Aronin-Taimanov Defense - Orthodox KID
King’s Indian Defense – Orthodox Variation, Aronin-Taimanov Defense
Definition
The Aronin-Taimanov Defense is a branch of the Orthodox Variation of the King’s Indian Defense (KID). It arises after the move 7…exd4, in which Black voluntarily exchanges the central pawn on e5 for the white pawn on d4. A representative move-order is:
- 1. d4 Nf6
- 2. c4 g6
- 3. Nc3 Bg7
- 4. e4 d6
- 5. Nf3 O-O
- 6. Be2 e5
- 7. O-O exd4 (← Aronin-Taimanov Defense)
- 8. Nxd4 Re8
The position is sometimes catalogued in opening manuals as E94-E95 in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings (ECO).
Naming and Historical Background
- Grigory Aronin (1920-1982), a Soviet master and theoretician, was the first to advocate the early …exd4 idea in post-war internal tournaments.
- Mark Taimanov (b. 1926), Soviet grandmaster and concert pianist, tested the line repeatedly in elite events of the 1950s and refined the modern move-order with 8…Re8.
- The variation never reached the popularity of the mainstay Mar del Plata Attack (with 7…Nc6), but it provided a sound alternative that avoided the sharp pawn storms of the classical lines.
Strategic Themes
By capturing on d4, Black alters the very pawn structure that makes the King’s Indian famous. The resulting positions often resemble a Grünfeld-type center rather than the locked pawn chain that arises after 7…Nc6 8.d5. Key strategic points include:
- Half-open e-file. After 8…Re8 Black pressures the e4-pawn, sometimes following up with …Nbd7, …Nc5, or …Nxe4.
- Piece Activity over Pawn Storms. Because the center opens more quickly, both sides must coordinate pieces rather than pursue the typical KID pawn storms (…f7-f5 or g-pawn pushes for Black, f2-f3/g2-g4 for White).
- Minor-piece Re-routing. Black often re-positions the king’s knight via …Nbd7-c5-e6 or …Nbd7-c5-a6, while the queen’s knight can come to d7 via b8.
- Queenside Expansion for White. Lacking the d4-e5 tension, White can more easily play c4-c5, b2-b4-b5, or even f2-f3 followed by Be3 & Qd2 to bolster the center and prepare a kingside expansion.
Typical Plans
- Black:
- …Re8, …Nbd7, and …Nc5 to target e4 and d3 squares.
- …c6 followed by …d5 break, mimicking Grünfeld counterplay.
- If White castles long or advances f2-f3, Black can switch to …Nh5 and a rapid …f7-f5 undermining the center.
- White:
- Maintain the central pawn duo with f2-f3 and Be3.
- Queenside space with b4-b5 or c4-c5, seizing territory while the black knight sits on c5.
- Exchange on e5 at an opportune moment to blunt Black’s kingside ambitions.
Illustrative Game
The following miniature shows Taimanov using his own line successfully on the Black side:
[[Pgn| d4|Nf6|c4|g6|Nc3|Bg7|e4|d6|Nf3|O-O|Be2|e5|O-O|exd4|Nxd4|Re8|f3|Nc6|Be3|Nh5|Rc1|f5||arrows|e5d4 f6f5|squares|e4,f5 ]]Taimanov – Bronstein, USSR Championship 1953, continued 22…f4! and Black took over the initiative on the kingside, illustrating the latent attacking potential that still exists in this supposedly “positional” line.
Modern Usage
The Aronin-Taimanov Defense appears sporadically in contemporary grand-master play when Black wishes to:
- Sidestep the heavily analyzed Mar del Plata battlefields.
- Reach positions that borrow ideas from both the Grünfeld and the Queen’s Indian structures.
- Surprise White players who have prepared razor-sharp computer lines after 7…Nc6.
Players such as Boris Gelfand, Teimour Radjabov, and Peter Svidler have experimented with it as an occasional weapon, often in rapid or blitz time controls.
Interesting Tidbits
- Because the center opens early, engines tend to evaluate the position closer to equal than many other KID lines, making it attractive in correspondence and computer-assisted formats.
- In the 1972 USSR Team Championship, an entire match saw four consecutive games with 7…exd4, testimony to the variation’s popularity inside the Soviet school even while it remained rare elsewhere.
- Kasparov, a noted King’s Indian aficionado, never played 7…exd4 in an official game, stating in interviews that he preferred the “full-blooded pawn storms” of 7…Nc6. His seconds, however, prepared the line for him as a surprise weapon that was never unveiled.
Summary
The Aronin-Taimanov Defense offers King’s Indian players a rich positional alternative, blending Grünfeld-style center play with the dynamism of the KID. While less famous than other branches, it remains fully sound, holds surprise value, and carries the legacy of two creative Soviet masters.