I started playing the King’s Indian Defense around 2012. My coach taught me and gave me all the basic ideas about it. I have been playing the KID for the last 14 years and have had very good results with it. You will find hundreds of my games played in the King’s Indian Defense.
Since then, I have used multiple resources to learn the King’s Indian, and they may be useful for everyone. Here’s a list.
1 – Bologan’s King’s Indian ChessBase Course (Opening Course)
Useful for – New learners who want to learn basic ideas. Useful for unrated to 2000. Very systematic, and basic ideas are well explained.
This course was released back in 2016 on ChessBase, and I bought it from the ChessBase India shop. It’s a simple course where he explains basic plans, and you will get an idea of how to play it correctly.
2 – King’s Indian Warfare Book By GM Smirin (Games and Analysis)
Useful for – Everyone
A very high-quality book. GM Smirin has analyzed multiple games and provided detailed explanations of ideas. Highly recommended for every player who wants to pursue the King’s Indian seriously. Maybe not very suitable for beginners.
3 – Opening Simulator: King’s Indian Defense (Puzzle Book)
Useful for – Everyone
I am not sure why Quality Chess discontinued this series. The Opening Simulator book contains basic theory and then a lot of puzzles. This is essentially a puzzle book. It will help you a lot in understanding different positions and improving your overall thinking process. There are multiple levels based on difficulty.
4 – King’s Indian Defense Opening Repertoire by Ivan Cheparinov (Modern Chess)
Useful for – 1600 FIDE or above players
A classic repertoire that is still working perfectly. I used this as my main repertoire for a couple of years and won a lot of games. It’s in-depth and perfect for serious and professional chess players.
5 – King’s Indian Repertoire by Gawain Jones (Chessable)
Useful for – Players who have been playing the King’s Indian for 1–2 years
I think this course is a bit extensive, and you should choose the variations you like from it. Some variations are either too complex or feel almost impossible to recall. Overall, a good course if your understanding is strong and you have been playing the KID for years.
6 – King’s Indian Defense by GM Felix (ChessBase)
Useful for – Suitable for 1500+ rated players if you have been playing the King’s Indian for 1–2 years
Although this course is not very in-depth, he suggests some offbeat and non-simple variations in certain lines. Personally, I think you will need some understanding. Not very suitable for complete newcomers, even if your rating is high.
These are some of my recommendations. You are free to choose any course, and let me know if I should list more such courses.