Kings Indian Defence
The Kings Indian Defence against d4 with a focus on the Four Pawns
Attack.
B White plays 7.d5
Introduction
The closing of the centre avoids immediate tactical complications which might allow black to exploit the more developed black pieces.
After 7 ..e6 we reach the following very popular position in KID four pawn attack theory :-
White has 8.Be2 or 8.dxe6 as the following games show (Green for these alternatives) :-
8.Be2
The move recommended by this technical paper is the immediate 8...exd5.
exd5 example stem games
White has 3 main options which are considered in this technical paper. These will be coloured maroon.
9.e5!? example game
Vaiser A - Kasparov Garry [E77/05]
Moscow tt (9), 1981
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 0-0 6.Nf3 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Be2 exd5
9.e5!?
This is an interesting continuation introduced into tournament practice by Nei. One of the key Nei games is the following:-
Ney,I - Polugaevsky,L [E77]
Tbilisi, 1967
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 g6 4.Nc3 d6 5.e4 Bg7 6.f4 0-0 7.Nf3 e6 8.Be2 exd5 9.e5 Nfd7 (perhaps
better than Westernin's move against Nei the year before which was .. dxe5 which gave
white a strong d pawn)
10.cxd5 dxe5 11.0-0 exf4 12.Bxf4 Nf6 13.Qd2 Bg4 14.h3 Bxf3 15.Bxf3 Nbd7 16.d6 Rb8 17.Rfe1 b5 18.a4 bxa4 19.Rxa4 Nb6 20.Rxa7 Nc4 21.Qe2 Nxd6 22.Rd1 Nfe8 23.Be5 Rxb2 24.Qe1 Qb6 25.Bxg7 Qxa7 26.Bxf8 c4+ 27.Kh1 Kxf8 28.Nd5 f6 29.Ra1 Qf7 30.Ra8 Rb5 31.Rd8 Kg7 32.Kh2 Rc5 33.Qe3 Rxd5 34.Bxd5 Qc7 35.Qe6 Nf5+ 36.Kh1 Qxd8 37.Qg8+ Kh6 38.g4 Nfg7 0-1
Ng4
Kasparov claims in the Test of Time that Vaiser puts a question mark over this move which was previously recommended by the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings. The move Vaiser introduced was 12.hxg4 which had not been considered by ECO. In this game, it gave Kasparov a run for his money because it generated serious threats using the h file.
10.cxd5 dxe5 11.h3 e4 12.hxg4 exf3 13.gxf3 Re8 14.f5 Qb6 15.Bh6 Qxb2 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.f6+
According to Kasparov this is incorrect. The more modest Rc1! is indicated keeping a longer lasting initiative.
Kg8 18.Qc1! Qb4!
An extremely cunning resource defending against the threat of Qh6 tactically.
19.Kf1 Nd7 20.Bb5 Qd4 21.Kg2 Re3 22.Ne2 Qe5 23.Kf2 Rxe2+ 24.Bxe2 Nxf6 25.Qxc5 Bxg4 26.Qe3 Qxe3+ 27.Kxe3 Nxd5+ 28.Kf2 Be6 29.Rab1 b6 30.Rbc1 Nf4 31.a3 Nxe2 32.Kxe2 b5 33.Rc7 a5 34.Rb1 Bc4+ 35.Kf2 a4 36.Re1 Rd8 37.Re3 Rd2+ 38.Kg3 Kg7 39.f4 Rb2 40.Rc5 h5 41.Kh4 0-1
9. cxd5 example games
Plans for both sides
Black will be trying to put more pressure on the e4 pawn, which is on a semi-open file. Moves like c4 later may come in handy for this purpose, even if it sacrifices the c pawn.
White on the other hand will be trying to create strong passed pawns in the centre, and generally use his extra space without creating too many exploitable weaknesses.
