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Ponderchess / King's Indian Defense

Four Pawns Attack

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4. White's most ambitious answer: four pawns side by side in the centre, daring Black to prove they are overextended.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4

Step through it in the King's Indian Defense explorer →

Key ideas

  • The main line is 5...O-O 6.Nf3 c5, hitting d4 at once. After 7.d5 e6 8.Be2 exd5 9.cxd5 the game has a Benoni structure, with White's extra f-pawn supporting the e5 push.
  • The critical continuation is 9...Re8 10.e5 dxe5 11.fxe5 Ng4, when Black attacks the e5 pawn and White must play energetically to justify the advance.
  • 9.e5 instead of recapturing is the Florentine Gambit, which leaves the pawn on d5 to drive the knight from f6. If White keeps the tension with 7.Be2 (the Fluid Attack), Black can exchange with 7...cxd4 8.Nxd4 Nc6 9.Be3, reaching a Maroczy-type structure.
  • The big centre gives White space, but each advance leaves squares behind it. The g7 bishop, the e-file, ...Re8 against e4 and the ...b5 break are Black's ways to show that the centre is a target.

Plans for White

Finish development quickly with Nf3, Be2 and castling, and push e5 when it opens lines for your pieces rather than handing Black the e5 square. The f-file and the wedge on d5 give real attacking chances if Black's counterplay is slow.

Plans for Black

Hit the centre before White completes development: ...c5 at once, then ...e6 and ...exd5 to open the e-file, ...Re8 against e4, and ...b5 on the queenside. A well-timed ...Ng4 or ...Nbd7 can make the e5 push a weakness rather than a strength.

For the wider picture, see the King's Indian Defense guide.

8 named lines of the Four Pawns Attack