Easy Guide to the Reti Opening

130 Pages·1998·9.69 MB·English

by  Angus Dunnington

Easy Guide to the
Reti Opening
Angus Dunnington
CADOGAN
chess
LONDON. NEW YORK
First published in 1998 by Cadogan Books pic,
27-29 Berwick St., London WIV 3RF, in association with
Gambit Publications Ltd, 69 Masbro Road, London W14 OLS.
Copyright © 1998 Angus Dunnington
The right of Angus Dunnington to be identified as the author of this work has
been asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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ISBN 1 85744518 X
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Contents
Symbols 4
Introduction 5
1 1 iDf3 d5 2 c4 dxc4 9
2 1 iDf3 d5 2 c4 d4 18
3 1 iDf3 d5 2 c4 c6 3 b3 iDf6 4 g3 44
4 1 iDf3 d5 2 c4 e6 3 b3 iDf6 4 g3 66
5 Dutch systems: 1iDf3 f5 98
6 1 iDf3 iDf6 2 g3 g6 3 b4 114
Index of Variations 126
Symbols
+ check
++ double check
# checkmate
x capture
!! brilliant move
good move
!? interesting move
?! dubious move
? bad move
?? blunder
Ch championship
Cht team championship
Wch world championship
Ct candidates event
IZ interzonal event
Z zonal event
OL olympiad
ECC European Clubs Cup
jr junior event
worn women's event
mem memorial event
rpd rapidplay game
corr correspondence game
qual qualifying event
1-0 the game ends in a win for White
1/2_11l the game ends in a draw
0-1 the game ends in a win for Black
(n) nth match game
(D) see next diagram
Introduction
This book is designed to provide the and a million games, the opening phase
reader with an appreciation of the of the game will no longer be a prob
ideas behind the Reti treatment of the lem. Simply memorize a dozen or so
versatile move 1 ~f3. The positional moves and bring on the middlegame.
foundation upon which the hyper These players are easily identified as a
modern approach (holding back the game progresses by stereotyped play
centre pawns and observing the key and a lack of understanding of the im
central squares with pieces) is based portant characteristics of the opening,
offers much scope for every kind of themes which are relevant throughout
player. An equally attractive charac the middlegame and even in the end
teristic of the Reti - and other flank ing. An appreciation of the strategies
openings - is the difficulty experi and positional and tactical motifs of a
enced by Black when trying to come particular opening is far more impor
up with a response, for there are no tant than number-crunching, and Easy
targets of the type that usually offer Guide to the Reti Opening was written
the second player a ready-made strat with this in mind.
egy in 1 d4 or 1 e4 openings. 1 ~f3 is a wonderfully crafty way
Today's chess-player has access to to open the game. White makes a use
literally millions of games. Newspa ful developing move without commit
per articles, magazines, books, com ting his centre pawns, giving Black
puter databases and the Internet nothing to bite on. We will concentrate
bombard us with so much information on variations which see White adopt
that it would take several lifetimes to ing the Reti system. Richard Reti
take it all in. Adding to the frustration (1889-1929) was one of the Hyper
is the ever-changing theoretical debate moderns - a group of chess pioneers
which surrounds many openings and of the 1920s who drastically changed
defences. There is a thin line between the way the game was played. Ba
'effective' and 'unsound', and keeping sically, rather than erecting a big
up with the latest developments in just pawn-centre, Reti realized the ef
one cut-throat variation is virtually fectiveness of the combination of the
impossible. restrained pawn-centre and the fian
There is a tendency, as we approach chetto of one or both bishops. Through
a new millennium, for the club player out this book there are examples of the
to allow himself to be fooled into be pressure White manages to exert on
lieving that, armed with a computer the long diagonals, and apart from the
6 Easy Guide to the Reti Opening
dark-squared bishop, which plays a concise theoretical coverage, is em
major role thanks to the power of the bodied in the copious explanations of
queenside fianchetto, you will find plans and manoeuvres that accom
that White's queen sees a lot of action pany the theoretical discussion. Most
on the al-h8 diagonal. In fact, the Reti people associate the sequence 1 ~f3
bishop and the Reti queen make an ex d5 2 c4 with the Reti, and this book
cellent team! deals with 2 ... dxc4, 2 ... d4, 2 ... c6 and
The hypermodern strategy is taken 2 ... e6. In addition there is an investi
for granted today as a perfectly sound gation into retaining a flank openings
and promising approach which caters flavour against 1...f5 and, finally, the
for players of different styles, and interesting 1...~f6 2 g3 g6 3 b4!?,
players of every level have difficulty which guarantees that the game will
when faced with White's raking bish go down a path of White's choosing
ops on the long diagonals and the an and presents Black with numerous p0-
noying amorphous pawn-centre, which sitional problems.
threatens to advance with extreme Before feasting on the delights of
force should Black find his own 'over the Reti, here is a sample taste of
extended' centre being dismantled. It things to come. I have chosen three
is also no coincidence that Reti was an different centres.
endings expert, as White's persistent