The following 3 example games by a leading KID exponent feature the move 8.. exd5 9..Bg4 with the idea of trading the light squared bishop for whites knight on f3. By doing so, Black has solved the problem of the "difficult bishop" on c8, and at the same time is increasing the dark square pressure. In the first two of the featured games, Black plays for counterplay using moves like c4 and b5 after the exchange of the c8 bishop.
Brown - Nunn John D M [A68/10]
London, 1980
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 0-0 6.Nf3 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Be2 exd5 9.cxd5 Bg4 10.0-0
Nbd7 11.h3 Bxf3 12.Bxf3 c4 13.Be3 Qa5 14.g4 Ne8 15.Kg2 Nc5 16.Bxc5 Qxc5 17.Qe2 Nf6 18.Rac1
Rfe8 19.g5 Nd7 20.Na4 Qa5 21.Qxc4 b5 22.Qc7 Qd2+ 23.Kg3 Ne5 24.Rcd1 Qb4 25.Nc3 Rac8
26.Qxa7 Qxb2 27.Nb1 Nxf3 28.Kxf3 Rxe4 29.Rf2 Qb4 30.Kg3 Bd4 0-1
Kozul Z - Nunn John D M [A68/10]
Wijk aan Zee, 1991
51/75 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 c5 6.d5 0-0 7.Nf3 e6 8.Be2 exd5 9.cxd5 Bg4
10.0-0 Nbd7 11.Re1 Re8 12.h3 Bxf3 13.Bxf3 Qa5 14.Be3 b5 15.a3 Nb6 16.Bf2 Nc4 17.Qc2 Nd7
18.Be2 Rab8 19.a4 b4 20.Bxc4 bxc3 21.b3 a6 22.Rec1 Nb6 23.Bf1 c4 24.Bxc4 Nxc4 25.bxc4 Rb2
26.Qd3 Rd2 27.Qf3 f5 28.e5 dxe5 29.fxe5 Rxe5 30.Kh1 Re4 31.Be1 Qc7 32.Rab1 Rde2 33.Bxc3
R2e3 34.d6 Qxd6 35.Bb4 Qc6 36.Qf1 Rxh3+ 37.gxh3 Re2+ 0-1
Kouatly B - Nunn John D M [A68/10]
Cannes, 1992
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 c5 6.d5 0-0 7.Nf3 e6 8.Be2 exd5 9.cxd5 Bg4 10.0-0
Nbd7 11.h3 Bxf3 12.Bxf3 c4 13.Be3 Qa5 14.Bd4 Rfe8 15.b4 Qxb4 16.Rb1 Qa5 17.Rxb7 a6 18.Na4
Nxe4 19.Bxg7 Ndc5 20.Qd4 Nxb7 21.Bh6 f6 22.Bxe4 Qxa4 23.Qxf6 Qd7 24.Bf3 Qe7 25.Qc3 Qe3+
26.Qxe3 Rxe3 27.f5 Ree8 28.Bg4 Nc5 29.Rc1 gxf5 30.Bxf5 Re5 31.Bg4 Re4 32.Bf3 Nd3 33.Rc3
Re1+ 34.Kh2 Ne5 35.Bh5 Rd8 36.h4 Re4 37.Kh3 Rd4 38.g3 Rxd5 39.Bf4 Rd3 40.Rc2 Rc8 41.Bg5
Kg7 0-1
9. exd5 example games
Plans for both sides
White has set up a protected pawn outpost on d5, and has greater freedom. On the other hand, the pawn on f4 is hemming in the white bishop on c1. White may be trying to get f5 in later in order to attack the weak pawn on d6 and generally to open more lines against the Black king.
Black on the other hand, will often be trying to use the e file, and the e4 square in
particular. Also a strategy of restriction of the bishop on c1 is very appealing, for
example by trying to discourage f5.
