King's Indian Defense
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6
Also known as:KID
Play Through the Opening
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Moves
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Move 12 of 12
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 e5 (Classical King's Indian, mainline with the e5 pawn break)
Core Ideas
King's Indian Defense is the most aggressive hypermodern defense against 1.d4. Black lets White have a mega-center, then launches kingside attack with f5-f4-g4 pawn push. Main weapon of Fischer, Kasparov, Radjabov for decades. Sharp style: either the attack breaks through, or if White consolidates the center, Black fights for equality into the endgame.
Plan for White
Consolidate mega-center. Push queenside with c5-b5 and seek piece trades to defuse Black attack. Slightly better endgame for White due to space advantage.
Plan for Black
Push kingside pawns (f5-f4-g5-h5) to open lines to White king. Sacrifice pieces if needed to maintain attack momentum. If White defense is too solid, seek long endgame plus rebuild.
Grandmaster Tier Context
T3 Competitive Local through T5 Master. King's Indian requires extreme calculation depth and attacker mentality. Grandmaster coaches do not recommend for positional players; better for Tal/Kasparov-style players.