← King's Indian Defense

Practice: Classical Variation

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White builds a strong centre. Black fianchettoes the bishop and castles. The most principled and deeply theoretical King's Indian line.

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

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Key strategic ideas

  • Black lets White build a big centre (e4, d4, c4) and then attacks it with pawn breaks like ...e5, ...f5, and ...g6.
  • The game often becomes a race. White attacks on the queenside (pushing c5 and b4) while Black attacks on the kingside (pushing f4 and g4). The player who breaks through first usually wins.
  • White's most dangerous plan is the Saemisch or Mar del Plata attack. Both sides castle on opposite wings and the game becomes a wild tactical fight.

Common mistakes & traps

  • Black who plays ...e5 too early can get crushed: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.dxe5 dxe5 6.Qxd8+ Kxd8. Black loses the right to castle and is in trouble.
  • In the Mar del Plata, Black's kingside attack with ...f5-f4 and ...g5-g4 is scary. But if Black overextends, White's queenside breakthrough with c5-c6 arrives first.

Pawn structure notes

White's e4-d4-c4 centre against Black's d6 and e5/f5 breaks. The centre can lock up with e5 and d5, turning the game into a flank race. Black's king is safe behind the g6 pawn and g7 bishop.

Tips

  • Black's plan: ...e5 to challenge the centre, followed by a kingside attack
  • White's plan: expand on the queenside with c5 or b4
  • Fischer, Kasparov, and Geller are all legendary King's Indian practitioners

About this line

This line is rated intermediate. Practice it repeatedly until you can play the entire sequence without thinking. The in-app trainer tracks your perfect streaks and celebrates milestones.