Have to say I very much enjoyed Summerscale-Jones from the recent British Championships.  Was especially pleaing because the finish was beyond the horizon of most computer programs; and so all the irritating online viewers sitting behind their silicon friends were shown up - ha!

Extremely nice finish though and a tactical idea to remember for that particular KID line as well IMO.

Bronstein,David I - Krogius,Nikolai V [E80]
URS-ch25 Riga Riga, 1958

This game:

Botvinnik,Mikhail - Smyslov,Vassily [E68]
World Championship 20th Moscow (14), 15.04.1954 [Kasparov]

"Vassely Smyslov, the great innovator with the black pieces, had less influence on the development of openings theory when he played with the white pieces. Smyslov was simply satisfied with a comfortable, free game. His favourite choices with White were quite significant: 1.d4   1...Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 0–0 5.Nc3 I guess Botvinnik was quite pleased that Smyslov didn't take the opportunity to switch to the Grunfeld with 4...d5. The King's Indian had never occurred before in Smyslov's games, while Botvinnik had great experience in this opening. 5...d6 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.0–0 e5 8.e4 c6 9.Be3 It is important to note that Botvinnik's last move was a novelty, at least for official openings theory. However, in his deep preparation of unusual openings (for his style at least) Smyslov predicted such a turn of events. With his counter he eventually put White's idea out of business! Today the best options are 9.h3 or 9.b3. [After the match in 1954 the King's Indian had practically vanished from Smyslov's playing repertoire. But in 1980, playing Bukal, he showed how profound his preparations for the first match with Botvinnik had been: 9.h3 Qb6 10.Re1 exd4 11.Nxd4 Ne8! For years the world's best experts had been playing automatically 11...Re8 and experiencing certain difficulties in this opening. Smyslov's invention in 1954 (!) dramatically changed the character of the position.Wherever the white knight on d4 goes Black is able to develop effective counterplay. That is why white players today predominantly prefer 10.c5 – even Karpov has finally switched to this very sharp line. What could be a higher appreciation of Smyslov's knight retreat to e8 in the King's Indian.] 9...Ng4! 10.Bg5 Qb6 11.h3 exd4! 12.Na4 Qa6 13.hxg4 b5 Now the temporarily sacrificed piece will be returned, after which the multiple pawn weaknesses on both sides make the position dynamically equal. 14.Nxd4 [Many years later, in 1992, Yussupov tried an improvement against me in the Linares tournament: 14.Be7 Re8 15.Bxd6 bxa4 16.e5 Nevertheless after Aber nach 16...c5! Black holds the balance, e.g. kann Schwarz das Gleichgewicht halten, z.B. 17.Nxd4 (Yusupov's attempt to complicate the situation further with 17.b4!? cxb4 18.Qxd4 Bb7 led to a murky position that eventually backfired. He underestimated Black's potential and eventually lost the game.) 17...Bb7 18.Nb5 Bxg2 19.Kxg2 Bxe5] 14...bxa4 15.Nxc6 White takes up the challenge. [15.b3 was also playable: 15...Ne5 16.Be7 Bxg4 17.f3 Rfe8 18.Bxd6 Rad8 19.c5 Bc8 is unclear(19...Nd3 20.Nxc6!) ] 15...Qxc6 16.e5 Qxc4 17.Bxa8 Nxe5 In return for the exchange Black has excellent compensation. The white pawns are vulnerable, his pieces disorientated, his king's position weakened. 18.Rc1 [In case of 18.Qxd6 Bxg4 (18...Qxg4?! 19.Bf6!) 19.Bd5 Qd3 Black shouldn't worry too much.] 18...Qb4?! [18...Qb5! is far more unpleasant for White.] 19.a3 Botvinnik is missing an opportunity to push his opponent to the edge. [The tempting 19.Be7 Bxg4 20.Bxd6! would have left Black with a narrow path to avoid slightly worse, dull endgames. 20...Qb6 21.Qd5 Bf3! (21...Rd8 22.Bc7 Rxd5 23.Bxb6 Rd2 24.Bxa7 Rxb2 25.a3) 22.Qc5 Rxa8 23.Bxe5 Qe6! 24.Qe3 (24.Bxg7?? Qh3 mating.; 24.Rc3 Bb7 25.Re3 Qh3 26.f3 is not clear, but roughly equal.) ] 19...Qxb2 20.Qxa4 Bb7! Now White's king safety is becoming a serious issue. 21.Rb1? The result of an obvious miscalculation [21.Bxb7 Qxb7 22.Rc3 h6 (22...Nf3+ 23.Rxf3 Qxf3 24.Be7) 23.Bf4 Nf3+ 24.Rxf3 Qxf3 25.Bxd6 Rd8 26.Bc5 would have settled the game peacefully.] 21...Nf3+ 22.Kh1 Bxa8! 23.Rxb2 Nxg5+ 24.Kh2 Nf3+ 25.Kh3 Bxb2 Black has got quite enough in return for one queen. His four pieces get together quickly and organize the final attack on the defenceless white king. 26.Qxa7 Be4 27.a4 Kg7 28.Rd1 Be5 29.Qe7 Rc8 The rook is preparing to deliver the mortal blow. 30.a5 Rc2 31.Kg2 Nd4+ 32.Kf1 Bf3 33.Rb1 Nc6 and White resigned.[33...Nc6 34.Qc7 Bd4 35.Qxd6 Rxf2+ 36.Ke1 Re2+ 37.Kf1 Rh2 requires no comment.]  0–1"

Paulsen is a genius of course.
Hell he was even playing the Rat...

