King's Indian Defence

Mar del Plata

24 steps · 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.Ne1 Nd7 10.f3 f5 11.Be3 f4 12.Bf2 g5

The most ambitious answer to 1.d4: hand White the big centre, then blow it up and go after his king. The Mar del Plata is Black's kingside pawn storm in its purest form.

Start lesson → Nimzo-Indian Defence

Rubinstein

20 steps · main line

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.O-O Nc6 8.a3 Bxc3 9.bxc3 dxc4 10.Bxc4 Qc7

Black's most popular and most respected answer to 1.d4 — and the natural partner for the Najdorf. Pin the knight, trade bishop for structure, then spend the middlegame squeezing the doubled c-pawns.

Start lesson → Sicilian Defence

Najdorf

22 steps · main line

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5

The highest-scoring answer to 1.e4, and Fischer's and Kasparov's weapon. Fight for the center from the wing, then race White's kingside attack with your own queenside storm.

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