King's Indian: Saemisch, 5...O-O 6.Be3 a6 7.Qd2
King's Indian: Saemisch, 5…O-O 6.Be3 a6 7.Qd2
Definition
A branch of the King’s Indian Defence arising after the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 O-O 6.Be3 a6 7.Qd2. It belongs to the Saemisch Variation (defined by White’s early f2-f3 bolstering the e4-pawn) and, more specifically, to the Panno System, where Black plays …a6 followed by …b5, …Nc6 and rapid queenside counterplay.
Typical Move-order
- 1.d4 Nf6
- 2.c4 g6
- 3.Nc3 Bg7
- 4.e4 d6
- 5.f3 O-O
- 6.Be3 a6 (prepares …b5 and flexibly keeps the c7-square for a knight)
- 7.Qd2 (connecting the rooks, clearing the d1-square for a rook and hinting at long castling)
Strategic Themes
- Pawn Structures – White’s center (e4–d4–c4) versus Black’s counter-thrusts …c5 and …e5. Black’s …b5 advances aim to undermine c4, while White may advance g2-g4 and h2-h4 to attack the kingside.
- Opposite-side Castling – White often castles long (O-O-O) and storms the g- and h-pawns; Black stays short and uses queenside pawns plus piece pressure on the long diagonal.
- Piece Placement – Black’s Panno knight typically heads to c6, then either a5 or e5. White’s queen knight often reaches e2 or h3–f2 to support g4.
- Timing – A recurrent theme is whether Black can break with …c5 or …e5 before White’s pawn storm lands on h6 or g6.
Plans & Ideas for White
- Long castling followed by g4, h4–h5 and sometimes Bh6 trading the dark-squared bishops.
- Central expansion with Nge2, d4-d5 when tactically justified, clamping Black’s …e5 break.
- Occupying the e6 square after an exchange sacrifice on e6 (a typical Saemisch motif).
Plans & Ideas for Black
- Queenside pawn avalanche: …b5, …b4, sometimes …a5, undermining c4.
- Piece play on the dark squares: …Nc6, …Rb8, …Bd7, …e5 or …c5 creating tension in the center.
- Tactical shots based on the long diagonal (g7-a1) if White castles queenside prematurely.
Historical Background
The Saemisch System (named after German GM Fritz Sämisch) has been employed since the 1920s, but the modern …a6/…b5 Panno treatment was refined by the Argentine GM Oscar Panno in the 1950s. It gained new life in the 1980s–1990s through Garry Kasparov’s victories with both colors and remains a main weapon for dynamic KID players such as Teimour Radjabov and Hikaru Nakamura.
Illustrative Example
A model skirmish displaying the main ideas (White storms the kingside, Black counters on the queenside):
Both sides have succeeded in their strategic aims: Black’s queenside pawns are rolling, but White’s pieces and h-pawn menace the king. Concrete calculation decides who lands first.
Notable Games
- Kasparov – Kramnik, Linares 1994: White’s enterprising exchange sacrifice on e6 led to a crushing attack. (Kasparov’s notes famously dubbed …a6 “the elastic move”.)
- Radjabov – Anand, Corus 2005: Demonstrated how Black’s queenside initiative can overwhelm even world-class opposition.
- Fischer – Panno, Buenos Aires 1970: A historic encounter where the originator faced his own line; Fischer’s positional feel prevailed.
Interesting Facts & Anecdotes
- When IBM’s Deep Blue team prepared for Garry Kasparov (1997), one of their key test openings for the computer was this exact Panno line because of its sharp, double-edged nature.
- The move 7.Qd2 was once viewed as “too committal,” but engines now show it to be among the most resilient choices for White, keeping both long- and short-castling options open.
- In blitz and rapid play the line scores above average for Black, as White’s kingside attack requires precise timing; a single tempo lost often swings the evaluation completely.