Top 9 Chess Players Who Play the King’s Indian Defense

King’s Indian defense opening has very much old history. Geller popularized this opening in the 20th century.  People started to pay more attention to it between 1985-2005. This opening is suitable for attacking style players as it is a dynamic opening and most preferred for a must-win situation with black. Another plus point of this opening is in a lot of positions even engine misevaluates. Also, there are various move orders to reach the basic positions of King’s Indian Defense.

This opening is still very popular at the highest level. There are various books and DVDs by top authors on the king’s Indian Defense. Following are top players who played king’s Indian and because of them it becomes very much popular

Starting moves in King’s Indian Defense are 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 0-0. White has multiple options here. White can play Samiesch Variation, Classical Variation, Four Knight’s Variation, etc.

Top Players in King’s Indian Defense

Efim Geller

Efim Geller was a Soviet–born Jewish chess player who became one of the world‘s strongest players in the 1950s and 1960s. He won the Soviet Championship three times and was a five–time World Championship candidate. Geller was known for his aggressive and imaginative style of play and was one of the few players who could consistently challenge the world champion, Bobby Fischer.

Efim Geller’s Best Games in King’s Indian Defense

Garry Kasparov

Garry Kasparov is a former world chess champion, considered by many to be the greatest chess player of all time. He was born in Azerbaijan in 1963 and began playing chess at the age of six.

He became a grandmaster at the age of 17, and a world champion in 1985, at the age of 22. He held the title until 1993 when he lost a match to IBM computer Deep Blue. He retired from professional chess in 2005 but has remained active as a writer and commentator on the game.

Garry Kasparov’s Best Games in King’s Indian Defense

Hikaru Nakamura

Hikaru Nakamura is an American chess player. He was born on December 9, 1987, in Hirakata, Osaka, Japan. Nakamura began playing chess at the age of seven.

He was taught by his father, Sunil Weeramantry, who is an International Master and former Sri Lankan Champion. Nakamura became a Grandmaster at the age of 15, the youngest American to do so. He has won five U.S. Championships, most recently in 2015.

Nakamura has also won numerous other tournaments, including the 2016 Tata Steel Chess tournament. He is currently ranked as the fourth-best chess player in the world.

Hikaru Nakamura’s Best Games in King’s Indian Defense

Teimour Radjabov

Teimour Radjabov (born 12 March 1987) is an Azerbaijani chess grandmaster. He was the youngest ever player to qualify for the FIDE World Chess Championship, having done so at the age of 14 in 2001. He won the World U12 Chess Championship in 1998.

He became the youngest grandmaster in the world at the age of 14 years, 10 months, and 13 days in 2001, breaking the record previously held by Ruslan Ponomariov.

Radjabov won the FIDE Grand Prix 2008–2010, qualifying him to play in the Candidates Tournament for the World Chess Championship 2013. He will also play Candidates 2022. 

Hikaru Nakamura’s Best Games in King’s Indian Defense

Ding Liren

Ding Liren (born October 31, 1992) is a Chinese chess grandmaster. He was the third person ever to achieve the grandmaster title in China, after Ye Jiangchuan and Xu Jun.

Ding began playing chess at age four. He was the Chinese national champion in 2009 and 2010. In 2011, he won the Asian Continental Chess Championship, becoming the first Chinese player to do so.

Ding has represented China in five Chess Olympiads, winning two team silver medals and one team bronze medal. He has also competed in the World Chess Cup, the World Team Chess Championship, and the Asian Games.

Ding’s highest Elo rating is 2791, achieved in October 2018. He is currently ranked #4 in the world.

Ding Liren’s Best Games in King’s Indian Defense

Kozul Zdenko

Kozul Zdenko is a world-renowned grandmaster who has been playing professionally for over two decades. He has represented Croatia in many international competitions, including the Chess Olympiad and the World Team Chess Championship.

Kozul is also a four-time Croatian Champion and has won numerous other tournaments throughout his career. He is currently ranked number two in Croatia and is considered one of the country’s strongest players.

Kozul Zdenko’s Best Games in King’s Indian Defense

Victor Bologan

Victor Bologan is one of the strongest chess players in the world. He is originally from Moldova, but now resides in Germany. Bologan is a Grandmaster and has won numerous prestigious chess tournaments throughout his career.

Bologan is known for his aggressive and tactical style of play. He is not afraid to take risks in order to get an advantage in the game. This has led to some spectacular wins against some of the world’s best players.

Bologan is also a prolific chess writer. He has written many books and articles on chess strategy and tactics. His work has helped countless chess players to improve their game.

If you want to learn from one of the best chess players in the world, then you should definitely check out Victor Bologan’s work.

Victor Bologan’s Best Games in King’s Indian Defense

Iliya Smirin

Iliya Smirin is an Israeli chess player who was born on October 21, 1968, in Belarus. He is a Grandmaster and has won many tournaments throughout his career.

Smirin began playing chess at the age of five, and by the age of thirteen, he was already a Master. He won the Belarusian Chess Championship in 1985, and the Israeli Chess Championship in 1992. He has also represented Israel in many international competitions, including the Chess Olympiad and the World Team Chess Championship.

Smirin is known for his aggressive and tactical style of play. He is also a very experienced player and has been able to defeat some of the world’s best players, including Magnus Carlsen and Vladimir Kramnik.

Smirin is currently ranked as the second-best chess player in Israel and is one of the top 100 chess players in the world.

Ilya Smirin’s Best Games in King’s Indian Defense

Robin van Kampen

Dutch grandmaster Robin van Kampen is one of the most promising young chess players in the world today.

At just 22 years of age, he has already achieved a number of impressive results, including becoming the Dutch National Champion in 2016.

Van Kampen is known for his aggressive and tactical style of play, which has seen him defeat some of the world’s top players such as Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen.

With his best years still ahead of him, Robin van Kampen is a name to watch out for in the world of chess.

There are many other players who contributed to and improved the King’s Indian defense. It is a very big list. People love to play King’s Indian Defense as it is a very sharp and tactical opening.

If you want to learn more about what are some of the best aggressive chess openings for white, read it from here.