I am reading the first chapter of Neil McDonald's KIA Move by Move game. This chapter is versus the French, the author states the KIA is good when Black has played e6 because he loses tempo if he plays e5 later.

So he suggests 1. e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.g3

OK what if Black simply exchanges on e4?  4. ...dxe4 5. dxe4
Then Black plays 5. ...e5!
Now what? White has played g3 already, he has to fianchetto on g2 and have a bad blocked in bishop while Black has space, easy development and castles 1 move earlier, too. Ehhhh? Where is my tempo advantage? I am playing White and he lost a tempo supposedly moving his e-pawn twice.

Granted : London seems to cover a lot of openigns based on d4/Bf4/Nf3 etc. Therefor London System seems to be the most appropriate name to me...
But that was not the point, but this : the NYD is not that terrible to meet, in fact White scores above average with 4. b3 and 4. d3.

MNB, it is not a reversed London as long as White does not play x. d4.
And white does have some viable other options which do not score too badly... 
After all the KIA (A07-A08) is just a variation within the Reti (A04 up till A09)...

I think you sum up the options well, JEH.

Dunnington, yeah -- but after looking at his Reversed Pirc-style suggestion in some detail I concluded it's anodyne indeed. I think which option a player adopts must be guided principally by the highly subjective/personal matter of which other openings they know and find congenial. As someone who plays the Reti and is learning the English I'm tempted myself by 2 c4, but for the latter I don't necessarily want my KN on f3.

In your option (2) maybe a sound but rarer, less theory-intensive anti-Chigorin is an idea -- say 3 Bf4 or 3 g3.

[quote author=nmga link=1166690424/0#12 date=1209977299] Point taken, but I could see no mention in Emms' book of (after 1 Nf3) 1 ...Nc6, which though obviously not critical for the KIA can be seriously annoying for a "system" player if they've got nothing prepared against it ...[/quote]

I've only come across Dunnington's Ultimate KIA that mentions this one in the mass of KIA books. Rather annoying to be on your own at move 2!

Main Options are:

1) 2. e4 and Transpose into a Nimzowistch defence or mainline 1. e4 e5 opening. OK if you are using the KIA as part of an 1. e4 repetoire, which is the best approach.
2) 2. d4 and Transpose into a Chigorin. Decent choice theoretically, but not ideal to learn something like this for rare occasions.
3) 2. c4 and you're in a Reti.

These are outside of the scope of a Starting Out:KIA book somewhat, but are the best options.

4) 2. g3 and keep going with the system. White'll probably end up in a reversed Pirc. This is also true if you use the KIA vs the Alekhine (1. e4 Nf6 2. d3), Petroff (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d3) or as a Lopez replacement (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. g3 or d3). There is also KIA vs Pirc, or a copycat/symettrical approach. All very tame and not ideal, but White is =.

These are the sort of holes a KIA needs to patch with other systems. It's not a universal solution to lazyness  ;)

TomKarlsen wrote on 05/05/08 at 07:20:41:


The KIA won't be that much of a surprise anymore. If you like learning from DVD's then Nigel's one is decent.

The problem with a lot of KIA material is that it is overhyped by the authour as the ultimate answer to all your opening woes.

Therefore I think the best effort so far is Emm's Starting Out:KIA, as he gives a balanced view and doesn't overrate White's chances or shove the Fischer games down your throat.

if black plays a kings indian setup he plays c4,d3,Rb1,b4. And keeps the e-pawn back at e2