[Event "Opening Theory #10"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "KID "] [Black "?"] [Result "*"] [Annotator "KS"] [PlyCount "52"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.10.16"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5 Ne7 9. Ne1 $1 {I hate this move! It is great! It actually stops Black's main positional threat. Which is to play ...c5!} (9. Nd2 $6 c5 $1) {For so many years playing the KID, I was afraid about this line. Until I found the "antidote"} 9... Ne8 $1 (9... c5 $6 10. Nd3 Ne8 11. Rb1 $1 (11. f4 $6 { Engine's proposal} exf4 12. Bxf4 h6 $1 {and black is doing fine}) 11... f5 12. f3 f4 13. b4 b6 14. Ba3 $1 g5 15. bxc5 bxc5 16. Nxc5 $3 {That's why the knight is good at d3} dxc5 17. d6 Qxd6 18. Qxd6 Nxd6 19. Bxc5 Rd8 20. Rfd1 {[%csl Rd6, Rd8,Re7][%CAl Rd1d8]}) ({The main line} 9... Nd7 10. Be3 f5 11. f3 f4 12. Bf2 g5 13. Rc1 Ng6 $1 14. c5 Nxc5 15. b4 $1 $16 {And I hate this as Black. I will need to defend. White has all the fun.}) 10. Be3 f5 11. f3 {we have the first key move} b6 $1 {[#] This is a typical "engine" move, which I'd have dismissed as bad a few years ago.... Human players know that White's long term plan is at the queenside and Black shouldn't play at that side. Engines typically suggest moves like 11...b6, simply b/c they don't see "far enough" to understand that this only accelerates White's play. Ha! That's wrong!} 12. Nd3 a5 $1 13. a3 h5 $1 14. Bg5 (14. b4 Kh7 $1 {[%CAl Ga5b4,Ga3b4,Ga8a1,Gd1a1,Gg7h6, Gh6c1] Black plans ...axb4, ...Rxa1 and ...Bh6. If this happens, White has no dangerous play at the queenside.}) 14... Nf6 15. b4 Nh7 16. Bd2 Nf6 17. Rb1 Kh7 18. Qc1 axb4 19. axb4 Neg8 20. Nf2 Qe7 21. Bd3 f4 22. c5 bxc5 23. bxc5 {[#]} dxc5 (23... g5 $5) 24. Be2 g5 25. Bb5 Bd7 26. Nd3 Rfb8 $11 {Komodo- Stockfish, TCEC 2020 Summary: Black plays the moves ...b6 and ...a5 at the queenside, and ...h5 and ...Kh7 (and maybe Ng8) at the kingside. If White comes forward with c4-c5, we simplify by exchanging everything we can exchange. It is simple and practical. And engines evaluate it as sound!} *