Black wants to
- Let White take the center and then attack it with e5 or c5.
- When the center is closed: Nd7, f5, f4 and g5 against White's king.
- Use the bishop on g7, which becomes very strong if the center opens.
Important variations
Sämisch Variation: 5.f3
The line is named after Friedrich Sämisch, who analyzed it in the 1920s. The pawn on f3 protects e4 and g4, so White can play Be3 and Qd2, often castle queenside and attack on the kingside with Bh6, g4 and h4. Black looks for counterplay in the center or on the queenside. The drawback for White is that the pawn takes the knight's best square.
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 e5 7. Nge2 c6 8. Qd2 Nbd7
Four Pawns Attack: 5.f4
White puts four pawns in a row: c4, d4, e4 and f4. It is the most ambitious way to take the center, but also the riskiest, because the pawns that advance leave weak squares behind. Black usually strikes back at once with c5.
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f4 O-O 6. Nf3 c5 7. d5 e6 8. Be2
5. f4
Four pawns in the center. White hopes to run Black over with e5.
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Fianchetto Variation: 3.Nf3 and g3
White can also put their own bishop on g2 and wait before playing e4. The game becomes calmer and more positional, and White's king is very safe. Black still plays for e5, just as in the main line.
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Nc3 e5 8. e4
How it goes in real games
How the games ended once the position had come up on the board, in blitz, rapid and classical games. White wins, draws and Black wins, as a percentage of the games.
| Position | Level | Games | White wins | Draw | Black wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King's Indian Defense 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 | Club players | 13,819,448 | 50% | 5% | 45% |
| Beginners | 2,165,330 | 49% | 4% | 47% | |
| King's Indian Defense, main line 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5 Ne7 9. Ne1 Nd7 10. Be3 f5 11. f3 f4 12. Bf2 g5 | Club players | 78,514 | 53% | 4% | 43% |
| Beginners | 230 | 51% | 3% | 46% | |
| Sämisch Variation: 5.f3 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 e5 7. Nge2 c6 8. Qd2 Nbd7 | Club players | 34,529 | 53% | 5% | 42% |
| Beginners | 385 | 54% | 3% | 44% | |
| Four Pawns Attack: 5.f4 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f4 O-O 6. Nf3 c5 7. d5 e6 8. Be2 | Club players | 222,992 | 50% | 6% | 43% |
| Beginners | 1,884 | 47% | 3% | 50% |
The most common continuations after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6
Club players, share of the games in the position.
- 5.Nf3 29% (3,969,236 games)
- 5.f3 16% (2,260,309 games)
- 5.f4 16% (2,258,412 games)
- 5.Be2 11% (1,575,263 games)
- 5.Bd3 8% (1,161,209 games)
Source: games on Lichess, fetched October 28, 2026. Club players means games where the players average 1600 or more, beginners games where they average 1000–1599.
Is this opening for you?
The King's Indian suits players who want to play for a win with Black and don't mind being a little cramped for a while. The games are often sharp, with attacks on opposite wings, and a single tempo can decide.
There is a lot of theory in the main lines, but the plans are clear and keep coming back: learn e5, Nd7, f5 and g5, and you will feel at home in most positions. The same setup also works against 1.c4.
Practice the main line
Choose a color and one of the house players. Your opponent follows the main line, and you try to find your moves. If you play something else, you'll see the main line's move, but the game goes on. When the main line ends, you play freely.
Rather play freely? Choose an opponent · Play right away
The main line with all the comments as text
1. d4 Nf6 The knight stops e4 for now and keeps every option open. 2. c4 g6 The bishop is heading for g7: a fianchetto. 3. Nc3 Bg7 The bishop on the long diagonal becomes Black's most important piece. It aims through the center at White's queenside. 4. e4 White takes as much of the center as possible: pawns on c4, d4 and e4. 4… d6 Black keeps the position compact and prepares e5. This is the King's Indian Defense. 5. Nf3 The Classical Variation: White develops naturally. 5… O-O King safety first, the counterattack later. 6. Be2 e5 Black strikes back at the center. It is the typical King's Indian break. 7. O-O Nc6 Black presses on d4. White has to decide. 8. d5 White closes the center and gains space. Now the game is decided on the wings: White plays on the queenside, Black on the kingside. 8… Ne7 The knight heads for the kingside, where it is needed in the attack. The main line is called the Mar del Plata Variation, after a game between Miguel Najdorf and Svetozar Gligorić in Mar del Plata in 1953. 9. Ne1 The knight makes room for f3 and can later go to d3, where it supports the push c5. A sharp alternative is 9.b4, the Bayonet Attack, which Viktor Korchnoi introduced in the 1970s. 9… Nd7 The knight leaves f6 so the f-pawn can advance, and from d7 it slows down White's c5. 10. Be3 f5 Black's attack on the kingside begins, the typical King's Indian plan. 11. f3 White supports e4. 11… f4 Black closes the kingside and gains space. The next steps are g5 and g4, a pawn storm against White's king. 12. Bf2 g5 Now it is a race: White wants to break through on the queenside with c5, Black wants to reach White's king first.
More openings
Grünfeld Defense
Black lets White build a center and then goes after it. Hypermodern and sharp.
Nimzo-Indian Defense
3…Bb4: pin the knight, stop e4, and be ready to trade the bishop for doubled pawns.
Pirc Defense
Black fianchettoes and lets White take the center, then strikes at it.
Dutch Defense
1…f5: a fight for e4 and an attack on the kingside, at the price of a slightly airy king.
Every move on this page has been checked against the rules of chess.
Updated November 6, 2026
4… d6
Black keeps the position compact and prepares e5. This is the King's Indian Defense.