8. Greed Trap on the e5 Pawn

One of the most famous traps in the King's Indian: after Queens are traded on d8, the e5 pawn seems defenseless, but 8.Nxe5? is punished by 8...Nxe4! followed by capturing on e5 with a decisive advantage.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 e5 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.Nxe5 Nxe4 9.Nxe4 Qxd1+ 10.Bxd1 Bxe5

Move by move

1.d4 – White occupies the center with the Queen's pawn: it controls e5 and c5 and paves the way for the c1 Bishop and the Queen.
1...Nf6 – Black develops the Knight and controls e4 and d5: it prevents an immediate 2.e4 and prepares the King's Indian setup.
2.c4 – White gains central space with the c-pawn: it controls d5 and prepares Knight development to c3.
2...g6 – The signature move of the King's Indian: Black prepares the fianchetto of the Bishop on g7 to target the center from afar.
3.Nc3 – White develops the Knight toward the center: it protects d5 and prepares full central conquest with e2-e4.
3...Bg7 – The Bishop takes position on the long h8-a1 diagonal: it controls the central d4 and e5 light squares and shields the King.
4.e4 – White sets up the classical center with the d4 and e4 pawns: it controls plenty of space but provides a clear target for Black's counterplay.
4...d6 – Black restrains White's e4-e5 advance, protects the central dark squares, and prepares the thematic ...e5 counter-strike.
5.Nf3 – Classical development of the King's Knight: it controls d4 and e5 and prepares rapid kingside castling.
5...O-O – Black secures the King with kingside castling before opening the center; the f8 Rook will support the future ...f5 push.
6.Be2 – White develops the Bishop to e2 in solid and positional fashion, preparing kingside castling without obstructing other pieces.
6...e5 – The thematic central breakthrough of the King's Indian: Black directly attacks the d4 pawn and challenges White's territorial dominance.
7.dxe5 – The Exchange Variation: White liquidates central tension to trade Queens and seek a quiet endgame.
7...dxe5 – Black recaptures in the center maintaining control of the d4 and f4 light squares while opening the d-file.
8.Nxe5 – A grave miscalculation: White captures the e5 pawn believing it is free, falling into a lethal combination.
8...Nxe4 – The winning counter-stroke: Black unleashes the g7 Bishop to unmask attacks on both the c3 Knight and e5 Knight.
9.Nxe4 – White captures the e4 Knight attempting to minimize material losses in an already ruined position.
9...Qxd1+ – Forced trade of Queens with check: it draws the White King from its home and prevents castling.
10.Bxd1 – The Bishop recaptures on d1, but the White King remains stranded and defenseless in the center.
10...Bxe5 – Black recaptures on e5: armed with the powerful bishop pair, Black enjoys a completely winning endgame.

How to exploit the position

Black has severely punished White's greed, winning the bishop pair and leaving the White King stranded in the center on the d-file.

Quickly develop the Knight to c6 or d7 to complete minor piece development.
Bring the c8 Bishop to f5 or e6 to target the e4 Knight and the weak c4 pawn.
Use the f8 Rook via ...Re8 or ...Rd8+ to exploit the open file and threaten the d1 King directly.
With the bishop pair controlling both flanks, the endgame is decisively in Black's favor.

Master tips

Do not touch the e5 pawn!

The d4 square and the long diagonal of the g7 Bishop hide deadly dangers if White succumbs to greed on e5.