Kings Indian Attack, French Reversed & Grünfeld Variation
King's Indian Attack (KIA)
Definition
The King's Indian Attack is a flexible opening system for White rather than a single move-order. Typical moves are 1. Nf3, 2. g3, 3. Bg2, 4. 0-0, 5. d3, 6. e4, often followed by Re1, Nbd2, and sometimes c3. The plan echoes Black’s ideas from the King’s Indian Defense, but with an extra tempo.
Usage in Chess
- Favoured by players who like to sidestep preparation; the identical setup can be reached against the French, Sicilian, Caro-Kann, or …e6 English lines.
- White defers the central pawn advance, waiting to play e4 or d4 at the most convenient moment, thereby reacting to, rather than predicting, Black’s scheme.
- In club play it is prized for its clear attacking plan: f2-f4-f5 and a kingside pawn-storm.
Strategic & Historical Significance
Bobby Fischer made the KIA famous in the 1960s, scoring 90 % with it between 1960-1967. Because it can be reached via many move-orders, it became a tool to avoid the heavy theory that started emerging in mainline 1.e4 openings.
Illustrative Game
Fischer – Myagmarsuren, Sousse 1967: a model kingside assault featuring the thematic f-pawn thrust.
Interesting Facts
- The set-up is so universal that Grandmaster John Emms joked: “If you learn one opening in life, learn the KIA—then play it with both colours!”
- Computer engines long undervalued the slow buildup; modern neural-net engines, however, often rate the position favorably for White once the attack starts.
French Reversed
Definition
“French Reversed” refers to any opening in which White adopts Black’s typical French Defense structure (…e6, …d5, …c5) but with colours reversed. Because White has an extra tempo, the strategic balance differs markedly from the true French Defense.
Typical Move-Orders
- 1. d4 e6 2. e4 d5 (the most literal reversal)
- 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 – an English that transposes into French structures.
- 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. d4 – a Réti/King’s Indian Attack line leading to a reversed Tarrasch French.
Strategic Themes
- Because White has the extra tempo, the light-squared bishop often escapes its “French prison” via g2 or d3, something Black players dream of in a regular French.
- Typical French pawn breaks (…c5, …f6 for Black) become c4 and f4 for White—yet they come one move sooner.
- Black, in turn, enjoys the solidity of the French structure without the usual headache of the bad bishop.
Illustrative Mini-Game
The game shows how rapidly White’s initiative can grow when the extra tempo in a French structure is used for quick kingside play.
Interesting Facts
- World Champion Magnus Carlsen used a French Reversed structure to beat Levon Aronian (Wijk aan Zee 2012), joking afterwards that “the French is playable—if you have an extra move.”
- Many databases catalogue these lines under the code “A40” or “A41” (Queen’s Pawn un-classified), illustrating how rarely theory has caught up with them.
Grünfeld Variation (The Grünfeld Defense)
Definition
The Grünfeld Defense arises after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5, where Black immediately strikes at the center with the d-pawn, inviting White to build a broad pawn centre (e4, d4) that Black later undermines with …c5 and …Nc6.
Main Branches
- Exchange Variation: 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7
- Russian System: 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qb3
- Fianchetto Variation: 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. g3
Strategic & Historical Significance
Created by Austrian Grandmaster Ernst Grünfeld in 1922 (Grünfeld – Spielmann, Vienna). It became a favourite of World Champions Botvinnik, Fischer, and, above all, Garry Kasparov, who used it as his main weapon against Anatoly Karpov.
Model Game
Kasparov’s brilliant pawn sacrifice 13…cxd4! 14.cxd4 Qa5+!? exemplifies the Grünfeld principle of allowing White’s centre only to tear it down later.
Interesting Facts & Anecdotes
- The opening became so deeply analysed in the 1990s that Karpov dubbed it “Kasparov’s Pet Dragon.”
- A reversed form—the “Reversed Grünfeld”—occurs from the English Opening: 1. c4 g6 2. Nc3 d5 3. cxd5 Nf6 4. e4, giving White Grünfeld-like play with an extra tempo.
- AlphaZero’s 2017 self-play games repeatedly chose the Grünfeld for Black, reinforcing its reputation as one of the soundest dynamic defences.