KIA - the beginnins

Hello. I've been recently suggested to study king's indian attack and to use it as a base for building my opening repertoire. I'm happy to follow this advice and, in connection with this, would like to ask about two things.

a) What is the first book about the KIA that I may refer to - I'd like to have both ideas and most common tactics explained (and not too many variations)

b) Which players' games should I study if I'd like to have the KIA played in a simple and nononsense way? (it is for this reason that I don't want to go into Petrosian - I'd like something I'll be able to follow)

Videos from dzindzichasvili free online. KIA move by move by Neil McDonald I believe. I used to be an avid KIA player, later when I'm not on a phone I can help u out if u wish

Just an FYI, you might want to make a note of this for those in the group.  For example, irozobel has been playing with this.  We can probably do a Skype session on it, if you can make it.  I'm sure hicetnunc would be fine with the idea.  Unfortunately, there's no way I can make Wednesday meetings.

Thank you very much for your responses. Do you know any players starting with 1. Nf3 (I'd like to avoid e5) and playing a relatively easy and straightforward KIA systems - people whose game I could study?

Sorry, I don't play the KIA, but I would like to learn, too; so I don't really know of anyone.

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chesscollection?cid=1009579

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chesscollection?cid=1006160

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chesscollection?cid=1001207

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chesscollection?cid=1002447

chess.com people need to learn the search button.

Daimonion at your  level you should play e4 and learn tactics. KIA is far too positional for you to understand unless your willing to do some serious studying (no offense). 

Thank you for these references, I'll certainly use them. As for you advice, I don't take it as an offense and, as a matter of fact, I more or less agree (The fact that I'm interested in the KIA doesn't mean that I don't play e4. I play it quite often in my training games, exactly in order to practice tactics)

I began playing the K.I.A. back in 2000 because I was having problems against the Sicilian and didn't appeciate the variable defenses to 1.e4: French, Sicilian, Caro-Khan, Alekhine, ect. I just wanted to play the King's Gambit, and I was getting it so rarely, I lost scope of how to play it!

I do not recommend the K.I.A. for anyone under 1500, and even then only if the player is versatile in positional chess and likes transpositions. The two books I had (one by Eric Schiller, who should be ashamed of himself for his horrible work!) showed the moves and the games but not the sophistication required to win regularly. Initially, I can honestly say that the K.I.A. cost more USCF rating points than all other systems combined! Fortunately, I changed to The Reti, and have used it ever since. I was on an opening quest: I actually thought I could have a universal system that played 1.Nf3 and 1.Nf6 against everything, which meant I was playing the Alekhine againt 1.e4. Even though I have a slight winning record with the Alekhine, there are at least three (count 'em-3!!) variations that are just not worth it for black, and all of the books agree...

But I digress. I recommend the Reti and  Reversed Grunfeld and maybe the K.I.A. by transposition to avoid black's main lines. They are all part of a 1.Nf3 system which includes: The Nimzo-Larsen Attack, Reti, K.I.D., Catalan, English, Reversed Grunfeld, and Reversed Sicilian. The Reversed Grunfeld is quite charming, that extra tempo makes all of the difference. Where I've had many problems with the black side of the Grunfeld Defense (one of only three systems that I have a losing tournament record with black- Owens Defense, Rat Defense). I've never lost any games with the Reversed Grunfeld. I wish I could like the Catalan, but I think it betrays the purpose of 1.Nf3: avoiding the kingpawn & queen-pawn game with control of the transpositions. It's really just the queen's gambit ideas, and formation with a kingside fianchetto and bishop The K.I.A does fit into the body of openings, but I don't think you should champion it.

The bottom line is that if you are going to play the K.I.A. don't be dogmatic about it: those knights do not have to be at f3, d2, and c4, c3 does not always need to be played, c4 can be played instead of e4, white may exchange e for d pawns in the opening, white does not have to have a pawn posted at e5 to have an advantage, and does not need to apply Nimzowitsch overprotection to prove it. It is a very flexible system but you need to know it and it needs to fit you. Do you consider yourself a strong tactical player? Do you to see and execute sacrificial strikes? Do you like the idea of force and ongoing initiative? If your answer is yes to any of these questions, don't play the K.I.A.

The only book that does the entire system any real justice is IM John Donaldson's, A Strategic Opening Repertoire (1998). Most of his book focuses on a unified system of themes and strategies around the Reversed Sicilian, Catalan and English. The last chapter offers a few Reti, Reversed Grunfeld, Nimzo-Larsen & K.I.A. games, but he really doesn't believe in those systems. In fact, he strongly recommends against the K.I.A, in the introduction. Still it's better than the two books I had on the K.I.A., which I believe did more harm than good.

The King's Indian attack - Move by Move by GM Neil McDonald (2014)

Starting Out: King's Indian Attack by John Emms (2005)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627034051/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen81.pdf

"... For players with very limited experience, I recommend using openings in which the play can be clarified at an early stage, often with a degree of simplification. To accomplish this safely will take a little study, because you will have to get used to playing wiith open lines for both sides' pieces, but you can't eliminate risk entirely in the opening anyway. ... teachers all over the world suggest that inexperienced players begin with 1 e4. ... You will undoubtedly see the reply 1 ... e5 most often when playing at or near a beginner's level, ... After 2 Nf3, 2 ... Nc6 will occur in the bulk of your games. ... I recommend taking up the classical and instructive move 3 Bc4 at an early stage. Then, against 3 ... Bc5, it's thematic to try to establish the ideal centre by 4 c3 and 5 d4; after that, things can get complicated enough that you need to take a look at some theory and learn the basics; ... Of course, you can also play 1 d4 ... A solid and more-or-less universal set-up is 2 Nf3 and 3 Bf4, followed in most cases by 4 e3, 5 Be2 and 6 0-0. I'd rather see my students fight their way through open positions instead; however, if you're not getting out of the opening alive after 1 e4, this method of playing 1 d4 deserves consideration. ... a commonly suggested 'easy' repertoire for White with 1 Nf3 and the King's indian Attack ... doesn't lead to an open game or one with a clear plan for White. Furthermore, it encourages mechanical play. Similarly, teachers sometimes recommend the Colle System ..., which can also be played too automatically, and usually doesn't lead to an open position. For true beginners, the King's Indian Attack and Colle System have the benefit of offering a safe position that nearly guarantees passage to some kind of playable middlegame; they may be a reasonable alternative if other openings are too intimidating. But having gained even a small amount of experience, you really should switch to more open and less automatic play." - IM John Watson in a section of his 2010 book, Mastering the Chess Openings, Volume 4

Both the Emms and Donaldson books were written after the books I studied and I'm sure they're better. I have read books by both authors and I like them both. Emms co-wrote Dangerous Weapons: The Sicilian (Richard Palliser). Which I highly recommend. I think Palliser is on a mission to write an opening manual on every opening (LOL). At this point, I don't need a K.I.A. book, just more 1.Nf3 wins. Even though it's my opening move of choice, there's so much work to do on all systems. Even though I do not recommend the K.I.A. to inexperienced positional players, I prefer it over the English and the Catalan, really just as matter of taste, but tastes really do matter in chess; otherwise everybody would be playing the open king pawn game or some form of the queen's gambit.

Hikaru Nakamura often uses the Reti and often plays the King's Indian Attack with it. I know that this comment is way too late but it is a very good opening that I like to use. There is a course on Chessable called "Short & Sweet: King's Indian Attack" which is really good and I'm learning right now.