The King’s Indian Defense – Course Puzzles
Question 1.
How can White convert
his advantage of piece
activity and central
control into a full point?
Question 2.
White took on f5.
How should Black
respond?
1
Question 3.
White just played Qc2.
What is the most
precise continuation for
Black?
Question 4.
What’s White’s best
move here?
2
Question 5.
How should Black
handle that rook check?
Question 6.
Black took on e6.
How should White
proceed?
3
Question 7.
Barely movable queen!
What’s the right move
for White?
Question 8.
How can Black take
advantage of the poorly
placed White bishop?
4
Question 9.
How should Black
respond to White’s draw
offer?
Question 10.
White played Rxb3
hoping to swap a couple
of pieces and slowly get
out of trouble.
How can we surprise
White?
5
Question 11.
How can Black gain
some space and
mobility for his pieces?
Question 12
Black took on g1.
How should White
respond?
6
Question 13.
White aims to play
Nd5… what would you
play as Black?
Question 14.
Black threatens to push
the d-pawn.
How can we deal with
this?
7
Question 15.
Black has all pieces
centralized and plans to
pile up on the e-file to
start a central attack.
How can White stop
that plan in its tracks?
Question 16.
Black prepares for
White's central push.
What’s the best
continuation for white
here?
8
Question 17.
Black rook is trapped.
What should he play?
Question 18.
g5 is hanging - how can
Black protect it and start
an attack at the same
time?
9
Question 19.
White has succeeded in
bringing all his pieces to
the kingside.
What next?
Question 20.
White reinforced g3 with
Kg2.
Find the best
continuation for Black.
10
Question 21.
White just played exd5.
What would be a good
move here according to
the dynamism of the
KID?
Question 22.
White is a Knight up,
but Black's army is
more coordinated for
attacking.
How should Black
proceed?
11
Question 23.
White played f4
attacking our knight, but
unprotecting the e3
bishop.
What do we do?
Question 24
Black is up an
exchange, but White is
able to take advantage
of a back-rank
weakness.
Can you see how?
12
Question 25.
How should Black
respond to Nxd4?
Question 26.
White defended with
Ne1.
Is that enough to stop
the attack?
How would you
continue?
13
Question 27.
White’s back-rank is
barely defended.
How can Black take
advantage of it?
Question 28
White tries to kick out
the knight, but Black’s
goal is to weaken
White’s king position.
What should we play?
14
Question 29
White defends f2 at all
costs with Qc5.
Is it enough? How
would you seal the
deal?
Question 30.
Black failed to unpin his
queen before starting
an adventure on the
queenside.
How can White punish
this?
15
Solutions
1 1.Nxd6 QxN 2.Nb7 Qb6 [Link] RxR [Link] QxR 5.Nxc5 The queen protects the
biishop [Link] QxB and c4 and d5 look unstoppable unless Black gives back
material. This leaves White standing a bit better with an outside passed pawn.
2 [Link] Nxd3+ [Link] RxB+ wins the queen.
3 1....Nfxe4 [Link] Bf5 3.Bd3 BxN BxB f5! regains the material and wins a pawn or
at the very least Black ends up with the better position.
4 [Link] removing the main attacker RxR 2. Bxa White is an exchange down but has
good chances on queenside.
5 1…Ne7! If [Link]+ Kf8 wins a piece and if [Link] Rc8 is decisive as White is forced
to swap rooks and Black stands better for the endgame.
6 1...Qxe6 2.c5! NxN 3.Bc4 Nf6 4. RxN wins a piece.
7 1.b4! Nxa 2. bxQ NxQ [Link] wins a piece. If 1... Qxa Rb3 wins the queen.
8 1...Rb8 2.Qe1 Bd4 3.Rxd4 exd4 wins the exchange.
9 1…Kf7 2. Rh7+ Ke8 3. Qg5 Nf6 4.Qxg6+ Kd8 with the better pawn structure for
the endgame.
10 1….QxR [Link] Bc4+ 3.Kb2 Rxb3+ 4.Kc2 RxN+[Link] Ra2+ 6.Kb1 BxQ and Black
is 2 pawns up and has the bishop pair.
