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.
Main line
1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.O-O e5 5.d3 Nf6 6.Nbd2 Be7 7.e4
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.
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 | 800 | 43.4% | 7.9% | 48.8% | 1.Nf3 d5 |
| 600-800 | 51 | 33.3% | 2% | 64.7% | 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 |
| 800-1000 | 28 | 42.9% | 0% | 57.1% | 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.O-O e5 5.d3 |
| 1000-1200 | 59 | 42.4% | 1.7% | 55.9% | 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.O-O e5 5.d3 Nf6 6.Nbd2 |
| 1200-1400 | 28 | 35.7% | 0% | 64.3% | 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.O-O e5 5.d3 Nf6 6.Nbd2 Be7 |
Most played continuations (400-600 rating)
After 1.Nf3 d5:
- Nc3 — played 34% of the time (White wins 46.3%, draws 7%, Black wins 46.7%)
- d4 — played 17.5% of the time (White wins 48.6%, draws 6.4%, Black wins 45%)
- Ne5 — played 7.9% of the time (White wins 34.9%, draws 11.1%, Black wins 54%)
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.
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