Kings Indian Attack - book

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Bg4 4. dxe5 Bxf3 5. Qxf3 dxe5 6. Bc4 Nf6 7. Qb3 Bd6 8. Bxf7+ Kf8 9. Bg5 Nbd7 10. Bh5 g6 11. Bh6+ Ke7 12. Bf3 Nc5 13. Qc4 b5 14. Qe2 Ne6 15. Be3 a6 16. Nd2 Kf7 17. O-O-O Qe7 18. g3 Rhb8 19. Bg2 {The Bishop fianchetto's after a long day at the office and has a rest.}

1. e4 e6 2. d3 {Arguably, the KIA was Fischer's best approach to the French Defense. At the very least, they are his games against the French that are cited and published the most!} 2... d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. g3 {It is more common for White to play 4. Ngf3 first, but the game transposes in any case. With this move, White preserves the option of playing f4 before committing the Knight.} 4... c5 5. Bg2 Nc6 6. Ngf3 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. e5 $220 {Diagram The thematic move, effectively splitting the board in two.} 8... Nd7 9. Re1 {GM Henley provides a very insightful comment here: "If a student had time to learn only one game thoroughly in the KIA, I would recommend this game. Fischer's play in this game became the standard to which other games are compared!"} 9... b5 {This is the best and most aggressive way to play the French against the KIA. If Black does not aggressively pursue Queenside action, White will conduct the game on his own terms against Black's King.} 10. Nf1 {A typical redeployment in this variation. The Knight will return to action via h2 and g4, or sometimes to e3–especially if Black plays his Queen to c7 and the thematic sacrifice on d5 becomes viable.} 10... b4 11. h4 a5 12. Bf4 $1 {Exclam by GM Alexander Chernin, who added "A good move, overprotecting e5 so that the Nf3 can later play to g5". Indeed, the move is now part of the main line, having stood the test of time.} 12... a4 13. a3 $1 $220 {Diagram Exclam by FM Smith and SM Hall. In their words, the move is "designed to block the positional threat 13. ... a3 which would force a weakening of the dark squares."} 13... bxa3 14. bxa3 Na5 $2 {Smith and Hall consider this move suspect, and recommend 14. ... Ba6 or even 14. ... Nd4. GM Emms is the one who awards the punctuation, arguing that "the knight does little here; Black should continue with 14. ... Ba6."} {Black tried 14...Nb6 and achieved a quick draw, although the final arrangement of pieces would encourage many White players to play on. 15.h5 c4 16.h6 g6 17.d4 Na7 18.Qd2 ½–½ Rodriguez Cordoba,J (2390)-Robatsch,K (2460)/Skopje 1972/EXT 2000} 15. Ne3 {15.N1h2 Here is an example of the alternative deployment given in the notes at move 10: 15...c4 16.d4 c3 17.Bh3 Ra6 18.Qd3 Rc6 19.Ng5 g6 20.Ng4 Nc4 21.Qf3 Kg7 22.Nh6 Nd2 23.Qd1 Qb6 24.Bxd2 cxd2 25.Qxd2 Qb2 26.Rab1 Qxc2 27.Qf4 Bxg5 28.hxg5 Qd3 29.Bf1 Qxa3 Hera,I (2312)-Erdelyi,Z (2146)/Budapest 2000/EXT 2001/1–0 (41)} 15... Ba6 16. Bh3 $1 $220 {Diagram Smith and Hall assign the exclam here, and Dunnington concurs. It is a recurring theme for White to deploy the Bishop to h3 to eye the e6 pawn, especially when Black puts his Queen's bishop on b7 or (more often) a6. The move not only inhibits Black from playing ...f6 or ...f5, but can also increase the effectiveness of a potential sacrifice on d5.} {A more modern treatment has White assaulting the center and clearing the h1–a8 diagonal in the style of Reti: 16.c4 dxc4 17.Ng5 cxd3 18.Qh5 Bxg5 19.hxg5 f5 20.exf6 g6 21.Qh3 Qb6 22.Nd5 exd5 23.Bxd5+ Rf7 24.Bxf7+ Kxf7 25.Qxh7+ Kf8 26.Qg7# 1–0 Meschke,A-Seeling,K (2200)/Schwaebisch Gmuend 1998/CBM 062 ext} 16... d4 {While it is clear that Black must open lines in the center on the Queenside, White will now be able to use the e4 square for operations against the Black King.