King's Indian Attack

ECO A07-A08intermediate

The King's Indian Attack is a complete White repertoire in one formation: Nf3, g3, Bg2, 0-0, d3, Nbd2, e4 — the King's Indian Defense played with an extra tempo, against anything Black does. Its teeth show in the French-style structures (e5 advance, then Re1, h4, Nf1-h2-g4) where White's kingside attack follows a script so reliable Fischer used it as a secondary weapon for years. The KIA is the classic recommendation for players who want one set of plans instead of an opening encyclopedia.

Train as White Train as Black Explore all variations

Main line

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Diagram shows the position after 6 half-moves of the main line. On SpeakChess you can drill this line move by move — the trainer plays the other side and corrects you instantly, then spaced repetition schedules each variation so you review it right before you would forget it.

Move by move

The first 12 moves of the main line, explained one at a time. Every move of every variation is annotated like this inside the trainer — this page shows the opening moves so you can judge the explanations before signing up.

White starts with Nf3, jumping the knight to a strong central square. It eyes the e5 and d4 squares while keeping options open for many different openings.
Black pushes the pawn to d5, claiming space right in the middle of the board. This challenges White to show what kind of game they want to play.
White moves the pawn to g3, making room for the bishop to slide to g2. This is the start of the King's Indian Attack setup, where the bishop will become very powerful on the long diagonal.
Black advances the pawn to c5, putting two pawns in the center. This gives Black a strong foothold and opens lines for the pieces to develop.
The bishop slides to g2, sitting on a great diagonal that points all the way across the board. From g2 the bishop watches over many important squares in the center.
Black brings the knight to c6, a natural and active square. The knight helps support the d5 pawn and puts a piece in the center ready for action.
White castles kingside, tucking the king safely behind the pawns and bringing the rook closer to the center. The king is now well protected on g1.
Black pushes the pawn to e5, planting two pawns side by side in the center. Together with the pawn on d5, Black controls a lot of space in the middle.
White plays d3, giving the position a solid feel. This pawn supports White's center and opens the way for the bishop on c1 to join the game.
Black develops the knight to f6, a very useful square. The knight is active in the center and can help fight for control of key squares.
White brings the knight from b1 to d2. This keeps the long diagonal clear for the bishop on g2 and prepares to support a future pawn push in the center.
Black develops the bishop to e7, a safe and solid square. The bishop protects the king and prepares for Black to castle kingside.

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Win rates by rating

Results from real online games, measured after the line shown in each row. Most opening sites show one aggregate number — how an opening scores depends heavily on who is playing it.

Rating	Games	White wins	Draws	Black wins	Position after
400-600	115	45.2%	9.6%	45.2%	1.Nf3 d5 2.g3
600-800	88	45.5%	1.1%	53.4%	1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.O-O e5 5.d3 Nf6
800-1000	62	51.6%	1.6%	46.8%	1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.O-O e5 5.d3 Nf6 6.Nbd2 Be7
1000-1200	77	54.5%	2.6%	42.9%	1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.O-O e5 5.d3 Nf6 6.Nbd2
1200-1400	426	50.7%	2.6%	46.7%	1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.O-O e5 5.d3 Nf6 6.Nbd2 Be7
1400-1600	1,082	51.1%	3.7%	45.2%	1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.O-O e5 5.d3 Nf6 6.Nbd2 Be7
1600-1800	208	42.3%	3.4%	54.3%	1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.O-O e5 5.d3 Nf6 6.Nbd2 Be7
1800-2000	405	47.9%	2.7%	49.4%	1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.O-O e5 5.d3 Nf6 6.Nbd2 Be7
2000-2200	397	52.4%	5.5%	42.1%	1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.O-O e5 5.d3 Nf6 6.Nbd2 Be7
2200-2400	357	52.4%	4.2%	43.4%	1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.O-O e5 5.d3 Nf6 6.Nbd2 Be7

Most played continuations (1400-1600 rating)

After 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.O-O e5 5.d3 Nf6 6.Nbd2 Be7:

e4 — played 39.6% of the time (White wins 50.4%, draws 3.5%, Black wins 46.1%)
Re1 — played 24.6% of the time (White wins 54.5%, draws 4.9%, Black wins 40.6%)
c4 — played 15.5% of the time (White wins 53%, draws 3.6%, Black wins 43.5%)

Frequently asked questions

Is the King's Indian Attack good against everything?

The setup is playable against everything, but its strength varies: it is most dangerous against French and Sicilian-style structures (...e6 and ...c5 setups) where the e5 clamp and kingside storm work at full power, and least testing against a solid ...Bf5 or ...Bg4 with ...e5 from Black. One system, honest trade-offs.

What is the standard KIA attacking plan?

Against ...e6 setups: e4-e5 fixing the center, then Re1, Qe2, h4, Nf1-h2 with g4 or Bf4-h2 and the Ng5/h5-h6 strikes — pieces flow to the kingside on rails while Black's queenside counterplay races the clock. Learning this one attack pattern wins club games for decades.