Gligoric’s 7.Be3 against the King’s Indian: develop the bishop, support the centre and delay the castling decision.
Svetozar Gligoric played the King’s Indian on both sides of the board. His name is attached to the system in which White plays 7.Be3 after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 e5. It is also known as the Gligoric–Taimanov System.
White postpones castling to see how Black resolves the central tension. This offers flexibility, but also gives Black a target: the bishop on e3 can be attacked by a knight.
The bishop on e3 supports d4. After 7...Ng4 8.Bg5 f6 9.Bh4, White preserves the bishop while Black gains space with ...f6 and alters the king’s pawn cover. Neither side has automatically solved the opening.
After 7...exd4 8.Nxd4, the centre becomes more open. Black can prepare ...d5, as Fischer does in the first game. With 7...Nc6 8.d5 Ne7, the centre closes: White often seeks play with b4 and c5, Black with ...f5. The kings’ positions determine when pawn advances become a direct attack.
At the 1962 Stockholm Interzonal, Fischer answers 7.Be3 by exchanging on d4. He then plays ...c6 and 10...d5, seeking active central play.
Watch 21...Rxe3 and the exchanges that follow. The game reaches a rook endgame and continues to move 81.
Against Georgi Tringov at The Hague in 1966, Gligoric again faces 7...exd4, but follows with 13.c5. When Black takes that pawn, White plays 16.Ne6.
The knight attacks the queen on c5 and bishop on g7. After 16...Qd6 17.Nxg7 Kxg7, White has exchanged a knight for a bishop and changed the defence around Black’s king. Watch how the queen and bishop later cooperate on dark squares.
Against Diez del Corral at Palma de Mallorca in 1968, the centre closes after 7...Nc6 8.d5 Ne7. Black advances kingside pawns, while Gligoric responds with 15.b4 and 17.c5.
White’s play extends beyond the queenside: a rook reaches g1, the queen goes to h3, and the final 28.Qf5 combines central pressure with threats around Black’s king.
These games show why 7.Be3 is best understood through the pawn structure. An open centre can lead to exchanges and an endgame; a closed centre calls for prepared breaks on the wings.
Before advancing pawns, consider Black’s central choices and where your e3-bishop can contribute most.