Lara Wong: Level 96 Chess Rival (2376 ELO)

Queen tier · Olympiad Player · plays the King's Indian Defense

How Lara plays

Lara is nineteen and has already represented Turkey at the Olympiad. Team chess shaped her: she plays for the result the situation requires, takes risks when the match demands it and stays rock-steady when it does not. Her King's Indian reflects that balance, ambitious enough to play for a win with Black but grounded in sound structures and patient preparation of the ...f5 break.

She is happiest in long, tense games where both sides have plans and the player with steadier nerves wins. Lara handles time pressure and complicated positions well, and she rarely loses her composure. What she likes less is a position where her kingside attack lacks a clear target. When White keeps the kingside well protected and the centre flexible, her plans become harder to execute, and she must find a new plan rather than follow the familiar ...f5 script.

At 2376 ELO, Lara plays at master strength. Outright blunders are rare, so you need a sound opening, a clear plan and accurate calculation in sharp moments. A draw against her is a good result; a win means you played a very good game.

King's Indian Defense: the line Lara plays

Lara plays the King's Indian Defense: ...Nf6, ...g6, ...Bg7, ...d6 and castling, letting White build a big centre and then striking at it with ...e5. In the main Mar del Plata line the centre closes after d5 and both sides attack on opposite wings, Black with ...f5 on the kingside.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 e5 7.O-O Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Ne1 Nd7 10.Nd3 f5

Learn it move by move: King's Indian Defense walkthrough

How to beat Lara

  1. Try the Fianchetto Variation with g3 and Bg2. Your king has a bishop at home, which takes the sting out of ...f5 and leaves her kingside play without a clear target.
  2. Keep the central tension instead of closing with d5. A flexible centre with Be3 and the option of dxe5 forces her to make decisions rather than follow her standard attacking plan.
  3. Play the full game. Her strength is staying composed through long, tense positions, so keep your concentration into the late middlegame and avoid relaxing once the opening is over.
  4. If the centre locks with d5, play on the queenside where you are stronger: b4, c5 and a rook to the c-file. Do it quickly, because their ...f5-f4 and ...g5 attack is aimed at your king. Against the KID, being a tempo slow is how White loses.
  5. The book answers 1.d4 (and the Modern move order 1...g6). Open 1.e4 and she is out of book immediately.

What beating Lara teaches you

Lara trains you to deny a fighter her standard plan and to keep your focus through a long, tense game against a composed opponent.

Neighbours on the ladder