King's Indian Defense E61
E — Indian defenses · Family: King's Indian Defense
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3
The King's Indian Defense (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7) is hypermodern chess at its most dramatic: Black lets White build a big center, then strikes at it with ...e5 or ...c5 and attacks the king. Bronstein, Boleslavsky, Fischer and Kasparov made it the sharpest reliable weapon against 1.d4.
The classical Mar del Plata structure — White's d5 clamp and c5-break against Black's ...e5 and ...f4 push — produces races where both kings are attacked at once, one of chess's most beloved theoretical battlegrounds. Alternatives: the Sämisch with f3, the Petrosian System with an early d5, and the Fianchetto setup (g3 and Bg2) that avoids the big fights. Plans matter more than exact moves: Black plays for the kingside avalanche or central blows, White for queenside space.
Play through the moves on the board above, explore the variations tree below — click any move of any branch — then test yourself against the engine from the position you picked.
- Position after 5 half-moves — Black to move.
- Material is balanced.
- Family “King's Indian Defense” contains 119 recorded variation(s) here.
Variations tree of the King's Indian Defense family
Click any move to jump to that position; switch branches at any point with the alternative moves. Test your knowledge plays the shown position against the engine.