IT has in the past done quite a bit of tier matching, some even without request by the pax! If you do, however, request them to match, they'll want to see your record of travel with 9W in the last 6-12 months.
Given the changes to IT's program (
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/airli...f-program.html), I think its a great idea to move to KingClub !