The King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack begins with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 0-0 6.Be2 (ECO E77). Across rating levels it shows up in 126,069 recorded games — enough data to map exactly where it succeeds and where it stalls.
History and Notable Players
It arises from the King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack. On the White side, Wolfgang Uhlmann (18 games), William E Martz (17 games), Alain Darrigues (11 games) top the database. Notable Black exponents: Svetozar Gligoric (10 games), Leonid Stein (5 games), Helder Camara (4 games).
Performance Across Rating Levels
Popularity and results vary sharply by rating level. Among 1200-rated players, it appears in 0.00% of games — 1,310 of them on record — with White winning 55% and Black 42.5%. At 1800 the opening surfaces in 0.00% of games; White wins 51.6%, Black 44.3%, draws 4.2%. At 2500, 0.00% of games go into this opening; draws sit at 9.3% — the line is well-mapped at this level. White's edge erodes by 10.0pp from 1200 to 2500 Elo, suggesting Black's counterplay is easier to find with experience.
Move Diversity and Theory Depth
Looking at move selection shows how forcing — or not — the position really is. At 1200 Elo (1,304 games), the top reply is c5, played 22.4% of the time. Six other moves each take at least 5% of games, and the top three moves account for 55.5% of games. Entropy: 3.09. By 2500 (398 games), c5 dominates at 68.8% of replies; only two other moves still reach 5% and the top three moves account for 93% of games. Entropy drops to 1.54. The narrowing is significant — strong players consolidate around a small set of best moves, while amateurs scatter across many plausible-looking options.
Main Lines and Variations
The main branches off 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 0-0 6.Be2 include:
Each branch leads to a different middlegame character — the resulting pawn structure decides what kind of game you get.
Common Mistakes
- Drifting away from main theory — At 1000 Elo, the three most-played moves cover 52.1% of games, against 76.2% at 2000. The most popular deviation is e5 (played 13% of the time at 1000, less so up top). It looks fine but quietly hands the better-prepared side an edge.
- Neglecting development — Extra pawn moves in the opening are tempting, especially when you "know the moves". Developing a piece each turn is the simple correction.
- Letting White own the centre — Hypermodern openings concede central space on purpose, but only if you strike back in time. Delay the counter-blow and you end up squeezed.
Practice on Chessiverse
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