At best I am a mediocre chess player. But I like the game and want to get better. I have been playing some games over at Chess World and mostly figuring out I need to work on my game. Lately I have been studying a particular opening for White, the King’s Indian Attack. This is a well-known opening, and it is well documented in the chess literature.

Here is the basic position one aims for with the White pieces after the first few moves:

One can get to this position by different orders of moves. It’s not that complicated, and it puts White in a nice asymmetrical position that allows for various attacking options. I am not having too much trouble getting to the King’s Indian Attack position, but I don’t know what to do next. So I am contemplating the possibilities. What I am finding is that the King’s Indian Attack provides a slightly better opening than what I was doing before, which was a more symmetrical attack on the center–a kind of basic “take the high ground” idea one learns as a first principle when one is a beginner. My understanding of chess has been at the beginner level for a long time. I figure a little study couldn’t hurt, though I only have time for a little.

For more insight, here are a couple of videos that explain how the King’s Indian Attack works: