Key ideas
- With a bishop on g2, the h1-a8 diagonal is contested, and the closed-centre races of the main lines are rarer. The game is more positional, with both sides manoeuvring around the centre.
- After 4...O-O 5.Bg2 d6 6.O-O, Black's main setups are 6...Nbd7 with ...e5 (the Classical Fianchetto), 6...Nc6 with ...a6 and ...Rb8 (the Panno Variation), 6...c5 (the Yugoslav Variation), and 6...c6 with ...Qa5 or ...Bf5.
- In the classical line 7.Nc3 e5 8.e4 c6 9.h3, White prepares Be3 without allowing ...Ng4, and Black chooses between keeping the tension and releasing it with ...exd4.
- In the Panno, after 7.Nc3 a6, Black aims ...Rb8 and ...b5 at the c4 pawn. White answers with 8.d5 Na5 9.Nd2 c5, pushing the knight to the rim, or with 8.h3 Rb8 9.Be3 b5 10.Nd2.
Plans for White
Keep control of the long diagonal and the centre, prepare e4 with the pieces ready (h3 and Be3 are typical), and use your slight space advantage on the queenside. Against the Panno, d5 to chase the knight from c6 is the main reply.
Plans for Black
Choose a setup with a clear target: ...e5 and ...exd4 for piece play against c4 and e4, or ...Nc6, ...a6, ...Rb8 and ...b5 for queenside counterplay. The kingside attack of the closed lines is rarely available here, so play where White's pawns are.
For the wider picture, see the King's Indian Defense guide.