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

Play it through on the board below.

Practise the line

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

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h8
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a
Your move 1 of 30/3
  1. 1.d4Nf6
  2. 2.c4g6
  3. 3.Nc3Bg7

White is answering…

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.

Common mistakes

Three that come up again and again below master level: named traps and the errors every coach corrects.

Playing accurately but slowly in the race

After 8…Ne7
  1. 1.
  2. 2.
  3. 3.
  4. 4.
  5. 5.
  6. 6.
  7. 7.
  8. 8.
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

After 7…exd4
  1. 1.
  2. 2.
  3. 3.
  4. 4.
  5. 5.
  6. 6.
  7. 7.
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

After 10…Bf6
  1. 1.
  2. 2.
  3. 3.
  4. 4.
  5. 5.
  6. 6.
  7. 7.
  8. 8.
  9. 9.
  10. 10.
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.

What the engine says

After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7, these are White's six best moves according to Stockfish, with the bar showing White's chance of winning. The whole list sits within 3 percentage points of win chance: none of them is a mistake, and the choice is about the positions you want to play.

  1. e4+0.5
  2. h4+0.4
  3. Nf3+0.4
  4. h3+0.3
  5. Bg5+0.2
  6. Bf4+0.2

The engine's main line from e4: e4 d6 Be2 O-O h4 c5 d5 e6.

Stockfish 18, depth 24. Scores are in pawns from White's side. Another engine or depth will move individual numbers a little; the picture does not change. How we check.

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