} 17. Nf1 $1 {Exclam by GM Emms. Here we have another fine Fischer Knight move to the back rank, with the idea of redeployment (shades of Fischer- I. Ibrahimoglu, which occurred three years later). It also presages Fischer's famous King's Indian Defense speed game against Korchnoi at the "World Blitz Championship" in Herceg Novi in 1970, where his Knight redeployment ended the game in his favor. IM Dunnington also gives the exclam, adding that " White shows his understanding of these positions with this retreat. Many players would use the g4–square for the knight, but then White's queen would have difficulty when the time comes to swing over to the kingside".} {If 17.Ng4 then 17...Nb6=} 17... Nb6 18. Ng5 {A recurring, thematic move in this type of position. White tries to tempt Black to create a pawn weakness in front of his King, or give up his dark-squared Bishop.} 18... Nd5 {Smith and Hall criticize this superficially-appealing move. Interestingly, Rybka considers 18. ... Bb7, 18. ... h6, and 18. ... c4 to all be equal.} 19. Bd2 {This move has the effect of keeping the Queen on the a5–d8 diagonal to protect the Knight, and discourages ...c4. Dunnington adds that " Fischer does not want to exchange his queen's bishop because his g5–knight is menacing enough to push Black into giving up his own dark-squared bishop. Keeping watch over the squares f6 and h6 is vital".} {19.Qh5 If 19...Bxg5 20.Bxg5 Qe8= and Black is OK. This last move is important- in many variations of the KIA vs. the French Defense, the Black Queen's move to the e8 square becomes a valuable defensive asset, and solves many of Black's problems.} 19... Bxg5 {Naturally, the removal of Black's dark-squared Bishop immediately makes him weaker on the dark squares- a fact his King will become personally acquainted with in just a few short moves.} {19...c4 20.Bxa5 Qxa5 21.dxc4=} 20. Bxg5 $11 $220 {Diagram While computers may consider this position to be equal, White's two Bishops and the relative King positions ae such that, given the choice, I think most players would rather play the White side here.} 20... Qd7 21. Qh5 Rfc8 22. Nd2 Nc3 23. Bf6 $1 {GM Keene awards this move an exclam, while Smith and Hall give it two- I suspect exclams crossing the ocean are subject to the same exchange rate as the dollar and the pound!} 23... Qe8 {The Bishop is taboo: 23...gxf6 24.exf6 Kh8 25.Bf5 exf5 26.Re7 Qd8 (26...Qxe7 27.fxe7+&ndash 27.Rxf7 Qg8 28.Rg7 Qxg7 29.fxg7+ Kxg7 30.Re1+–} 24. Ne4 {See note at move 16.} 24... g6 $6 {Black has a creative defense involving a sacrifice of the exchange starting with 24...Bb7! and after 25.Nd6 Qf8 26.Nxc8 Rxc8 27.Bg5 White may still have some advantage, but Black is certainly better than the game continuation. He will be down the exchange, but the positon definitely favors his Knights over White's Bishops.} 25. Qg5 {Now Fischer has the pawn lever h4–h5, and g3–g4 if Black tries ...h5. White's advantage is clear. Just when Black's King really needs to find religion, his dark-squared Bishop is nowhere to be found.} 25... Nxe4 26. Rxe4 c4 $2 {Perhaps 26...Bb7!? might be a viable alternative 27.Rf4 Bd5±} 27. h5 {If 27.Rxd4 Rc7 28.h5 cxd3 29.cxd3 Nb7+–} 27... cxd3 28. Rh4 Ra7 $2 {Black needed to play Rc7– a variation of the old annotator's standby, "wrong Rook".} 29. Bg2 $3 {GM Emms awards this move a double exclam without comment, but} {NM Pandolfini writes that "White has a powerful Kingside attack, but Black may be able to hold the position ( 29.Qh6 , for example, is answered by ... 29...Qf8 , offering to trade Queens, dissipating White's assault). Fischer played a move so subtle that Black gve it little attention."} 29... dxc2 {If Black plays the obvious 29...Qf8 there follows 30.Be4 dxc2 31.hxg6 fxg6 32.Bxg6 hxg6 33.Rh8+ Kf7 34.Rxf8+ Rxf8+–} 30. Qh6 Qf8 {The "promotional sacrifice" 30...c1Q+ fails to alter the decision: 31.Rxc1 Rxc1+ 32.Kh2 Rh1+ 33.Bxh1 Qf8 34.Qxh7+ Kxh7 35.hxg6+ Kg8 36.Rh8#} 31. Qxh7+ $3 {Exclams provided by a chorus of Grandmasters over the last four decades! A pretty end to a well-played game.}