King's Indian: 6.Be2 Bg4 7.Be3 Nfd7
King's Indian: 6.Be2 Bg4 7.Be3 Nfd7
Definition
The sequence 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 Bg4 7.Be3 Nfd7 introduces a branch of the Classical System of the King's Indian Defense. After 6…Bg4 Black pins the knight on f3; White unpins with 7.Be3, and Black immediately retreats the f-knight to d7. This plan is most often called the Kavalek Variation (named after Czech–American GM Lubomir Kavalek), though it also appears in older sources as the “Pachman System” or simply the “Bg4 line.”
Typical Move Order
A common tabiya is reached after:
By move 14 both sides have committed to central and kingside pawn structures typical of the King’s Indian: Black has prepared either …e7-e5 or …c7-c5 while White holds space in the center and often advances on the kingside with h2-h4-h5 or f2-f4.
Strategic Ideas
- Piece Re-routing: The retreat 7…Nfd7 clears the f6-square, making room for …Nc6 or allowing the f-pawn to advance later.
- The Pin and Capture: After 6…Bg4 the bishop can exchange on f3, doubling White’s f-pawns and weakening the e4-square.
- Central Counterplay: With the f-knight no longer on f6 Black can execute …e7-e5 more easily because the e5-square is no longer blocked by his own piece.
- Kingside Expansion: White often plays h2-h3 followed by hxg4 (if Bxf3) or pushes h4-h5, gaining space and driving the g6-pawn backward.
- Queenside Play: In many lines Black follows up with …c7-c5 and …Nc6, pressing on d4 and c4 before White’s kingside attack arrives.
Plans for White
- Castle queenside (0-0-0) and throw pawns on the kingside with h4, g4 and f4, aiming at mate on h- or g-files.
- Maintain the strong center (d4-e4) and blunt Black’s g7-bishop by closing the position with d4-d5.
- Use the semi-open f-file (after Bxf3 gxf3) to pressure f- and e-files if Black plays …e5.
Plans for Black
- Break in the center with …e5 or …c5, challenging White’s space.
- Use the f-file for counterplay after …f7-f5, sometimes sacrificing a pawn to open lines against White’s king (wherever it ends up).
- Exploit the dark-square complex (e5-d4-c5) once the f3-knight is removed and White’s e4-pawn becomes tender.
- In many endgames the doubled f-pawns give Black a long-term target on f3 or f4.
Historical Background
Although early mentions of …Bg4 followed by …Nfd7 occur in the 1950s, GM Lubomir Kavalek popularised it in the late 1960s and early 1970s, defeating several strong grandmasters with the idea. The line has since been adopted by top King’s Indian specialists such as Garry Kasparov, Teimour Radjabov, and Hikaru Nakamura.
Illustrative Games
-
Kavalek – Fischer, Buenos Aires 1970
Kavalek unveiled the system against the future world champion; after
6…Bg4 7.Be3 Nfd7 8.h3 Bxf3 9.Bxf3 e5 Black obtained a solid centre and
later broke through with …f5, drawing an energetic game.
- Anand – Radjabov, Linares 2006 An elite-level encounter showing how Black can survive a queenside-castled White attack by timely breaks with …c5 and resourceful defence on the dark squares.
Interesting Facts & Anecdotes
- The move 7…Nfd7 was once considered “mysterious” because retreating a piece that has not yet been attacked contradicts classical principles. Modern engines, however, confirm its strategic depth.
- When Kasparov began using this line in the mid-1980s, opponents accused him of “playing computer moves” long before computers were strong—an ironic foreshadowing of the engine era.
- The doubled f-pawns (after …Bxf3 gxf3) often deter club players, but statistics show White still scores respectably because of the open g-file and extra space.
- Grandmaster John Nunn once annotated that the variation is “as much a psychological weapon as a theoretical one,” because 6…Bg4 forces White to decide whether to castle kingside or launch into sharp pawn storms without the luxury of later retreat.