Play the King’s Indian Attack! (Hardcover)

The King’s Indian Attack, featuring White’s early kingside fianchetto and d3, while usually involving the e4 advance and often a kingside pawn storm, was one of Bobby Fischer’s favourite openings. It is simple to learn without the need to worry about huge blocks of theory and it is taught through 77 illustrative games.

That said, being simple to learn doesn’t mean that the opening doesn’t have its fair share of excitement – and complications. It certainly has – both tactical and positional – once you get into the middlegame, but there is very little that you need to learn by heart after you digest the key ideas from the book’s introduction and illustrative games.

This book features eleven games with Fischer as White.

The book recommends White’s best easy-to-remember set ups against all of Black’s main replies. The key material is delivered as follows:

• Chapter 1: The Reversed King’s Indian
• Chapter 2: The Reversed Pirc
• Chapter 3: KIA vs …d5 …c6 and …Bxf3
• Chapter 4: KIA vs …d5 …c6 and …Bh5
• Chapter 5: KIA vs Reversed London System
• Chapter 6: KIA vs French Defence
• Chapter 7: KIA vs …e5/…d6 Structures
• Chapter 8: KIA vs Reversed English Formations

The author himself is a frequent practitioner of the opening. The book features nine games with Cyrus as White and another three as Black. Further, he has taught it to numerous students over the years. Other games feature elite players including Carlsen, Kasparov, Kramnik, Anand, Petrosian, Botvinnik, Gukesh, Ding, Nepo, Nakamura, Pragg, Svidler, Giri, Timman, Kamsky, Polugaevsky, Erigaisi, Lilienthal and Stahlberg.

Cyrus Lakdawala is an International Master, a former National Open and American Open Champion, and six-time State Champion. He has been teaching chess for over 40 years, and coaches top US juniors.