King's Indian: Makagonov, 5...O-O 6.Bg5

Definition

The Makagonov Variation is a respected branch of the King’s Indian Defence that arises after the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.h3 O-O 6.Bg5. It is named after the Azeri-Russian master Vladimir Makagonov (1904-1993), who pioneered the prophylactic 5.h3 and the follow-up 6.Bg5 to restrict Black’s typical piece play. The ECO code most often associated with the line is E70.

Typical Move-Order

The critical tabiya comes from:

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.h3 O-O 6.Bg5

White’s fifth move, h3, keeps the g4-square under control, preventing …Ng4 against a future Be3 or Bg5 and clamping down on Black’s normal …f5 break. Only after castling does White pin the f6-knight, intensifying the fight for the e4–e5 squares.

Strategic Ideas

Prophylaxis: The early h3 stops …Ng4, giving White a freer hand to deploy the dark-squared bishop and sometimes play g4 in one go (h3–g4) to seize space on the kingside.
Control of e4/e5 complex: By pinning the knight on f6, White makes it harder for Black to achieve …e5 without concessions.
Flexible pawn structure: White can adopt either a restrained centre with d5 or keep tension with d4–d5 delayed, depending on Black’s reaction (…c5 or …e5).
Reduced King’s-side attacking chances for Black: The Makagonov often steers the game into a slower, positional battle, somewhat blunting many of Black’s thematic sacrifices on f4, g4, or h4.

Main Black Responses after 6.Bg5

6…c5 – An immediate strike in the centre. White usually answers 7.d5, gaining space.
6…e5 – Transposes to standard King’s Indian structures but with the pin on f6 annoying Black.
6…Na6 / 6…Nbd7 – Development first; Black keeps options open for …e5 or …c5 later.
6…h6 7.Be3 – Black drives the bishop away but weakens dark squares around the king.

Historical Background

Vladimir Makagonov introduced 5.h3 in the 1940s, emphasizing prophylaxis—an idea later championed by his student Tigran Petrosian. The line became a reliable weapon for positional players such as Petrosian, Karpov, and Ulf Andersson whenever they wanted to avoid the wild complications of the Mar del Plata (6.Be2 e5 7.O-O Nc6) or the Four-Pawn Attack.

Illustrative Example

A classical treatment by the ninth World Champion:

[[Pgn| 1.d4|Nf6|2.c4|g6|3.Nc3|Bg7|4.e4|d6|5.h3|O-O|6.Bg5|c5|7.d5|e6|8.Nf3|exd5|9.cxd5|Re8|10.Bd3|h6|11.Be3|b5|12.a3|b4|13.axb4|cxb4| fen|r4rk1/pp3pb1/2p1pn1p/3P4/1p6/2NBPN1P/PP3PP1/R2QK2R b KQ - 1 13| arrows|f6e4,e6d5|squares|d5,e4 ]]

Petrosian–Krogius, Moscow 1961. The bishop pin and the pawn on d5 grant White a space advantage; Petrosian later rerouted his knights to c4/e3 and won a textbook positional game.

Modern Practice

Although less fashionable than 6.Be2 or 6.f3, the Makagonov still appears at elite level when a quiet squeeze is desired. For example, Fabiano Caruana used it to defeat Hikaru Nakamura in St Louis 2016 (Rapid); and Anish Giri tested it against Ding Liren at Wijk aan Zee 2020, securing a comfortable draw.

Interesting Facts & Anecdotes

Makagonov’s penchant for quiet prophylaxis inspired Petrosian’s famous saying, “If you wait long enough, your opponent will make a mistake.”
Because the bishop sometimes retreats to e3 or even d2, some grandmasters jokingly call 6.Bg5 “a pawn-up tempo shuffling.” Yet that extra move often decides the battle for e4.
Chess engines initially undervalued the line, preferring sharper play, but modern neural networks (e.g., Leela, NN-UE) show a stable small plus for White.

When to Choose the Makagonov

Opt for 5.h3 followed by 6.Bg5 when you:

Enjoy manoeuvring, long-term pressure, and prophylactic chess.
Want to sidestep the heavily analysed main lines of the King’s Indian.
Prefer positions where concrete calculation is less dominant than strategic understanding.

King's Indian: Makagonov, 5...O-O 6.Bg5