The King’s Indian Defense (a favorite of players such as Bronstein, Gligoric, Fischer, Kasparov and many others) is one of Black’s most useful openings for players rated 1400 right up to grandmaster. The reason? Because it significantly cuts down on the second player’s study time: You play 1…Nf6, 2…g6, 3…Bg7, and 4…0-0 against everything but 1.e4 (And perhaps 1.Nc3, since 1…Nf6 2.e4 d6 3.d4 takes you into the Pirc Defense, which, though quite playable [and a nice fit with the KID] isn’t part of most repertoires. However, if you want to explore this underestimated opening, check out THE ULTIMATE PIRC by Nunn & McNab). This means you have a potent weapon against 1.d4. And it means you don’t have to waste your time wondering what to do against 1.Nf3 or 1.c4.

Aside from its move order usefulness, the KID teaches a player how to handle closed centers, how to counterattack in the middle if White allows Black to open the e-file via …e7-e5xd4, and how to attack the enemy King with a pawn-storm. And finally, the KID is tactically thematic. This means that there are key Exchange sacrifices and pawn sacrifices that eventually become second nature to experienced KID aficionados.

There are many fine books on the KID that cover every aspect of its nature. Here is a list of some worthwhile additions to your KID library:

Heavy analysis/theory: THE MAIN LINE KING’S INDIAN DEFENSE by Nunn & Burgess, THE NEW CLASSICAL KING’S INDIAN by Nunn & Burgess, KING’S INDIAN: AVERBAKH VARIATION by Petursson, THE FIANCHETTO KING’S INDIAN by McNab, BEATING THE ANTI-KING’S INDIANS by Gallagher, THE SAMISCH KING’S INDIAN by Gallagher, BEATING THE KING’S INDIAN AND BENONI by Vaisser, EASY GUIDE TO THE NGE2 KING’S INDIAN by Forintos & Haag, THE UNCONVENTIONAL KING’S INDIAN by John Watson, and the list goes on and on.

Tactics: TACTICS IN THE KING’S INDIAN by Gennady Nesis.

Repertoire: STARTING OUT: THE KING’S INDIAN by Gallagher, WINNING WITH THE KING’S INDIAN by Andrew Martin (An out of print classic. If you come across a copy at a used bookstore, grab it!).

Instructive: BRONSTEIN ON THE KING’S INDIAN by David Bronstein, MASTERING THE KING’S INDIAN DEFENSE With The Read And Play Method by Bellin & Ponzetto (Another out of print classic that should be grabbed on sight!).

So with such an overabundance of literature on this one opening, why is another book necessary? The first thing that must be understood about KING’S INDIAN DEFENCE: MAR DEL PLATA VARIATION is that it’s about a variation which has become a sort of dream line for all lovers of the KID – KID players live to go into this setup, and they love the rabid kingside attacks it offers. Unfortunately, the key position (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7) is so theory heavy (many sequences are analyzed deep into the middlegame!) that non-professionals may go into horrified shock when they open a book on it.

Have no fear! If you learn the key ideas and tactical features, you can (very successfully!) “fake” your way through against non-masters – perhaps even dragging a master’s King down from time to time. Again, to do this requires familiarity with KID ideas and KID tactics. It also demands that you have an emotional tie to the Mar Del Plata – that you have seen many games where it’s drawn blood, and you want to experience that same sort of primal bliss! This is exactly what KING’S INDIAN DEFENCE: MAR DEL PLATA VARIATION tries to impart.

Svetozar Gligoric is one of the greatest players to ever come out of Yugoslavia (which is a powerful chess nation), and he’s one of the KID’s most influential pioneers. This book is a copy of a long lecture he gave in 1999 to his country’s most talented young players. It shows you how the Mar Del Plata was created, how its theory grew, and how one grandmaster after another was brutally mowed down by it.

When the “lecture” is over, the book continues with a detailed analysis of this system, though the earlier mentioned Nunn/Burgess books do this more thoroughly. Personally, I found the first twenty-three pages to be extremely interesting. The games that follow that section are instructive, but the analysis that’s attached is out of the league of players under the 1800 level. Thus, if you are 1800-2200 and are looking for a fun, instructive read and enough analysis to choke a horse on, this book’s for you. However, if you are simply looking for some basic ideas so you can start using the KID, Gallagher’s STARTING OUT: THE KING’S INDIAN might be more appropriate (while the out of print MASTERING THE KING’S INDIAN DEFENSE With The Read And Play Method is ideal for those under 1600).

YOU CAN FIND THIS BOOK AT