King's Indian Defense — what it means in chess
The King's Indian Defense (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6) cedes the center to counterattack it. Learn the main variations, the ...e5 and ...f5 breaks, and pitfalls.
A fianchetto defense ceding the center to counterattack it.
The King's Indian Defense — usually abbreviated KID — begins 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 . Black fianchettoes the dark-squared bishop and lets White build a broad pawn center, planning to strike back at it later with ...e5 or ...c5. It is one of the sharpest defenses to 1.d4 and a favorite of attacking players from Bronstein and Fischer to Kasparov and Nakamura.
[[board pgn="1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O" caption="A typical King's Indian setup after ...O-O"]]
Black invites White to occupy the center, then attacks it from the flank — the ...e5 break to lock the pawn chain, the ...f5 break to open lines against the king, and the fianchettoed bishop cutting all the way to a1.
After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 , White chooses the setup:
- Classical (4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 e5). The main line. After 7.O-O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7, White plays on the queenside with c5 and Black attacks the king with ...Nh5, ...f5, and ...g4. This is the archetypal KID race: whichever side breaks through first wins. - Sämisch (5.f3). White supports e4 with the f-pawn and prepares Be3, Qd2, and long castling. Black switches from ...e5 to ...c5 or ...b5 counterplay. - Fianchetto (5.Nf3 O-O 6.g3). White fianchettoes as well. Positional and least sharp — Black often plays ...c5 rather than ...e5 to fight for the center directly. - Four Pawns Attack (5.f4). White grabs maximum space with pawns on c4, d4, e4, and f4. Ambitious and risky; Black breaks with ...c5 and often ...e6. - Averbakh (5.Be2 O-O 6.Bg5). White pins the ...e7-pawn to discourage ...e5, aiming for a small-center squeeze.
The Endgame Society glossary defines more than 240 chess terms — rules, notation, tactics, strategy, pawn structures, endgames, and openings — in language a beginner can act on rather than dictionary shorthand.