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- This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.
The Four pawns attack in the King's Indian Defence is a chess opening that begins 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4. White immediately builds up a large "pawn center" in order to have a space advantage. Black first develops its pieces, then tries to break White's center by means of various pawn advances like e7-e5, c7-c5 or f7-f5 depending on circumstances.
The main variations of the Four pawns attack are:
- The main line 5.f4 O-O 6.Nf3 c5 when after 7.d5 Black can attack White's center with the pawn sacrifice 7...b5 or the more casual 7...e6. This can transpose into a "Benoni" opening.
- The modern alternative 5.f4 O-O 6.Nf3 Na6!? which aims at sacrificing a pawn with 7...e5 and go into tactical complications.
[edit] The main line 6...c5
to be developed
[edit] The modern alternative 6...Na6!?
Black first develops one additional piece before reacting in the center. The idea is to bring in the push e7-e5 instead of the main line c7-c5. This is a gambit, in which Black hopes to take advantage of the slight underdeveloppement of White forces in order to win back the sacrificed pawn or to directly attack the White king. The Na6 is designed to come on c5 (once the d4-pawn has left) in order to attack the e4-pawn.
After the normal 7.Be2, Black must immediately unleash 7...e5!? when White has several possibilities but only a capture in e5 is assumed to make sense:
- 8.O-O is not well-considered for White because of the tactical hidden idea 8...exd4 9.Nxd4 Nc5 10.Bf3 Re8 11.Re1 Bg4! when White cannot win the piece in g4 without losing the Nd4 (by the Bg7).
- 8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Nxe5 was considered dubious but is better than its reputation, e.g. 9...c5 10.Be3 cxd4?! 11.Bxd4 Qe7!? (Gallagher) 12.Nf3! and White is a full pawn up because Black cannot take back the e4-pawn without running into trouble: 11...Nxe4? 12.Bxg7 Kxg7 13.Qd4+ Nf6 14.Nd5 Qd6 15.Ng5! and White wins.
- 8.fxe5 dxe5 9.d5 is a sound alternative in order to bring the game in more strategic fields (e.g. Lautier-Kasparov , Amsterdam 1995).
- 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.Nxe5 (9.Qxd8 is considered slightly less good because it developps Black Rf8) 9...Nc5 10.Bf3 Qxd1+ 11.Kxd1 Rd8+ 12.Kc2 Nfxe4! (temporary piece sacrifice, e.g. game Hansen-Berg, Aarhus 1991) 13.Nxe4 Bf5 14.Re1 Bxe5 15.fxe5 Rd4 (thus Black regains its piece) 16.b3! Nxe4 17.Kb2 Nc5 when White still has a slight advantage thanks to good diagonals for his Bishop pair, but Black controls the D-column and can try to pressure the e5-pawn.
- 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.fxe5? is bad because Black can gain back the e5-pawn and let White with a poor pawn structure
[edit] References
- "Beating the anti-King's Indian", Joe Gallagher, Batsford 1996 (only presents the 6...Na6!? line)
- "The King's Indian for the attacking player", Burgess, Batsford 1993
- "Understanding the King's Indian", Golubev, GAMBIT 2006
