King's Indian Attack
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Overview
A reversed King's Indian setup for White. Fianchettoes the kingside bishop and aims for a long-term kingside attack.
Fast Facts
- First moves
- 1.Nf3, 2.g3, 3.Bg2, 4.O-O, 5.d3 with Nbd2 and e4
- ECO
- A07–A08 — King's Indian Attack
- Origin
- Developed as a universal system in the mid-20th century
- Notable players
- Bobby Fischer, Tigran Petrosian
- Related to
- King's Indian Defense, Reti Opening, Catalan
Key Ideas
- Build a kingside pawn storm with e4, e5, and eventually f4–f5.
- Place the king bishop on g2 and the queen on e2.
- Reroute the queen's knight via d2 to f1 to e3 or g3.
- Aim for a direct attack on the enemy king once development is complete.
Main Lines
Line 1
1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7 5. d3 O-O
Line 2
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. O-O O-O 5. d3 d6
Line 3
1. Nf3 c6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Bg4 4. O-O Nd7 5. d3 Ngf6
Typical Pawn Structure
White builds a modest pawn chain with pawns on d3 and e4, often expanding later with e5 to gain kingside space. The fianchettoed bishop on g2 and a knight rerouted toward the kingside support a classic attacking buildup against a castled Black king. The resulting structures frequently mirror a reversed King's Indian, with White advancing pawns and pieces on the kingside while Black counters in the center or on the queenside.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- System opening — same setup every game
- Strong attacking ideas
- Low theory
Cons
- Black can equalize with accurate defense
- Slow setup
Who Should Play the King's Indian Attack?
This system fits players who want a reliable, repeatable setup that produces attacking middlegames without deep opening preparation.
Ideal if you…
- Players who prefer learning plans over memorizing variations
- Those who enjoy slow-building kingside attacks
- Club players seeking one system against many defenses
- Fans of fianchetto structures and harmonious development
Good against
- Opponents who play passively or symmetrically
- French and Caro-Kann players steered out of their main lines
- Players who underestimate White's delayed kingside expansion
History & Origin
The King's Indian Attack adapts the setup of the King's Indian Defense to White's side of the board, gaining a tempo by deploying it with the move in hand. It gained prominence in the mid-20th century as a flexible system that could be played against almost any Black reply, and was famously wielded by Bobby Fischer to great effect, as well as by the positional virtuoso Tigran Petrosian. Its appeal lies in being a learnable scheme rather than a memorization-heavy theoretical battleground.
Related Systems & Transpositions
The King's Indian Attack is the color-reversed counterpart of the King's Indian Defense and shares its fianchetto framework with the Reti Opening and Catalan. It can arise from 1.Nf3, 1.e4, or 1.g3 move orders, making it a transpositional tool against the French, Sicilian, and Caro-Kann.
Related Openings
- Italian Game(C50)
- Ruy Lopez(C60)
- Queen's Gambit(D06)
- London System(D02)
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