What is the idea behind the King's Indian Defence?

Allow White the centre then attack it with pieces and pawns. In practice that means: Allow White a big centre with d4–c4–e4, then strike with …e5; Launch a kingside attack with …f5–f4 after White plays d5; Use the g4 square as a dark-square outpost for the knight.

Is the King's Indian Defence good for beginners?

It is rated Advanced here — the positions get sharp early, so knowing the plans behind the moves matters more than the move order alone.

What are the plans after the King's Indian Defence?

White: Race the queenside attack fast once Black has committed to …f5. Black: Launch the …f5-f4 kingside pawn storm and race to open lines toward White's king.

All chess openings

King's Indian Defence

E60 · Played as black · Advanced · Indian Defences

Allow White the centre then attack it with pieces and pawns

Also known as KID, Kings Indian, Mar del Plata.

The main line

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 e5 7.O-O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.b4 a5

Strategic ideas

Allow White a big centre with d4–c4–e4, then strike with …e5
Launch a kingside attack with …f5–f4 after White plays d5
Use the g4 square as a dark-square outpost for the knight
Sacrifice material to open attacking lines against White's king
Create mutual attacks where Black's kingside initiative proves faster

Key themes

Dynamic — The KID is built on imbalance — both sides fight for entirely different strategic goals
Attack — Black's kingside attack with …f5–f4 is one of the most feared attacking plans in chess
Counterattack — Black allows White's centre to form and then demolishes it with counterattacking pawn breaks

Typical plans

Black allows White to build a big centre with d4–c4–e4 and then strikes with …e5. If White advances d5, both sides commit to opposite-wing attacks — White on the queenside, Black on the kingside. The resulting positions are among the sharpest and most double-edged in chess, rewarding players with strong attacking intuition and tactical precision.

Move by move

d4 — White claims the centre.
Nf6 — Black develops, controlling e4 with a piece rather than a pawn.
c4 — White expands further in the centre.
g6 — Black prepares to fianchetto, planning to attack White's centre with pieces and pawns later rather than occupy it now.
Nc3 — White develops toward a big pawn centre with e4 next.
Bg7 — Black completes the fianchetto, eyeing the long diagonal and preparing to castle.
e4 — White builds the ideal big centre — the very thing Black invited.
d6 — Black restrains e5 and prepares the thematic …e5 break later.
Nf3 — White defends e4 and completes development.
O-O — Black castles, ready to strike the centre with …e5 or …c5 depending on White's setup.
Be2 — White develops modestly, keeping options open before committing to a central plan.
e5 — Black strikes the centre immediately, the point of allowing White's big pawn duo.
O-O — White castles into safety before deciding how to meet Black's central break.
Nc6 — Black develops, adding pressure to d4.
d5 — White advances, gaining space and forcing Black's knight to reroute.
Ne7 — Black repositions the knight, preparing …f5 and the thematic kingside expansion.
b4 — White launches the Bayonet Attack, racing on the queenside before Black's kingside storm arrives.
a5 — Black challenges the advance at once, refusing to let White's queenside expansion run unopposed.

Where the line leads

White's plans

Race the queenside attack fast once Black has committed to …f5
Keep the centre solid and use the extra space to restrict Black's pieces
Watch for Black's kingside pawn storm and reinforce king safety in time

Black's plans

Launch the …f5-f4 kingside pawn storm and race to open lines toward White's king
Use the g4 outpost and rerouted knights to support the attack
Accept material sacrifices to keep lines open if the attack is running faster than White's counterplay