Review: King’s Indian – A Complete Repertoire for Black by GM Felix Blohberger

The video series produced by ChessBase aims to build a complete yet practical repertoire for Black against 1.d4 and related move orders. Blohberger presents not only variations, but above all strategic concepts and typical middlegame plans. This didactic focus sets the series apart from many traditional opening works, which are often characterised by an overwhelming amount of theoretical variations.

1. Structure and didactic design

The two-part video course is divided into two volumes that are clearly separated by theme.

Part 1: Mastering the Sidelines

The first part is primarily devoted to the so-called sidelines. These include systems in which White deviates early from the classical main lines—such as through alternative move orders, early flank operations or fianchetto setups.

Free sample videos:
Introduction
London System

A particular emphasis is placed on the increasingly popular g3 systems. Blohberger shows how Black can reliably reach a King’s Indian setup regardless of the exact move order.

The didactic advantage of this structure is obvious: players are first familiarised with the less complex deviations before turning to the more theoretically demanding main lines. This approach allows them to develop an understanding of typical ideas against less critical setups, which can then be applied when tackling the critical variations in which these ideas are put to the test.

Part 2: The Classical Main Lines

The second part deals with the main lines of the King’s Indian Defence. These include, among others:

• Classical systems with Be2 or Be3
• Modern variations with h3
• The Four Pawns Attack
• Other critical central set-ups
   

Free sample videos:
Introduction
​Early h4

This structure is standard and allows for a modular study of the King’s Indian Defence, from the sidelines through to the main lines.

A standout feature of the series is its didactic focus. Blohberger repeatedly emphasises typical ideas and strategic motifs, such as:

• the need to generate counterplay
• flexible central reactions with …e5 or …c5

This focus distinguishes the course from many classical opening works. While traditional literature often presents long chains of variations, Blohberger concentrates on comprehensible concepts. This is achieved very well throughout the course and creates a strong sense of continuity.

It is precisely this practice-oriented emphasis, with consistent plans, ideas and motifs, that places the focus on clear strategic guidelines rather than on pure theory.

For learners, this has two advantages:

1. The ideas can be transferred more easily to similar positions.
2. The acquired knowledge remains more stable in the long term and occurs frequently.

2. Choice of variations: practical and innovative

The strategic core of the repertoire is based on a modern setup with the knight move …Na6. This approach has become increasingly popular in recent years, while, to my knowledge, Black’s side has long lacked a comprehensive update in this line. Blohberger closes this gap with his repertoire.

The move fulfils several strategic functions:

1. It prepares flexible pawn breaks such as …e5 or …c5.
2. It enables alternative plans with …c6 and …b5.
3. It avoids some heavily analysed main lines.

This flexibility is a key advantage of the repertoire presented. While classical King’s Indian manuals often recommend rather rigid lines, Blohberger’s approach opens up several strategic options. Players who employ the King’s Indian with …Nbd7 can often benefit here, as many ideas—especially in the fight against e4 via …Nbd7–c5 or, in Blohberger’s course, …Na6–c5—lead to comparable structures.

For practical tournament players, this means:
They can orient their play more around typical structures and have to memorise fewer concrete variations.

However, it should be noted that the King’s Indian Defence nowadays relies on very precise play, and the study of variations—especially critical lines—cannot be entirely avoided.

Practical orientation instead of theoretical overload

A recurring theme of the repertoire is the deliberate move away from purely theoretical compendiums. Many classical works on the King’s Indian contain thousands of variations and are intended more as reference manuals. For club players, this can be overwhelming.

Blohberger, on the other hand, pursues a practice-oriented approach:

• clear repertoire recommendations
• clear structure
• focus on typical pawn structures.

The video lessons therefore convey less in the way of isolated variations and instead focus on strategic patterns. This is particularly valuable in an opening such as the King’s Indian Defence. The resulting middlegames are often highly complex and cannot be mastered through knowledge of variations alone.

Another didactic element lies in the systematic presentation of recurring motifs. Among the most important are:

• kingside attack
• flexible central play
• pawn breaks and timing

This thematic presentation makes it easier for the viewer to recognise typical types of positions and broadens the target audience.

3. Target group

In my view, the video course is primarily aimed at:

• ambitious club players
• tournament players with a solid foundation
• players looking for a dynamic repertoire for Black.

Beginners can also benefit, but should already possess a basic understanding of hypermodern opening principles.

The series is particularly well suited for players who do not only want to learn variations, but also wish to develop a deeper strategic understanding and are willing to invest the necessary time.

4. Strengths and weaknesses of the course

Die wichtigsten Vorteile des Videokurses lassen sich in mehreren Punkten zusammenfassen.

1. clear repertoire structure
2. strategic focus
3. modern repertoire choice
4. good didactic presentation

Despite its many strengths, it should be noted that the King’s Indian Defence is fundamentally a demanding opening. Its theoretical standing has long been considered critical, as modern engines in particular often find so-called “squeezing positions” in which Black has to defend an inferior middlegame or endgame. Although Blohberger has made an excellent contribution, certain weaknesses remain, which become increasingly relevant at club level.

1. considerable training effort due to highly concrete lines in critical variations
2. the need for practical experience due to complex types of positions
3. critical positions are often slightly worse with limited winning chances

Conclusion

With his two-part FritzTrainer series on the King’s Indian Defence, Felix Blohberger presents a modern and practice-oriented training program for one of the most complex openings in chess.

The course stands out above all for:

• clear strategic guidelines
• a flexible repertoire structure
• practical choice of variations
• clear and accessible didactic presentation.

The emphasis on strategic patterns rather than pure memorisation of variations makes the series a valuable resource for ambitious tournament players. However, practical coherence in critical lines often depends heavily on concrete ideas, which raises the learning curve and makes the course more suitable for stronger tournament players—who, however, should clearly benefit from Blohberger’s analysis.

Overall, the author succeeds in delivering a course that is both theoretically sound and practically applicable—a combination that is far from common in modern opening training.

Overall evaluation: ★★★★ 4/5

Positive
✔ State-of-the-art theory at grandmaster level with numerous innovations
✔ Clear didactic structure

✔ Emphasis on understanding typical positions
✔ Extensive supplementary material with model games, training positions and exercises

Negative
X At times very extensive for absolute beginners to the King’s Indian Defence
 

About the author

Felix Blohberger is not only a grandmaster—he is also a multiple Austrian national champion and a key member of the Austrian national team. He earned the grandmaster title at just 19 and brings a wealth of experience both as a competitive player and as a second to top-level players.

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