Hi

Is there any sound opening for white that allows them to fianchetto easily?

Thanks

Kings indian attack and the reti.

Thanks, for the quick answer, are they both fairly sound?

An opening that allows you to fianchetto, prefarabaly on the kingside, that is fairly succesful.  

Ideally it should be playable up to fairly high levels.

thanks

Yes, they are very sound, I see GM's play htem a lot, and I used to play the reti a lot - I still do (though normally in quicker games)

Thankyou,

that is very helpful!

One must be much more flexible with the Nimzo-Larsen system.  More often the King Knight is developed at e2 rather than at f3, and without a kingside fianchetto.  If we see it chances are White has played the double fianchetto.  Players of the Queen's Indian and Nimzo Indian defenses reverse the system as White, but in most cases give Black the central squares.  Another try to limit Black's response is 1. b4  (the Sokolsky).  Sokolosky played many games with it.

The King's Indian Attack can take some time learning, but is easier for those who play the KID with Black.  It is also not much of an answer to 1. e4  e5 as a comprehensive system.

The King Fianchetto Opening ( with 1. Nf3) is probably best.  One can get transpositions to the Sokolsy, the English, The Reti, Nimzo-Larsen, KIA, or the Benko Gambit and Grunfeld and Mexican defenses reversed.  It certainly stops Black from playing e5.

One would suppose 1. Nf3 to be strongest when avoiding 1 e4 and 1 d4 and 1 f4.  A simple variation of the English Opening with White might be 1. Nf3  d5   2. c4  for those who do not prefer the Queen's Gambit or the reversed defenses (although one might end up in a Catalan System anyway).  Again if one does not play the Dutch Defense that person might not be entirely comfortable with Bird's Opening and it's subseqent stonewall formations.  Players of the French Defense have often adopted the Dutch Defense, as the French has a stonewall pawn pattern too.   1. Nf3 is anyone's game.

Try the English (1. c4). It is sound up to the highest level, and the kingside fianchetto is played, either with a (1. c4 2. g3) move order, or a (2. Nc3 3. g3). The main responses from Black are (1. c4 e5), which is a reversed Sicilian, and (1.c4 c5) which is a symetrical setup. Both are quite playable as white.

The reasons I like playing the English are several. For one, there are far fewer possible responses than to e4 or d4, although a good black player can force transpositions into most d4 openings.

Secondly, the opening is very flexible. Since you don't commit to a central pawn structure during the first few moves, you can adapt to what black is doing in the center.

And if you like to fianchetto, in the English, you can easily fianchetto both bishops if you like.

Thank you very much, I am already trying the English and have found it is just what I want!

English opening is a solid choice that often leads to a fianchetto. You can do 1.c4 2.g3

You can play 1.g3 and transpose into another opening.

The Catalan is a very new exiting opening. Played a lot at the world championship matches too.

Well the Catalan isn't exactly new having been coined in the 1920's I believe. It's also highly theoretical and nebulous, but quite sound to be sure.

I have tried the catalan a couple of time, and often reverse transpose into it.

I usually play the Catalan like this (although blacks move varies)

The English is probably your best bet as it allows you to fianchetto against almost any black defence, is sound up to the highest level, and doesn't require the same precision to play well as the Catalan does.

I always play b4 as White, the Polish ( Solkolsky/Orang-utan ) a very good surprise open, played by Fisher himself, but a Master level, t'is very rare to be a seen & owl dicton " to play the Polish well, one should learn The English " but all said & done, I give me oponnents of all ratings a decent run for their money with b4, yo!

KIA, English Op., Polish, Modern Def., Sicilian accelerated dragon. All those are sound. Good luck.

English Opening is very strong and allows for a quick (and typically effective) kingside fianchetto. At the lower levels of play, like where I am, you can typically get a good advantage playing the English if only because the opponent might be unfamiliar with it. It's also very flexible, nearly impossible to play it wrong.