Greek KIA

(This forum topic series was originally posted in April, 2012 by Michael-G in another group.  I only edited it for minor spelling and grammatical issues and changed the original topic names to keep them listed together here at KIA inc.  Italics were added for editing or emphasis.  

I have read close to everything there is in print, on the web, and in other media about the King's Indian Attack.  None of it was as revealing as the following information was.  Please enjoy. - Editor.) 

                               INTRODUCTION TO THE KING'S INDIAN ATTACK 

                                                          Study Method

When studying the KIA, you don't study lines, you study plans and middlegame ideas against Black's possible formations.  Before we start, you have to realize that the KIA is not actually an opening.  In fact it has a total lack of any opening play.  The KIA is just a bridge that allows you to avoid the violent waves of the always stormy "opening ocean" and moves you quickly and safely to the "middlegame valley".  Although this may sound good, it's also bad because it means that you need better and more detailed preparation to achieve good results.  Just as your opponent can't surprise you, you also can't surprise him so the battle transfers directly into the middlegame where understanding has the main role.  Practically, as I already said, there is no opening, so no one is fighting for an opening advantage.  The KIA is an "understanding contest" right from the first move.

Because of this Black players who play the Botvinnik Formation usually avoid playing ...d5 too early and wait for a more favorable moment (especially if White loses at least a tempo somehow). 

                                                    Plans and Ideas

The Botvinnik Formation gives both sides a lot of chances.  In fact specific plans don't exist as both sides can play on either wing or in the center.  If White doesn't react actively, Black may quickly expand and take the initiative.

                                                       Game 1

Among Black's plans is also launching a kingside attack.  If White isn't careful the game may end very quickly.

                                                          Game 2

                                         Reshevsky's Plan

In the next game Samuel Reshevsky completely "deactivates" the Botvinnik Formation.

Reshevsky taught us the Botvinnik Formation's main problem, the light squares.  The fact that Black is in a temporary "light-square positional dilemma" (...d5 leads to a bad KID with colors reversed and not playing it to a, maybe, permanent light square weakness) means that White's game should be on the light squares.  Most of the time the important pieces are the knights and White's LSB.  Black will usually seek counterplay on the kingside with ...f5-f4.  Most of the time it is a positional mistake for White not to exchange at f5 (e4xf5).  This allows, not only opening his very important LSB, but also creating weaknesses leading to Black's king.  If Black responds ...g6xf5 his king is not safe anymore and, in lots of cases, it is White who attacks on the kingside.  Let's remember Game 2 in Post 5 (Bakhtadze vs. Kacheishvili).

In any case, a well timed ...d5 or ...f5-f4 will create very good winning chances for Black and are the key moves you should try to stop or render harmless.  The next examples will convince you of how dangerous the Botvinnik Formation can be if White is not careful.  We already said how important the knights are for White.  Mishandling them can lead to a quick disaster.

                                                             Game 1 

                                                   Varnusz's Plan

Until now we have examined 2 possible plans for White:

1) Reshevsky's a4-Rb1-b4 and

2) Nezhmetdinov's a4-a5. 

Both are important plans to remember (and we will come back to them later) but they are not the only ones.  A well known Hungarian theoretician in the '60s, Egon Varnusz (mostly known for his books), presented and analyzed a different one in 1965.

It is important to understand that the key move in Varnusz's plan is b5.  In the next game White fails to get an advantage because he doesn't  understand that simple idea.

After the sequence b5 ...Na5 White usually gets an edge with c4.  The "misplacement" of Black's knight gives White another option that, although it seems interesting, usually proves dubious. 

A last game (for this line) that illustrates 2 important white plans: pressure on e5 (after ...d5) and h4-h5.

Here is the interesting part.  Against Varnusz's plan, the most popular defensive move (8...a5) is actually wrong!  The move became very popular after Alexei Shirov used it in 1993.  The idea behind the move is to prevent any White queenside activity, even at the cost of increased light-square weakening so that Black will be able to launch a central or kingside attack.  It is a move that demands fast action from Black in order not to allow White to exploit the extensive light-square weaknesses and can lead to very short games.  It is really surprising that even very good theoreticians like Aleksandr Wojtkiewicz and Luke McShane have used the move (none more than once, though, and that must mean something).

Already since 1975, Istvan Bilek showed how White should play against ...a5.

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