Improve your results by playing this powerful opening system Angus DunningtonForeword Tn 1997 it was time to print a new batch of my first book, How to Play the King's Indian Attack (published in 1993), for a new generation of KIA fans. However, new ideas in some variations and recent developments in others led instead to The Ultimate King’s Indian Attack, which is an expanded, revised edition of the original. An appreciation of the relevant plans in the opening and middlegame — and even the ending in some cases — is more important than leaming countless, precise sequences of moves (which are susceptible to both fashion and ultimate refutation), and this book is designed to equip the reader with a thorough understanding of the KIA. Moreover, it is significant that the key strategies tend to be the same in both the modern and the earlier games, confirming the KIA as a sound, reliable and effective weapon which continues to pass the test of time. I hope that new recruits to the KIA enjoy this rich system, and that seasoned devotees find food for thought in the new material and updates which, combined with the original examples, should provide the reader with a flexible, varied repertoire with the white pieces. Angus Dunnington November 1998—_—_~ nal EEL EEe_eEEO Introduction 7 1 Introduction Nowadays it is becoming increas ingly difficult at any level of com- petitive chess to find opponents who know little or — even more rare — no opening theory. Practitioners of 1 d4 need to be acquainted with de- fences such as the King's Indian, Grunfeld, Dutch, Benoni, Nimzo-Indian... Similarly, | e4 players will have problems reaching a satisfactory middlegame if they fail to familiar- ise themselves with, amongst others. the popular Sicilian, French and Caro-Kann Defences. Moreover, each of these is often the opponent's pet line, Since even masters can take many months (perhaps years) studying the fumerous variations of. for example, the Sicitian Defence, it seems logical to find an opening system for White which enables us to sit down at the boatd before battle commences without having to worry about what Black may play. This book deals with arguably the most flexible of such systems: the King’s Indian Attack (KIA). The beauty of the opening is that White adopts the setup based on 43, 3. ig?, d3 and e4 practically regard- less of Black's play. (see diagram) When playing the KIA the game will follow a course of White's choosing. which should in turn fur- fish other advantages in the form of extra’ time on the clock and a ‘ready-made’ understanding of the positional and tactical nuances. which the constraints of a time-limit may prevent the opponent from get- ting to grips with. Apart from beginning with 1 Bt3 or ¥ g3 (or even | d3), the KIA is also a powerful weapon in the hands of | e4 players. Therefore fans of 1 e4 openings such as the Ruy Lopez or Scotch need no longer waste their time learning separate lines against Black's other defences, as this sys- tem is playable against all of them, the only exception being 1...d5, which rules out the KIA altogether. We must also not forget the psy- chological victory of depriving our opponents the opportunity to show us their encyclopaedic theoretical knowledge of, say, the Caro-Kann when we teply to 1 e4 c6 with 2. d3 and spoil the party immediately (Chapter 4). Those who play the King’s Indian Defence against | d4 are strongly advised to take up the same opening. when playing White. If it is good with Black, then it must be even better with White! Chapter 7? shows