Openings · E60–E99

King's Indian Defence

Let White build the biggest centre he can, then attack it — and then attack the king.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7played as Black

The idea

Black gives White the centre on purpose, develops behind it, and hits back with …e5 or …c5. If White closes with d5, the game becomes a race: Black plays …f5, …f4 and pushes at the king, White plays c5 and breaks on the queenside.

It is the most double-edged answer to 1.d4 and the least forgiving. The positions are won by the player who is faster, not by the player who is more careful.

Practise the line

You play Black; the other side answers on its own. Nothing here is saved or graded.

Your move 1 of 30/3

1.d4Nf6
2.c4g6
3.Nc3Bg7

White is answering…

Common mistakes

Three that come up again and again below master level. Each is ordinary opening theory — a named trap, or the error every coach corrects — not a statistic, and not drawn from anybody's games.

Playing accurately but slowly in the race

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

The mistake: Improving the position with sensible moves once the centre is closed.
Why it costs: Once White has played d5, both sides are attacking on opposite wings and only the count matters. A good move that does not advance …f5, …g5 and …f4 is a move White gets for free on the other side.
Instead: Commit. …Ne8 or …Nd7, …f5, …g5, …Ng6 — the plan is known, and half of it is worse than none of it.

Taking on d4

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 e5 7.O-O exd4

The mistake: Releasing the central tension with …exd4 to avoid having to think about it.
Why it costs: It opens the d-file for White's rook, leaves Black with no pawn breaks worth the name, and turns the bishop on g7 into a spectator aimed at a defended pawn. Black gets a slightly worse version of a quiet position, which is the one thing this opening cannot survive.
Instead: Keep the tension and let White resolve it. If White closes with d5, that is the King's Indian you came for.

Giving up the g7 bishop

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 O-O 6.Be3 e5 7.d5 Nh5 8.Qd2 f5 9.O-O-O f4 10.Bf2 Bf6

The mistake: Allowing Qd2 and Bh6 to trade off the fianchettoed bishop without a fight.
Why it costs: That bishop is the defender of every dark square around your king and the piece the whole structure was built for. Once it goes, the attack you were counting on is a move slower and the one coming at you is a move faster.
Instead: Meet Bh6 with …Bh8 where the position allows, or make the trade cost White time. Trading it deliberately, for something, is fine; letting it happen is not.

Try it on one of your own

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