Kramnik and the Reti (Part 2)

In the context of modern chess Kramnik's departure from theoretical lines is not unusual. World Champion Magnus Carlsen has set a trend, as World Champions always do, to shift the main part of the battle to the middlegame and the endgame. Today's best players consider it impractical to allow their lower-rated opponents to play 25 moves of theory. White has a lot of options with his opening choices, as long as he's happy to just have a playable position.

Vladimir Kramnik has the utmost confidence in his ability to outplay his opponents in complex positions. His expertise in the Reti covers a wide array of possible pawn structures, many of which are of a “reversed color”variety.

The next example is a Benko/Benoni type of game, where a modest opening surprisingly transformed itself into a full-fledged ambitious middlegame once White's central pawns began to move forward.

Sometimes, White's unassuming handling of the opening moves may lure Black into a false sense of security. When White starts off with Ng1-f3 and g2-g3, it doesn't mean he isn't looking to open it up, should Black allow himself too many liberties with his move order. The next game illustrates the hidden dangers awaiting Black in the early ...b5 variation.

The Reti, a flexible attacking opening

The Nimzo-Indian, the Gruenfeld and the King's Indian Defence are three incredibly uncomfortable defences to meet. This hypermodern DVD gives new ideas on how to squash these setups with sound, positional play based on double fianchetto systems.

In contrast to the game above, in the following game Pentala Harikrishna played solid. Having reached a near symmetrical position after 16 moves of play, he must have thought he had equalized. It took one surprising move from Kramnik to prove it wasn't the case.

In his mastery of the Modern Reti, Kramnik draws heavily from his general experience in 1.d4 openings. Every possible pawn structure is an open book for him. When the next game went off the rails early, Vladimir knew exactly what to do.

Reti - A Repertoire for White

Starting with 1.Nf3 the Reti is designed for those players who like strategy, manoeuvres and plans. Bologan presents a repertoire based on 1.Nf3 giving you options for all major replies.

Still, the main battles will be fought in classical 1...d5 lines of the Reti. Below are two recent examples, one each for the ...Bf5 and ...Bg4 variations. I offer only brief notes, leaving the rest to my dear readers to figure out on their own.

The next game is a fascinating struggle against the young German GM Bluebaum. Kramnik finds himself forced to sacrifice, but gets proper compensation. To his credit, Bluebaum holds his own for a very long time.

My Path to the Top

On this DVD Vladimir Kramnik retraces his career from talented schoolboy to World Champion in 2006. With humour and charm he describes his first successes, what it meant to be part of the Russian Gold Medal team at the Olympiad, and how he undertook the Herculean task of beating his former mentor and teacher Garry Kasparov.

Previous articles on World Champions by Alex Yermolinsky:

• Capablanca and the Nimzo-Indian
• Botvinnik and the Pirc/Modern
• Kramnik and the Modern Reti - Part 1