Reichenbach falls

The former world champion Vladimir Kramnik recently espoused an opening system which I elaborated in a tournament in Germany in 1975. Remarkably, in the first two rounds of the Mannheim competition, both of my opponents defended identically, and both were eventually ground down in simplified positions. Kramnik used the same method to defeat grandmaster Peter Svidler, the seven-times Russian champion, in the recently concluded Russian Team Championship. A position from Kramnik’s victory forms the topic of this week’s puzzle.

Keene-Reichenbach: Mannheim 1975; Reti Opening

1 Nf3 d5 2 b3 Nf6 3 Bb2 g6 4 g3 The double fianchetto is the hallmark of this variation. 4 … Bg7 5 Bg2 0-0 6 0-0 c5 7 c4 d4 8 b4 This is necessary before Black builds up a powerful centre with moves such as … Nc6 and … e5 when White’s dark-squared bishop runs the danger of being permanently locked out of play. 8 … Nfd7 9 bxc5 The game Keene-Mallee, Mannheim 1975 saw instead 9 a3 e5 10 d3 Nc6 11 Nbd2 where White was also successful. 9 … Nxc5 10 d3 Nc6 11 Nbd2 Re8 The Kramnik-Svidler game diverged here with 11 … Rb8 12 Ba3 Qa5. 12 a4 e5 13 Nb3 Ne6 14 Ba3 (see diagram 1). The point of White’s play has been to activate the dark-squared bishop and create potential pressure against Black’s queenside pawns which can be attacked both via the open b-file and from White’s long-ranging bishop on g2. 14 … Rb8 15 Nfd2 Bf8 16 Bxf8 Kxf8 17 a5 Nb4 18 Qc1 Kg7 19 Qb2 Nc6 Black goes into passive mode. His knight on b4 is well-placed and there was no necessity to withdraw it. Reinforcing the knight with 19 … Qe7 would be better. 20 a6 After this essential thrust Black’s queenside is in permanent danger of collapse.