King's Indian: Fianchetto, Flohr Variation

King’s Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation

Definition

The Fianchetto Variation is a major system against the King’s Indian Defense (KID) in which White develops the king-side bishop to g2, creating a long-range piece aimed down the h1–a8 diagonal. A typical sequence is 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 (the fianchetto move) 4…O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O.

How It Is Used

By fianchettoing, White adopts a solid, positional setup:

• King Safety: Castling follows naturally; the g2-bishop shields the king.
• Central Restraint: The bishop and pawn on d4 discourage Black’s standard …e5 break.
• Flexible Pawn Structure: White normally delays e2–e4, retaining the option of playing e2–e3, Nc3, and sometimes d4-d5 to gain space.
• Piece Play: Knights often head for c3 and d2, while rooks occupy the central files.

Strategic Significance

The variation is valued for its risk-controlled nature. While it concedes some territory if Black gains …e5/e4, it often neutralises Black’s traditional king-side pawn storm (…f5, …g5, …h5). Typical middlegames revolve around:

1. Blockading: White keeping a firm grip on dark squares (e4, c5).
2. Queenside Expansion: Plans with b4 or c5 to open files.
3. Minor-Piece Battle: Black may reroute a knight via d7–f8–e6 to challenge the g2-bishop.

Historical Context

The Fianchetto was popularised in the 1950s by positional specialists such as Svetozar Gligorić and later by Anatoly Karpov and Ulf Andersson, who preferred controlled structures over the razor-sharp Mar del Plata main lines. Today it is a universal weapon used by both classical players (e.g. Vishy Anand) and modern attackers (e.g. Magnus Carlsen) when they wish to avoid early tactical complications.

Illustrative Example

The following miniature highlights typical Fianchetto motifs: [[Pgn|d4|Nf6|c4|g6|Nf3|Bg7|g3|O-O|Bg2|d6|O-O|Nc6|Nc3|a6|d5|Na5|Nd2|c5| fen|r1bq1rk1/1p3pbp/p2pp1p1/n1pP4/2P5/2N1P1P1/PP1N1PBP/R1BQ1RK1 b - - 0 10|arrows|c6d4|squares|d4 e5]]

Interesting Facts

• The Fianchetto allows easy transpositions to the Catalan, the English, or the Réti if White wishes to alter course.
• In several computer world championships, engines rated the Fianchetto system as one of the hardest KID branches for Black to crack.
• Karpov used the variation almost exclusively against Garry Kasparov in their 1984–90 title matches, scoring a respectable +1 =18 -0 from the Fianchetto positions.

King’s Indian Defense: Fianchetto, Flohr Variation

Definition

The Flohr Variation is a branch of the Fianchetto system in which Black breaks with an early …d5, often borrowing ideas from the Grünfeld Defense. Its signature position arises after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d5. From here White normally plays 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. O-O, followed by …Nb6 or …c6. ECO codes E60–E62 cover this variation.

Origins and Name

Czech-Soviet grandmaster Salo Flohr championed the line in the 1930s, using …d5 to steer play away from the double-fianchetto systems he disliked. His success versus contemporaries such as Botvinnik and Reshevsky earned the variation its name.

Strategic Ideas

• Dynamic Center: By striking with …d5, Black contests the center immediately rather than building up behind …d6.
• Piece Activity: The queen’s knight frequently lands on b6 or c6, pressuring d4, while the light-squared bishop may emerge to f5 or g4 once the c-pawn vacates c7.
• Pawn Structure: After exchanges on d5 White often enjoys a spatial edge, but Black gains piece play and simplified development.
• Transpositional Weapon: Depending on White’s reaction, the game can transpose to the Grünfeld, Benoni, or remain a unique KID hybrid.

Typical Move Orders

1. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. O-O Nb6 8. Nc3 Nc6 (main line).
2. …c6 instead of …Nb6 produces a Grünfeld-flavored structure: 7…c6 8. e4 Nb6 9. h3 Na6.

Model Games

• Flohr – Botvinnik, Moscow 1935: The inventor used the line to draw the eventual World Champion from a position of strength.
• Carlsen – Aronian, Wijk aan Zee 2012: Demonstrates modern treatment, where Carlsen exploited a slight edge in a heavy-piece endgame.

Snapshot of the critical position after 7…Nb6: [[Pgn|d4|Nf6|c4|g6|Nf3|Bg7|g3|O-O|Bg2|d5|cxd5|Nxd5|O-O|Nb6| fen|rnbq1rk1/pp3pbp/1n4p1/8/2P5/5NP1/PP1P1PBP/RNBQ1RK1 w - - 0 8]]

Modern Evaluation

Engines rate the Flohr Variation as roughly equal, assigning ±0.15 – ±0.30 for White in most main-line positions. Over-the-board, however, the line remains a surprise weapon; many White specialists of the Fianchetto prefer positional maneuvering and may feel uncomfortable with the early central tension.

Interesting Tidbits

• Grandmaster Peter Svidler employed the Flohr line as Black in the 2014 Candidates Tournament, earning a quick draw against Veselin Topalov to save energy for later rounds.
• Because …d5 exposes the g7-bishop to a future e2-e4 advance, several sources nicknamed the setup the “Brave Bishop System” in Soviet training manuals.
• Some databases classify the sub-variation with …c6 as the “Hübner-Flohr,” reflecting GM Robert Hübner’s refinements in the 1970s.