King's Indian Attack

The King's Indian Attack, often abbreviated KIA, is more a setup system than a forced move sequence. White commonly plays Nf3, moving the knight from g1 to f3, advances the g-pawn from g2 to g3, and develops the f1-bishop to g2. This placement of the bishop on g2 behind the g3-pawn is called a fianchetto. White often follows by moving the d2-pawn to d3, the e2-pawn to e4, and using kingside castling, the special move that places the king on g1 and the rook on f1.

The idea is to let Black reveal how the center, especially d4, e4, d5, and e5, will be occupied. Rather than immediately filling the center with pawns, White brings pieces out from their starting squares and later looks for pawn advances that challenge Black's structure, such as moving the e-pawn from e4 to e5, or for pressure on the kingside. Because the same setup can arise against several defenses, understanding the plans matters more than memorizing one exact move order.

The King's Indian Attack builds a setup before striking

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StartNf3d5g3Nf6Bg2e6O-OBe7d3O-ONbd2c5e4Nc6Re1

The exact move order can change

This sequence shows one representative construction, not a mandatory list of moves.

It resembles the King's Fianchetto Opening, but they are not synonyms: 1.g3 alone defines that opening, while the King's Indian Attack normally includes Nf3 and a fuller setup with d3 and e4. It is also closely connected with the Réti Opening, since both may begin with Nf3 and keep White's pawn structure flexible.