Smyslov_Fan wrote on 06/15/09 at 08:23:06:


Err, Smyslov? playing the Gruenfeld is a grave sin.

Even Petrosian, does he really deserve to be here?
I'm new to the KID but I mostly think of him on the other side of the board.
Playing an opening when everyone including the dog is playing it doesn't make you a hero, does it?

Paddy and TN, 

Good calls on both players!  I had forgotten Mestel.  (He did become a GM, didn't he?) Mestel deserves a shout out at least as much as Vogt, who definitely contributed some theoretically interesting games. I hesitated about Ivanchuk because his victories as White against the King's Indian stick out in my mind even more than his wins as Black.

In the 1980s the English GM Jonathan Mestel was a feared practitioner of the KID (and the Dragon) and he played some beautiful, inspirational games. His good scores with Black helped England to some great team performances in those days.

Uruk wrote on 06/13/09 at 22:53:50:

That wasnt really my meaning (though I did like the teasing ).
When you want to study an opening via games you better look at defeats as well. Ie if you read through most repertoire books, which use illustrative games you usually dont have games featuring the opponent crushing that opening. Rowson's Grunfeld is an example of the opposite and one of the reasons it is such a good book as you know why you have to avoid stuff.

Plus of course I feel that when you oppose the opening like Kramnik does you also have to display great understanding of that opening.

rossia wrote on 06/13/09 at 13:06:10:

Kasparov as white has only 3 losses in a serious game against Spassky, Topalov and Anand. His score is somewhere over 70%
Fischer only one game that he won.
Radjabov has only one loss that I am aware of as white.

I believe Kramnik and korchnoi also score over 70% as white.

Top best 10 players from period 2000-2009 with the most KID games as Black, against opposition of Elo 2500++:

1. Radjabov: 99 games, success ratio 56,56%
2. Bologan: 86 games, success ratio 48,25%
3. Fedorov: 79 games, success ratio 41,77%
4. Smirin: 79 games, success ratio 52,53%
5. Kozul: 69 games, success ratio 39,13%
6. Socko: 69 games, success ratio 40,57%
7. Inarkiev: 66 games, success ratio 56,06%
8. Kempinski: 62 games, success ratio 42,74%
9. Kotronias: 62 games, success ratio 50%
10.Nataf: 61 games, success ratio 46,72%

"Donner - Gligoric is a nice game."

Really good  

Markovich wrote on 06/09/09 at 01:29:28:


Fact. That game is something of legend. A lot of KID attacks that crash through are nothing these days, since their so normal and unimaginative. That one was truly something else! 

rossia wrote on 06/01/09 at 18:47:14:


Not a simple question. 100 best games, from Black's viewpoint...

Best games by Kasparov (Piket-Kasparov; Karpov-Kasparov - Linares 1993, old game Lputian-Kasparov, Korchnoi-Kasparov 0-1 1991, Kavalek-Kasparov...) and Radjabov (e.g. 2007 wins over Shirov and Van Wely, incredible) must be there, that is for sure. Some 20 games from them, possibly?

Other famous games, such as:
Bagirov-Gufeld 0-1
Zita-Bronstein
Botvinnik-Tal (...Nf4)
Beliavsky-Nunn 0-1
Botvinnik-Smyslov 0-1 1954 & more recent games in the same line
Letelier-Fischer
Ivanchuk-Yusupov 0-1
Stein-Geller 0-1 1966 & Spassky-Fischer in the same line
Polugaevsky-Nezhmetdinov 0-1, even if it is not the KI, strictly speaking
etc............

Maybe I will try to make a wider list. But firstly I apologise to subscribers for delay with the May update; secondly I will have to prepare this update (within a few days), and only then...

Well, I do not know.

If only one person is making such a list, it is very subjective.

I am not so sure that Krogius-Stein 1960 would be in my personal top 100 KID list (not necessarily), but it was in the published collection of the 100 best games ever (both colours - all openings!).

So, it makes much sense to check which KID games were included in the Informator contests for the best game, best novelty of each volume. In such a way you would spot majority of the best KI games of the last few decades.

Gefand, Boris - Kantsler, Boris

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 9. Ne1 Ne8 10. Be3 f5 11. f3 f4 12. Bf2 h5 13. c5 g5 14. a4 Ng6 15. a5 Rf7 16. cxd6 Nxd6 17. Nd3 Bf6 18. Nc5 Nf8 19. Nb5 Rg7 20. a6 bxa6 21. Nxa6 g4 22. Nxa7 g3 23. Bc5 Bh3 24. gxh3 Qd7 25. Bd3 Qxh3 26. Qe2 Ng6 27. Qg2 Qd7 28. Nxc7 Nh4 29. Qe2 Qh3 30. Ne6 Ng2 31. Rfc1 Qxh2+ 32. Kf1 Qh1+ 33. Bg1 Nh4 34. Nxg7 Nxf3 0-1

Another great KID game was Gelfand-Kantsler, which I think occured in 2001. Kantsler's ...Bh3 idea was a stroke of genius. 

Hebden's games with the KID are also interesting to view, as he often finds interesting and less explored alternatives to the main lines, which would work very well against an unprepared opponent.

I voted for Kaparov as a player from today (i know his inactive) and Bronstein as a player from the begining of the KID (on the highest level).

I voted for Kasparov and Radjabov - Kasparov because he was the leading exponent of the King's Indian for nearly two decades, and Radjabov because he is the current leading expert of the King's Indian and his choices are almost always part of the cutting-edge theory.

Out of Radjabov KID games, I would recommend his games against Van Wely for how to handle the Bayonet - also study his losses as they are a good example of what to avoid as Black.

Choose your idol!