Classical Variation
King's Indian Defence · E92 · you play Black. 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O
About the Classical Variation
The Classical King's Indian with 7...Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 is the Mar del Plata Variation, the sharpest and most famous KID. White attacks on the queenside with c5, Black on the kingside with ...f5, ...f4 and ...g5–g4. Whoever is faster wins; the games are spectacular.
Playing the King's Indian Defence as Black? The Classical Variation (E92) begins 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6, and is one of 5 lines you can practise here. You study the moves first and then play them against the computer; every wrong move gets a short explanation. Knowing the moves is only half the work, so this page also covers the plans for the middlegame, the endgames to aim for and some grandmaster games. Use it to build your repertoire of chess defences for Black, and test what you remember with speed training or the random-position drill.