Example Games with 9.exd5
Conquest,S - Mestel,A [E77]
Hastings, 1986
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 0-0 6.Nf3 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Be2 exd5 9.exd5 Bf5 10.0-0
Re8 11.Bd3 Qd7 12.h3 Na6 13.a3 Nc7 14.g4 Bxg4 15.hxg4 Qxg4+ 16.Kh2 Qh5+ 17.Kg2 Qg4+ 18.Kh2
b5 19.Rg1 Qh5+ 20.Kg3 bxc4 21.Bxc4 Re7 22.Qd3 Bh6 23.Kg2 Rae8 24.Bd2 Bxf4 25.Bxf4 Qg4+
26.Bg3 Re3 27.Qf1 Nh5 28.Kh2 Rxf3 29.Qh3 Qxc4 0-1
Prokhorovich,T - Korchnoi,V [E77]
Leningrad, 1953
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 g6 4.Nc3 d6 5.e4 Bg7 6.f4 0-0 7.Nf3 e6 8.Be2 exd5 9.exd5 Re8 10.0-0
Na6 11.Bd3 Bd7 12.Bd2 Qc8 13.a3 Nc7 14.Qc2 b5 15.b3 a5 16.Rae1 b4 17.Rxe8+ Ncxe8 18.axb4
cxb4 19.Nd1 Nc7 20.f5 Na6 21.fxg6 fxg6 22.Ng5 Nc5 23.Ne3 Nxd3 24.Qxd3 Qc5 25.Kh1 a4
26.bxa4 Rxa4 27.Ne4 Nxe4 28.Qxe4 Qc8 29.Qe7 Qe8 30.Qxd6 b3 31.c5 b2 32.c6 Bc8 33.Qb8 Ra1
34.Rg1 Bd4 35.Qb3 Bf5 0-1
Back to this position, White may play dxe6 here. Gary Kasparov has crushed a couple Grandmasters in this line, eg :-
8. dxe6 example games
Murey - Kasparov Garry [E76/09]
Moscow (7), 1976
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 0-0 6.Nf3 c5 7.d5 e6 8.dxe6 Bxe6 9.Bd3 a6 10.f5
Bd7 11.0-0 Bc6 12.Qe1 Nbd7 13.Qh4 Ne5 14.Nxe5 dxe5 15.Nd5 Bxd5 16.exd5 Nh5 17.Bg5 Bf6
18.fxg6 fxg6 19.Rxf6 Rxf6 20.g4 h6 21.Bxg6 hxg5 22.Qxh5 Qe7 23.Bf5 Qg7 24.Rf1 e4 25.Qh3
Re8 26.Qe3 b6 27.Rd1 Rd6 28.Rd2 Re7 29.Kg2 Kh8 30.Re2 Rh6 31.Kf1 Re8 32.Rd2 Qe5 33.Qxg5
Rh3 34.d6 e3 35.Re2 Qxd6 36.Ke1 Rd8 37.Bd3 Qg3+ 38.Kf1 Rf8+ 39.Bf5 Qf3+ 0-1
Christiansen,L - Kasparov Garry [E76/10]
Moscow (7), 1982
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 0-0 6.Nf3 c5 7.d5 e6 8.dxe6 fxe6 9.Bd3 Nc6 10.0-0
Nd4 11.Ng5 e5 12.f5 h6 13.Nh3 gxf5 14.exf5 b5 15.Be3 bxc4 16.Bxc4+ Kh8 17.Bxd4 cxd4 18.Nd5
Ba6 19.Nxf6 Bxc4 20.Nh5 Bxf1 21.Qg4 Qd7 22.Rxf1 d3 23.Qf3 d2 24.g4 Rac8 25.Qd3 Qa4 26.Nf2
Qd4 27.Qxd4 exd4 28.Nf4 Rfe8 29.Ne6 Rc1 30.Nd1 Bf6 31.Kf2 Bg5 32.Ke2 Rc5 33.Kd3 Re5
34.Nxg5 hxg5 35.Rf2 Re4 36.h3 Re3+ 37.Kxd4 R8e4+ 38.Kd5 Re2 39.Rf3 Re1 40.f6 Rf4 0-1
