with e6

The King's Indian Attack with e6 arises after 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 e6. Black supports d5 with the e-pawn, preparing ...Be7 and kingside castling behind a compact center. The cost is the one that runs through the parent system. The c8-bishop is shut in behind its own pawns, and Black gives up the option of developing it to f5 or g4, as in the lines with ...c6. Black also commits to a structure before White has decided whether the d-pawn belongs on d3 or d4, or whether c4 will follow.

By far the most common reply is 4. O-O, which keeps every option open. From there White can build the standard formation with d3, Nbd2 and e4. The pawn on e6 is exactly what this scheme is designed to meet. The advance e4-e5 then gains kingside space and cramps Black, with the e5-pawn held by pieces. 4. d3 heads more directly for the same setup. Black's usual answer to the d3 plans is to add ...c5 and ...Nc6. This reaches Franco-Sicilian positions in which Black looks for counterplay by advancing the queenside pawns while White builds up on the other wing.

The other approach treats the position as a queen's pawn opening. 4. d4 is the engine's first choice, and c4 is also among its top moves. Together these lead to Catalan-type play, where the g2-bishop presses along the long diagonal against d5 and the queenside. Here ...e6 is a normal, sound defensive setup rather than a concession. The game becomes slower and more positional than in the e4 plans, and the shut-in c8-bishop matters less because Black can often free it with a later ...c5 or ...b6.

The position is one of the more frequently reached branches of the King's Indian Attack. Engines consider it roughly balanced. In online games White scores somewhat better than Black, and draws are rare.