King's Indian: Mar del Plata & Bayonet Attack
King's Indian: Mar del Plata
Definition
The Mar del Plata is one of the most famous and theoretically dense branches of the King’s Indian Defence (KID). It usually arises after the moves:
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5 Ne7 9. Ne1
White’s last move prepares f2–f3 and g2–g4, while clearing the f-file for the f-pawn to support a kingside advance. Black, in turn, prepares the thematic pawn storm …f7–f5 and typically piles pieces on the kingside.
Usage in Chess
Players choose the Mar del Plata when they want a sharp, double-edged battle. Both sides lock the center and throw pawns at opposite wings — White on the queenside, Black on the kingside.
Strategic Significance
- Locked Center: The pawn chain d5–e4 vs. d6–e5 fixes the structure and signals a race of pawn storms.
- Piece Maneuvers: Black re-routes …Nf6–e8–d6–f5 and …Nd7–f6; White often swings a knight Ne1–d3–f2–g4 or to c4/e3.
- Timing Is Everything: A single tempo often decides whether Black mates on g2 or White crashes through on the queenside with c4-c5 or b2-b4.
Historical Notes
The line is named after the 1953 Mar del Plata tournament where several games featured this razor-sharp setup, notably Najdorf – Pilnik and Gligorić’s pioneering analyses.
Illustrative Example
In the classic Gligorić – Fischer, Stockholm 1962 (Interzonal), both players followed mainline theory for 20 moves before Fischer unleashed a deep sacrificial attack, underlining the variation’s tactical richness.
Interesting Facts
- Garry Kasparov revived the Mar del Plata in the 1980s, citing it as an ideal “playing-for-win” weapon with Black.
- Engines evaluate some mainlines at 0.00 yet practical results remain wildly unbalanced — testament to its human complexity.
Bayonet Attack
Definition
The Bayonet Attack is White’s most fashionable system against the Mar del Plata structure, distinguished by the thrust 9. b4!
Main move-order:
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5 Ne7 9. b4!
Origin of the Name
The move looks like a soldier fixing a bayonet and lunging forward, seizing space on the queenside. The term was coined in the early 1990s when the line became a major battlefield in elite practice.
Strategic Ideas
- Space Grabbing: b4–b5 gains ground and drives away Black’s knight from c6.
- Queenside Majority: After c4-c5 and a2-a4, White hopes to open files for rooks while the center stays closed.
- Exact Move Orders: Black’s replies (…a5, …Nd7, …Nh5) are critically timed; a single slip can lead to strategic collapse.
Famous Games
- Kramnik – Kasparov, Linares 1994: Kramnik’s masterpiece where the Bayonet disabled Kasparov’s kingside play and yielded a model queenside breakthrough.
- Caruana – Nakamura, St Louis 2014: Demonstrated modern subtleties with early h2-h3 to stop …Ng4 ideas.
Typical Tactics
A recurring motif is Bc1–g5 pinning the knight on e7, followed by c4-c5 and a deadly rook lift Ra1-a3-g3 against Black’s king once the queenside opens.
Interesting Facts
- The move 9.b4 was first tested by Vladimir Kramnik at age 18 — he scored 4½/5 in elite events, sparking a theoretical gold rush.
- Engines originally disliked the Bayonet; modern neural nets now often consider it White’s best try for advantage in the classical KID.
9...a5 10.Ba3 axb4 11.Bxb4 Nd7
Definition
This sequence is Black’s principal antidote to the Bayonet Attack. After White grabs space with 9.b4, Black strikes back immediately:
9…a5 10.Ba3 axb4 11.Bxb4 Nd7
The plan removes the b4-pawn, fixes White’s queenside structure, and prepares the knight reroute …Nf6–e8–d6–f5 while the c5-square is kept under surveillance.
Strategic Significance
- Undermining b4: By exchanging pawns on b4, Black eliminates White’s spearhead and opens the a-file for counterplay.
- Flexible Knight: The knight from d7 can head to b6, c5, or f6 depending on how White arranges pieces.
- Pawn Structure: After …axb4, the a- and c-files become potential highways for Black rooks, neutralising White’s spatial edge.
Typical Continuations
Two critical branches:
- 12.a4 f5 – White anchors the a-pawn; Black launches the obligatory king-side pawn storm.
- 12.Nd3 f5 13.f3 Nf6 14.c5 – A tense race: queenside versus kingside breaks.
Notable Game
Kasparov – Topalov, Wijk aan Zee 1999: Topalov employed the exact line, sacrificed on g3, and eventually held the balance after dynamic complications.
Interesting Anecdotes
- Some analysts call 9…a5 a “mini-Benko Gambit” because Black sometimes gives a pawn for long-term queenside pressure.
- In the age of engines, the move …Nd7 has been repeatedly “refuted” and “rehabilitated” in cyclical fashion, highlighting the line’s incredible depth.