Chess Opening Theory/1. d4/1...Nf6/2. c4/2...g6

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King's Indian Defence
a b c d e f g h
8 a8 b8 c8 d8 e8 f8 g8 h8 8
7 a7 b7 c7 d7 e7 f7 g7 h7 7
6 a6 b6 c6 d6 e6 f6 g6 h6 6
5 a5 b5 c5 d5 e5 f5 g5 h5 5
4 a4 b4 c4 d4 e4 f4 g4 h4 4
3 a3 b3 c3 d3 e3 f3 g3 h3 3
2 a2 b2 c2 d2 e2 f2 g2 h2 2
1 a1 b1 c1 d1 e1 f1 g1 h1 1
a b c d e f g h
Position in Forsyth-Edwards Notation (FEN)
Moves: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6
ECO code: E60-E99
Parent: Indian Defence

King's Indian Defence[edit | edit source]

2...g6[edit | edit source]

With 2...g6, Black commits to a hypermodern development strategy. They will fianchetto their dark-squared bishop with ...Bg7 and attempt to exert pressure on White's center with pieces and timely pawn breaks. After 2...g6 certain themes are already evident. Preservation of the dark-square bishop will be vital for Black's safety after castling kingside. 2...g6 weakens the dark squares around Black's king; without the dark-square bishop to control squares like f6 and h6, these weaknesses can be fatal. The g7 bishop is not purely a defensive piece, however. White must be aware that opening the center by pawn exchanges may very well unleash the bishop's power by giving it a clear diagonal towards White's queenside.

2...g6 will almost certainly lead to either a King's Indian Defence or a Grunfeld Defence.

In the King's Indian Defence, Black castles kingside as quickly as possible with a fianchettoed structure, in doing so it will allow White to have pawn presence in the centre. Black will then do their best to claim as much as they can back with their own pawns, often chipping away at the residual White presence. A strategist's playground.

While in the Grunfeld, Black uses 2...g6 to wait for Nc3 by White where he will follow with ...d5. Black's play will be the dark diagonal, usually with the help of the move ...c5, while White's advantage will be his broad centre - Hypermodernism exemplified.

Theory table[edit | edit source]

For explanation of theory tables, see theory table and for notation, see algebraic notation..

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6

3 4 5 6 7
Nc3
Bg7
e4
d6
Nf3
O-O
Be2
e5
O-O
Nc6
Grunfeld Defence ...
d5
cxd5
Nxd5
e4
Nxc3
bxc3
Bg7

=
Nf3
Bg7
g3
O-O
Bg2
d6
O-O
Nc6
Nc3
a6
g3
Bg7
Bg2
O-O
Nc3
d6
Nf3
...
...
...
f3
Bg7
e4
d6
Nc3
O-O
Be3
Nc6
Nge2
a6
...
e5
dxe5
Nh5



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References[edit | edit source]

  • Nunn's Chess Openings. 1999. John Nunn (Editor), Graham Burgess, John Emms, Joe Gallagher. ISBN 1-8574-4221-0.