Mastering the King’s Indian Defense Robert Bellin and Pietro Ponzetto Collier Books Macmillan Publishing Company ‘New YorkCopyright © 1990 by Robert Belin and Pieto Poazetto All sights reserved. No part ofthis book may be reproduced, by any means, electronic ‘or mectanicat. Including photocopying rsording by or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in waiting from the Publisher. Collier Books Macmillan Publishing Company 866 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022 Collier Macmillan Canada, Inc Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publisation Bellin, Robert “Mastering the King's Indian defense/Robort Ballin and Pietro Ponzsto, — Ist Collier Boods ed pcm — (A Batsford chess book) ISBN 0.02-030621-0 5, Chess—Openings. 1, Ponzetto. Pietro. 1952. Title UL Series GVI4502B364 1989 9.22170 CIP PAID ded ‘Macmillan books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases for sales ‘promotions, premiums, fund-raising, or educational use. For details contact Special Sales Director Macmnitian Publishing Company 866 Thied Avenue New York, NY 10022 First Collier Books Edition 1990 wos76sa324 Printed in Groat Britain Contents Preface vit Introduction ix 1 ‘The Mar del Plata Centre 1 2. The Petrosian Centre 28 3. The Samisch Centre 58 4 The Averbakh Centre 87 5S. The Simplified Centre 118, 6 Orthodox Centre 131 7 Samisch Variation: the Modern Centre 145 8 The Orthodox Centre against 22-3 158 9 Yugoslav Centre 172 10 The Panno and Kavalek Centres 185 Table of Variations 200Preface With this work we have set our- selves a very precise goal: to teach the understanding of the opening not by cataloguing variations but by explaining the key ideas and plans of each player quickly and easily with the Read and Play method and, in such a way, more- over, that the reader can follow the greater part of the text without a chessboard Vo achieve this ambitious aim, wwe have been guided by the princi- ple that once the central pawns have assumed a stable configur- ation there exists a greater stra- tegic and tactical affinity between diverse variations with the same central pawn structure than between different lines of the same variation which lead to different pawn structures. This simple approach enables us immediately to understand the basic idea of any position whatsoever. ‘This is in stark contrast to what happens in normal books of opening the- ory, where the exigencies of sys- tematization end up making the process of understanding very difficult, Having established this starting point the continuation is logical we divide the opening not accord ing to variations but according to “type of centre’ (which normally retains the name of the principal variation) so that different lines of the same variation will be exam- ined in one or other type of centre according to the configuration of the central pawns which sooner o later becomes established, Con sideration of each type of centre is, then divided into three parts: a deep analysis of the strategic ideas (with particular attention to the most modern), and overview of the recurring tactical themes, and finally some illustrative games, meticulously annotated, especially in the opening, in examining which (and here it is necessary to use a chessboard) the reader will find not only 2 practical correspon dence with the two theoretical parts, but also a certain number of ‘exemplifying variations. Attentive reading of the illustrative games is indispensable for the full compre-