ECO E71
King's Indian, Makogonov Variation
Also known as: Makogonov Variation, Makogonov System
The Makogonov Variation is a flexible anti-King's-Indian system that arises after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.h3. The quiet rook-pawn move serves two purposes: it takes the g4-square away from Black's pieces, so that White can follow with Be3 without meeting the annoying ...Ng4, and it prepares an eventual g4, gaining space on the kingside. White typically continues with Nf3 or Nge2, Bd3 or Be3, and often expands with g4, cramping Black and restraining the thematic ...e5 and ...f5 counter-breaks. Named after the Soviet master and theoretician Vladimir Makogonov, the line trades the heavy theory of the Classical and Sämisch systems for a calm, positional, space-based approach that many club and elite players prize for its clarity.
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. h3
Strategic ideas
The point of 5.h3 is restraint. In most King's Indian main lines Black's counterplay comes from ...e5 or ...f5, supported by active pieces and the ...Ng4 jump that harasses a bishop on e3. By ruling out ...Ng4 in advance, White is free to build a broad, well-supported centre with Be3, Bd3 and a knight on f3 or e2, keeping the tension and denying Black the usual targets. The h3-pawn also underpins a later g4, so that White can gain space on the very wing where Black hopes to attack.
Strategically White aims for a durable space advantage and slow, purposeful expansion, often on the kingside with g4, Nge2 and Ng3, or on the queenside with Rb1 and b4. Because ...Ng4 is unavailable and e4 is solidly held, the standard Black pawn breaks lose much of their bite. Black must therefore find active counterplay against the bind, striking with ...e5, ...c5 or a well-timed ...c6 and ...b5, or manoeuvring pieces to provoke a break; simple passivity hands White a comfortable spatial squeeze.
Main variations
After 5.h3 Black usually castles, 5...O-O, when 6.Be3 e5 7.d5 is the principal tabiya. With the centre closed, Black seeks the freeing ...f5 by rerouting the knight with 7...Nh5 or 7...Ne8, while White prepares to answer ...f5 with g4 or exf5 and expands on the queenside with Rb1 and b4. A major alternative is 6.Bg5, pinning the f6-knight and pressuring the centre before Black can organize ...e5.
Black has independent set-ups too. The Benoni-style 5...c5 6.d5 leads to a blocked structure where Black plays for ...e6 or a later ...b5, and 5...Na6 or 5...c6 with a subsequent ...e5 keep the game flexible. Whichever path Black chooses, White's h3 keeps ...Ng4 off the board and lends support to the space-gaining g4 advance, steering the game toward a positional struggle rather than the tactical firefights of the sharpest King's Indian lines.
History and background
Vladimir Makogonov, a strong Soviet master and respected trainer from Baku, developed several restraining, prophylactic systems against the Indian defences, and this quiet 5.h3 treatment of the King's Indian carries his name. His approach reflected a broader mid-twentieth-century interest in meeting Black's dynamic setups with space and restraint rather than direct confrontation.
The variation has remained a practical sideline at the highest level, valued as a way to sidestep the deeply analysed Classical, Sämisch and Averbakh main lines while still fighting for an opening edge. Several elite players have adopted it as a low-maintenance surprise weapon, relying on understanding of the g4 and queenside plans rather than long forcing sequences.
Key ideas
- Play an early h3 to deny Black the ...Ng4 resource.
- Follow with Be3, Bd3 and a knight on f3 or e2, building a broad centre.
- Prepare g4 to gain kingside space where Black wants to attack.
- Restrain the thematic ...e5 and ...f5 breaks with space and control.
- Sidestep the heavy Classical, Sämisch and Averbakh theory.
- Aim for a calm, positional squeeze rather than sharp tactics.
Typical plans
White
- Play h3 early to rule out ...Ng4 and support g4.
- Develop with Be3, Bd3 and Nf3 or Nge2, keeping central tension.
- Close the centre with d5 and expand with g4 on the kingside.
- Push on the queenside with Rb1 and b4 for more space.
- Meet Black's ...f5 with g4 or exf5 to keep control.
Black
- Castle and challenge the centre with ...e5 or ...c5.
- Reroute the knight with ...Nh5 or ...Ne8 to prepare ...f5.
- Look for the ...c6 and ...b5 break against White's centre.
- Generate piece activity to offset White's spatial bind.
- Avoid passivity, striking before g4 cramps the kingside.