King’s Indian Attack Vs 2...d6 Sicilian Defense
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The books I’ve read about the KIA rarely explain how to play against the d6-Sicilian. They usually cover KIA vs e6-Sicilian. Moreover, the chess.com database shows a terrible win rate for White when this system is played against the d6-Sicilian. Is there a particular reason for why the KIA is less effective against 2...Nc6 and 2...d6 Sicilians? Thanks in advance! =)
May 15, 2020
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#2
The Kings Indian Attack is NOT an effective "catch all" system. It is bad against 1...e5, it is barely effective against the Caro-Kann because of 1.e4 c6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 e5, though the fact that White can play an eventual exd5 makes it less bad than against 1...e5. It also does not work well against the ...d6 or ...Nc6 Sicilians partially due to the same theme.
Look at the light-squared Bishop for both players. With a Black pawn on e5, Black's LSB is free to roam and even arrive on White's Kingside to trade itself off for a Knight, and if Black can get this down to an endgame, you could be looking at a horrible case of good Knight for Black vs Bad Bishop for White. Black also maintains a space advantage if he can maintain control of e5, especially if he can control it with pieces, like if White tries to open up with f4 and dxe5, if Black can safely capture back with say, a knight, he has a firm blockade on White.
In the case of the e6-Sicilian and the French, Black's Bishop is behind the pawn chain. If Black plays ...d5 (KIA vs French), White will later (usually move 9) play e5, creating a wedge and having a Kingside Attack with Black's pieces unable to help and so Black must storm the Queenside to distract White and this often leads to a bloodbath type of battle.
In the e6-Sicilian, if Black goes for a later ...d6, holding back and trying to contain White and not allow e5, then you have a slower, more positional build up. Typically Black's DSB will be fianchettoed here, and with the small center for Black, d6 and e6, White should be playing for d4. The Knight should stay home at b1 and not go to d2 (Knight should only go to d2 when ...d5 is played to avoid the Queen trade after a swap on e4 or later on when the battle for d4 is done with). White should play c3 in this line, and now Black has a dilemma.
Does he allow d4 by White? Or does he stop it with ...e5? Now you might be saying "that's the e5 problem you mentioned". Difference here is that it took Black 2 moves instead of 1 to do it, giving white a free move comparatively speaking, and with Black now committed to a fianchetto with the diagonal blocked by e5, and White having already played c4, White can now shift gears and play for b4 without having to worry about a weakened diagonal against his a1-rook because the Black e5-Pawn blocks the diagonal.
Hope this explains clearly why the KIA are best used against the e6-Sicilian and the French, far less effective against the Caro, Nc6 Sicilian, and d6 Sicilian, and outright ineffective against 1...e5.
Thank you, ThrillerFan! It makes a lot more sense to me now.
