Chess lessons › Chess openings
The King’s Indian Defence
Black lets White build a big centre, fianchettoes the bishop and attacks with ...e5 and ...f5.
The idea
Black lets White build a big centre, then attacks it with e5 and f5.
- White has built a big pawn centre on c4, d4 and e4.
- Black’s bishop sits on the long diagonal and guards the king.
- Now Black strikes at the centre with e5, attacking d4.
In a game: If White closes the centre with d5, attack on the kingside with f5.
How the lesson begins
Find the move
Black to move. White has taken space with d4 and c4. Black does not fight for the centre at once. Prepare to put the king’s bishop on the long diagonal: play the pawn to g6.
A hint
The pawn on g7 moves one square.
Show the answer
2... g6
g6 prepares the fianchetto: the bishop will stand on g7, behind the pawn on g6, where it looks along the long diagonal. This is the way into the King’s Indian. Among players rated 1200 to 1599 on Lichess, 34% of Black’s replies to 2.c4 were 2...g6.
Find the move
Black to move. Now the bishop can come out onto the long diagonal.
A hint
The bishop on f8 goes to g7.
Show the answer
3... Bg7
Bg7 puts the bishop on the long diagonal. The knight on f6 stands in front of it for now, but the bishop will become strong when the centre opens. It also guards the king after castling. Lichess calls this opening the King’s Indian Defence.
In numbers
How often it is played
| Rating | Value |
|---|---|
| Under 800 | Too few games |
| 800 to 1199 | 0.8 |
| 1200 to 1599 | 2.4 |
| 1600 to 1999 | 6.6 |
| 2000 and up | 15 |
How the games ended
White won 49%, 5% were drawn and Black won 46%, over 9,578 games that start this way, in a sample of rated Lichess games from 2026.