King's Indian Defense: Four Pawns Attack
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4
Four Pawns Attack
1.2.3.4.5.
What Is The Four Pawns Attack?
5.f4 is the maximum land grab: pawns on c4, d4, e4 and f4 give White more space than any other King's Indian line. The plan is e4-e5, blasting the center open before Black organises the standard counterplay. Black answers 5...O-O 6.Nf3 c5, hitting d4 at once, and after 7.d5 e6 the game becomes a Benoni where White's extra f-pawn is both a battering ram and a weakness.
The four pawns are not a wall, they are a target: each push leaves holes behind it, and Black's bishop on g7 stares down the long diagonal at them. Games turn on whether White's e5 break arrives with the pieces ready, and in the sharpest lines White gives up a pawn with e5 rather than wait. Know the theory or the center falls.
What Do Players Choose At The Decision Point?
| Move | Share | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nf3 | 26% | 586 | |
| f4 | 16% | 359 | |
| f3 | 15% | 338 | |
| Be2 | 11% | 254 |
The Named Lines Of The Four Pawns Attack
| Line | Moves |
|---|---|
| Modern Defense | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 Na6 |
| Dynamic Attack | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 O-O 6.Nf3 c5 7.d5 |
| Fluid Attack | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 O-O 6.Nf3 c5 7.Be2 |
| Normal Attack | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 O-O 6.Nf3 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Be2 |
| Florentine Gambit | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 O-O 6.Nf3 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Be2 exd5 9.e5 |
| Exchange Variation | 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 O-O 6.Nf3 c5 7.Be2 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Nc6 9.Be3 |