King's Indian Attack
You play White · 11 variations
Mixed practice
The machine picks a different variation every time.
Take a quiz
10 positions: find the next theory move in each. No take-backs, no hints.
Main variations · 7
- Sicilian VariationA081. e4 e6 2. d3 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. Ngf3 c5 5. g3 Nc6 6. Bg2 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. Re18 moves
- Sicilian VariationA081. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. O-O e6 5. d35 moves
- Keres VariationA071. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c6 3. Bg2 Bg4 4. O-O Nd7 5. d4 Ngf6 6. c4 e6 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Nc3 Bd68 moves
- Yugoslav VariationA071. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 b6 5. O-O5 moves
- King's Indian Attack, with Bf5A071. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 c6 4. O-O Bf5 5. d3 h6 6. c4 dxc46 moves
- King's Indian Attack, with Bf5A071. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 c6 4. O-O Bf5 5. d3 e6 6. Nbd26 moves
- King's Indian Attack, with Bf5A071. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 c6 4. O-O Bf5 5. d3 e6 6. Nh46 moves
Other variations · 4
What is the King's Indian Attack?
The King's Indian Attack is a system rather than a fixed sequence: White plays Nf3, g3, Bg2, O-O, d3, Nbd2 and e4, a King's Indian Defense with colours reversed and an extra tempo. A typical move order is 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c5 4.O-O Nc6 5.d3 e6 6.Nbd2 Be7 7.e4 O-O 8.Re1. It is a closed, manoeuvring opening that is easy to learn because the set-up hardly changes, and it is popular at club level as a universal weapon, especially against French and Sicilian set-ups with ...e6.
Main ideas and plans
Against the classic set-up with ...d5, ...c5 and ...e6, your main plan is to push e5, gaining space and driving the f6 knight away. You then play Re1, Nf1, h4 and Bf4, often bringing a knight via h2 to g4 for a kingside attack, while Black expands on the queenside with ...b5, ...b4 and ...a5-a4. This race is the heart of the opening: you must attack fast enough to make Black's queenside play irrelevant. The same structure arises from 1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.Ngf3 c5 5.g3 Nc6 6.Bg2 Be7 7.O-O O-O 8.Re1 b5 9.e5 Nd7 10.Nf1.
If Black keeps the centre fluid with ...e5 of his own, or mirrors you with the Symmetrical Defense and ...g6, the e5 push is not available and the play becomes more positional: you aim for exd5 or a timely c3 and d4, or for queenside play with a4 and Nc4. Against set-ups where Black develops the bishop to g4 or f5 before ...e6, you can gain time with h3 and e4, or consider c4. The Sicilian Variation, reached when Black starts with ...c5 against your e4 and d3, often leads to the same French-type positions, while the Double Fianchetto adds b3 and Bb2 for a slower game.
Who is it for?
The King's Indian Attack suits players who want one reliable set-up that works against almost anything, who enjoy kingside attacks and who prefer understanding plans to memorising theory. Its downside is that it is not very ambitious objectively, and a well-prepared opponent can equalise with sensible development; slow play without a plan lets Black's queenside expansion arrive first. First learn the e5 structure against ...e6 set-ups and the standard attacking manoeuvres, and have a plan ready for when Black prevents e5 by playing ...e5 himself.