11 1....Rxc3 [Link] Nbxd5 2.exd5 Nxd5 3.Qd2 NxB and Black is two pawns up. If
[Link] Bb6 wins the queen.
12 1...BxR [Link] g5 [Link]+ Kh8 4.Rg7 Black is forced to give up his queen.
13 1...Nfxe4 [Link] BxN+ [Link] QxB and Black is a healthy pawn up.
14 1.Nxc5 d3 2. Nxd exd 3.Bh5 Neg6 and White's queenside pawns are sufficient
compensation for the piece.
15 [Link] bxB 2.e5! Qe7 [Link] RxR+ 4.Kh2 Bxf 5.Nd5 Qe2 6.Rd2 and White has 2
pieces for a rook.
16 1.Nd5 Qf8 2.Bxh6 Nxe4 [Link] NxQ [Link] NxN 5.Nf6+ Kh8 [Link] RxN 7.Bxd6
cxB [Link] White is ahead the exchange and has the better pawn structure.
17 1...Nxf2 [Link] BxR [Link] QxN 4.Qf4+ Kg7 [Link] QxB and here a5 is equal to
c4 but king safety decides the game in Black’s favor.
18 1...Qh5 2.g4 Qh4 3.Kg2 Nxf [Link] Be5 5.Rh1 Qg3+ 6.Kf1 Bd3+ 7.Be2 Rxb [Link]
QxB [Link] cxB and White returns the material.
16
19 1.Bg3 Black can't take without losing the queen. Nc5 2.Qh5 Nd3+ 3.Kd2 Rxf+
4.Kc3 Bf8 5.Be7 Interference! QxB [Link] QxB 7.Ng6+ Kg7 [Link]+ KxN losing the
queen.
20 1...Nxg [Link] Rxg+ [Link] Rg8 4.Qe1 f5 5.Rh1 RxB+ White is forced to give up
the queen or get mated.
21 1...e4 [Link] BxN [Link] Qc5+ and Black stands better with 2 pieces for a rook.
22 1...RxB+ [Link] Qh4+ 3.Kg1 Qxh3+ 4.Kg1 BxN+ [Link] Qe3+ 6.Kh1 QxR 7.Rg1+
Kh8 8.b4 Qxf [Link] Qh4+ 10.Kg2 Bh3+ 11.Kf3 Rf8+ and Black will win the queen.
23 1...Qa3 2.Bf2 RxN [Link] Qf3 winning the bishop because of the mate threat on
g2.
24 1.Nxc7 -Black can't take due to Rb7. If Black moves something else then Nd5
followed by Rb7 or Rb8+. 1...Qh4+ 2.Qg3 QxQ+ [Link] Rc5 4.Ne6! and Black
can't take c6.
25 1...Ng4 2.f3 Qb6 3.Nce2 Nf8 4.Bb2 Ne3 getting the bishop pair. If [Link] White will
have to defend against many pins for the rest of the game.
26 1...Bh3 2.Rc2 Nxg [Link] h4 4.Rc1 BxN+ [Link] h3+ 6.Kf1 gxh [Link] Qg2+ 8.Ke1
QxB Black is better with a passed pawn.
27 1....Nxe4 2.Rd1 Rxf3! [Link] Rf1+ 4.Kg2 Be3 5.Bg3 hxB [Link] Nh4+ 7.Kh3 Qh6
8.g5 Nxg5+ 9.Kg4 Nf3 10.Nf2 Qh4+ 11.Kf5 Rf1+ 12.Kg6 Rf6+ [Link] Ne4+
14.Kg6 Qg5#
28 1...fxg [Link] Nh6 3.Nf3 g5 with strong attacking chances. If [Link] then Nf5+
followed by NxB.
29 1...Nf3+ [Link] Bd4 3.Qc6 Qg3+ 4.Kh1 Qxh3+ 5.Kg1 Bxf2#
30 1.e5! exN [Link] Bxf [Link]+ Rf2 [Link] QxB [Link] wins the rook. If 1...dxe then
[Link]+ wins a piece too.
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