King's Indian Defense

The KID: White builds a giant center; Black fianchettoes, blocks, and detonates it with ...e5 or ...c5 breaks.

Profile Details

Moves

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7

Core idea

let White build, then attack the center

Main trap

passive KID play gets crushed — the counterattack must come

Who suits

attacking players with nerves

White plans

Mar del Plata, Petrosian, Averbakh systems

Theory load

high in main lines

About King's Indian Defense

The King's Indian is hypermodern theater: Black concedes the center early, then attacks it with pawn storms (...e5, ...f4? no — ...f5 in some lines). The Mar del Plata (White storms the queenside, Black the kingside) produces the most violent race in classical chess. Not for the faint — passive KID play loses quietly — but the counterattacking education is priceless.