King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack

ECO E76-E79intermediate

The Four Pawns is White's most literal answer to the King's Indian: if Black is going to invite a big centre, build the biggest one available and push it. After 5.f4 White has pawns on c4, d4, e4 and f4 and a genuine threat to steamroll. The catch is that four advanced pawns are four targets, and they cannot all be defended. Black hits back immediately with ...c5, and the resulting positions are among the sharpest in the whole King's Indian complex — decided early, and usually decisively.

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Main line

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 O-O 6.Nf3 c5 7.d5 e6

Diagram shows the position after 6 half-moves of the main line. On SpeakChess you can drill this line move by move — the trainer plays the other side and corrects you instantly, then spaced repetition schedules each variation so you review it right before you would forget it.

Move by move

The first 12 moves of the main line, explained one at a time. Every move of every variation is annotated like this inside the trainer — this page shows the opening moves so you can judge the explanations before signing up.

1.d4 White advances the pawn to d4, staking a claim right in the center of the board. This strong first move opens lines for the bishop and queen to join the game.
1...Nf6 Nice job bringing your knight out to f6, a dark square near the middle of the board. This is a great developing move that gets a piece active early. Knights love jumping into the action like this!
2.c4 White plays c4, adding a second pawn to the center alongside d4. Together these two pawns build a strong wall and give White a lot of space to work with.
2...g6 Black pushes the pawn to g6, preparing to place the bishop on g7 where it will look out over the whole board along the long diagonal.
3.Nc3 White develops the knight to c3, a strong central square. The knight supports the d4 and e4 pawns and helps White control important squares in the middle.
3...Bg7 Black places the bishop on g7, completing the fianchetto. From g7 the bishop becomes a powerful piece that watches over the long diagonal all the way to a1.
4.e4 White plays e4, placing a third pawn in the center. This bold move gives White a huge amount of space and sets up the Four Pawns Attack — a very aggressive plan.
4...d6 Black plays d6, keeping the center solid and making room for the other pieces to develop. This pawn also supports the e5 square for later.
5.f4 White plays f4, adding a fourth pawn to the center in the famous Four Pawns Attack. White now has a massive pawn wall and lots of attacking chances on the kingside.
5...O-O Black castles kingside, moving the king safely behind the pawns on g8 and activating the rook. The king is much safer tucked away on the side of the board.
6.Nf3 White develops the knight to f3, a very active square. The knight covers the e5 square and adds more pressure to the center while helping White get ready to castle.
6...c5 Black pushes the pawn to c5, challenging White's strong center right away. This is a key move in the King's Indian Defense, trying to break open the position.

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Win rates by rating

Results from real online games, measured after the line shown in each row. Most opening sites show one aggregate number — how an opening scores depends heavily on who is playing it.

Rating	Games	White wins	Draws	Black wins	Position after
400-600	69	47.8%	1.4%	50.7%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4
600-800	37	45.9%	0%	54.1%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 O-O 6.Nf3
800-1000	51	58.8%	0%	41.2%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 O-O 6.Nf3 c5
1000-1200	185	50.8%	2.2%	47%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 O-O 6.Nf3
1200-1400	825	49.2%	1.3%	49.5%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 O-O 6.Nf3 c5
1400-1600	2,759	50.4%	2.4%	47.2%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 O-O 6.Nf3 c5
1600-1800	865	49.5%	4.3%	46.2%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 O-O 6.Nf3 c5
1800-2000	2,456	50%	4.4%	45.7%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 O-O 6.Nf3 c5
2000-2200	3,362	48.6%	5.2%	46.2%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 O-O 6.Nf3 c5
2200-2400	1,908	49.5%	5.6%	44.9%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 O-O 6.Nf3 c5

Most played continuations (2000-2200 rating)

After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 O-O 6.Nf3 c5:

d5 — played 80.9% of the time (White wins 49.2%, draws 5.3%, Black wins 45.5%)
dxc5 — played 7.1% of the time (White wins 47.7%, draws 4.6%, Black wins 47.7%)
e5 — played 6% of the time (White wins 43.8%, draws 5%, Black wins 51.2%)

Related openings

Frequently asked questions

Does the Four Pawns Attack actually refute the King's Indian?

No, and that has been settled for decades — Black equalises with accurate play against every main line. What it does is change the kind of game completely: instead of the slow opposite-wing race the King's Indian player prepared for, everything is decided in the next fifteen moves. Surprise value, not objective value.

What is Black's best answer?

Strike at the centre before it can advance, normally with ...c5 hitting d4. The move order matters more here than almost anywhere else in the King's Indian, because a tempo spent on a useful-looking developing move can be the tempo White needed for e4-e5, after which Black's position collapses along the long diagonal.

Is it good for club players?

For White it is a reasonable practical weapon, especially against opponents who chose the King's Indian for its familiar plans and now find none of them apply. For Black it is a reason to know your first ten moves concretely rather than by pattern.

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