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?

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Question 3.

White just played Qc2.

What is the most

precise continuation for
Black?

Question 4.

What’s White’s best

move here?

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Question 5.

How should Black

handle that rook check?

Question 6.

Black took on e6.

How should White

proceed?

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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?

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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?

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Question 11.

How can Black gain

some space and
mobility for his pieces?

Question 12

Black took on g1.

How should White

respond?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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.

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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 Solutions
1 1.Nxd6 QxN 2.Nb7 Qb6 3.RxR RxR 4.RxR QxR 5.Nxc5 The queen protects the
biishop 6.NxB 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 1.exB Nxd3+ 2.QxN RxB+ wins the queen.
3 1....Nfxe4 2.NxN 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 1.RxB removing the main attacker RxR 2. Bxa White is an exchange down but has
good chances on queenside.
5 1…Ne7! If 2.RxN+ Kf8 wins a piece and if 2.BxB 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 3.axN 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 2.axQ Bc4+ 3.Kb2 Rxb3+ 4.Kc2 RxN+5.QxR Ra2+ 6.Kb1 BxQ and Black
is 2 pawns up and has the bishop pair.
11 1....Rxc3 1.QxR Nbxd5 2.exd5 Nxd5 3.Qd2 NxB and Black is two pawns up. If
4.QxB Bb6 wins the queen.
12 1...BxR 2.RxB g5 3.Rxg+ Kh8 4.Rg7 Black is forced to give up his queen.
13 1...Nfxe4 2.fxN BxN+ 3.QxB 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 1.BxN bxB 2.e5! Qe7 3.exN RxR+ 4.Kh2 Bxf 5.Nd5 Qe2 6.Rd2 and White has 2
pieces for a rook.
16 1.Nd5 Qf8 2.Bxh6 Nxe4 3.BxB NxQ 4.BxQ NxN 5.Nf6+ Kh8 6.NxR RxN 7.Bxd6
cxB 8.axN White is ahead the exchange and has the better pawn structure.
17 1...Nxf2 2.RxR BxR 3.NxB QxN 4.Qf4+ Kg7 5.QxN 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 4.BxN Be5 5.Rh1 Qg3+ 6.Kf1 Bd3+ 7.Be2 Rxb 8.QxR
QxB 9.BxB cxB and White returns the material.

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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 6.Bxh QxB 7.Ng6+ Kg7 8.NxR+ KxN losing the
queen.
20 1...Nxg 2.hxN Rxg+ 3.BxR Rg8 4.Qe1 f5 5.Rh1 RxB+ White is forced to give up
the queen or get mated.

21 1...e4 2.Bxe BxN 3.QxB Qc5+ and Black stands better with 2 pieces for a rook.
22 1...RxB+ 2.gxR Qh4+ 3.Kg1 Qxh3+ 4.Kg1 BxN+ 5.RxN Qe3+ 6.Kh1 QxR 7.Rg1+
Kh8 8.b4 Qxf 9.bxN Qh4+ 10.Kg2 Bh3+ 11.Kf3 Rf8+ and Black will win the queen.
23 1...Qa3 2.Bf2 RxN 3.QxR 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+ 3.KxQ 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 4.fxN White will
have to defend against many pins for the rest of the game.
26 1...Bh3 2.Rc2 Nxg 3.NxN h4 4.Rc1 BxN+ 5.KxB h3+ 6.Kf1 gxh 7.Bxh Qg2+ 8.Ke1
QxB Black is better with a passed pawn.
27 1....Nxe4 2.Rd1 Rxf3! 3.RxB Rf1+ 4.Kg2 Be3 5.Bg3 hxB 6.RxR Nh4+ 7.Kh3 Qh6
8.g5 Nxg5+ 9.Kg4 Nf3 10.Nf2 Qh4+ 11.Kf5 Rf1+ 12.Kg6 Rf6+ 13.KxR Ne4+
14.Kg6 Qg5#
28 1...fxg 2.Kxg Nh6 3.Nf3 g5 with strong attacking chances. If 2.hxN then Nf5+
followed by NxB.
29 1...Nf3+ 2.gxN Bd4 3.Qc6 Qg3+ 4.Kh1 Qxh3+ 5.Kg1 Bxf2#
30 1.e5! exN 2.exN Bxf 3.Qxd+ Rf2 4.BxB QxB 5.QxR wins the rook. If 1...dxe then
2.NxN+ wins a piece too.

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