initiative can lead to a promising end Black's c5-e5 Bind
game if Black seeks to relieve the
pressure through exchanges.
While it is not possible to cover all
of Black's first-move options, I have
nevertheless included the popular re w
sponses and patterns of development
which you can expect to meet on a
regular basis. As far as Reti themes are
concerned, you will be pleasantly sur
prised to learn that White has a num
ber of ways to steer the game into Reti
channels, even when Black expects -
and hopes for - a transposition to a
main-line 1 d4 opening. As the Reti The first feature that springs to mind
leads to such amorphous structures, I is the very different pawn structures.
have not followed the standard 'Easy Black's pawns on c5 and e5 combine
Guide' method of starting each section with the queen and both knights to
with schematic diagrams. However, keep the d4-square under guard,
the spirit of the series, of explaining though, as you will see in Chapter 1,
the key concepts while presenting White can achieve the d2-d4 break
Introduction 7
even in unlikely situations. Because of
White's super-restrained centre pawns
there is another effective way to shake B
Black's grip. Zaichik-de la Villa,
Moscow OL 1994 continued 11 ~e1
i.d7 12 ~d3 l:tc8 13 f4!. This the
matic break is also seen in Game 1,
note to Black's 8th move. With the
squares d3 and e3 still defended by
pawns White can get away with this
thrust, which forces the removal of the
eS-pawn and consequently reduces choice. However, in the diagram posi
Black's - and considerably increases tion White is already threatening to
White's - influence in the centre. Af post his bishop on the al-h8 diagonal
ter 13 ... exf4 14 ~xf4 we see another the natural home for this bishop in the
contrast in the scope of the bishops - Reti -to attack Black's over-extended
White's hypermodern brothers can centre, and by placing the pawn on b4
look forward to some action on the instead of b3 White undermines the
long diagonals, whereas the black potential support for the d4-pawn by
bishops are passive. Note also that keeping guard over the cS-square. De
White's pieces monitor the central pending on how much Black is pre
block of squaIes d3, e3, d4 (e2-e3 will pared to defend his centre, White can
keep Black's knights out), e4, dS, eS, increase the pressure with e2-e3, per
d6 and e6. With his forces now ready, haps with the intention of c4-cS, i.f1-
White soon brought his restrained c4 and even 1Wdl-b3, which can be
centre to life with e2-e3 and d2-d4-dS. particularly uncomfortable for Black
This victorious march through the if he supports d4 with ... t7-f6 and
centre is not uncommon in this and ... e7-eS. The immediate 3 e3 also con
similar lines. centrates on an immediate fight for the
centre, but some players will prefer
The black d4-pawn the more restrained lines featuring 3
g3 and i.f1-g2. Whichever avenue
When Black declines the temporary you choose, the thematic b2-b4 should
pawn offer and pushes with 2 ... d4 always be considered at some stage.
White has a pleasant choice of strate See Chapter 2 for more details.
gies. One aggressive approach is to
gang up on the d4-pawn and the centre Black's c6-d5-e6 wall
squares in general with 3 b4 (D).
This can be a very effective psycho The diagram position, taken from the
logical ploy, as 1 ~f3 is often consid game Spraggett-Garcia Callejo, Beni
ered to be the 'quiet' player's opening dorm 1993, helps illustrate one of the
8 Easy Guide to the Reti Opening
In this game the follOwing position
was reached a few moves later (D):
w
w
many uses of the Reti bishop on the
long al-h8 diagonal. Throughout the
book we will see this piece doing a lot
of good work. The situation we have Thanks to the hypermodern posting
here is typical of what happens when of White's queen he still controls the
Black develops his own queen's e5-square. Note, too, the importance
bishop and then erects a solid centre. of the d4-square, which is a poten
This is dealt with in detail in Chapter tially useful outpost for several of
3. Notice that the b2-bishop and f3- White's pieces. Play continued 19ltJes
knight combine to prevent Black ex lDxe5 20 .i.xe5 irb6 21 .i.d4 .i.c5 22
panding in the centre with ... e6-e5, lDf3 .i.xd4 23 'ii'xd4 lDd7 24 'ii'xb6
thus leaving White free to turn to the lDxb6 25 lDd4 ':'c8 (25 ... e5 26 lDc6)
queenside to generate play. After the 26 f4!, and White's continued owner
continuation 11 a3 as 12 .i.c3 b5 13 ship of both d4 and e5 left him well on
cxb5 cxb5 14 irb2 the queen adds top.
even more weight to the hold on the
e5-square. In fact the teaming up of I hope that you find the material in
the queen and bishop is a theme which Easy Guide to the Reti Opening both
crops up often in the Reti. interesting and helpful.
1 1 tiJf3 d5 2 c4 dxc4
Game 1 with an approximately level queeoless
Hubner - Garcia Palermo middlegame after 6 "xb4 lLlxb4 7
Bad Worishofen Mitropa Cup 1993 lLle3 c5 8 g3 i.d7 9 i.g2 i.c6 100-0
lLlf6 11lLlc3 g6 12 d3 i.g7 13 i.d2 e6
1 ffi ciS 2 c4 dxc4 (D) 14 l1ab1 .i.xg2 15 ~xg2 0-0 16 a3
lLlbd5, Andonov-Pantaleev, Belgrade
1991.
a2) Polugaevsky-Dlugy, London
1986 followed a more sensible path: 4
g3 g6 5 i.g2 .i.g7 61Dc3lLlh6 7 'ifxc4
lLlf5 80-00-09 d3 h6 10 i.d2 with a
balanced game. In complete contrast
the game Zlochevsky-Gertler, Phila
delphia 1991 was bizarre. Instead of 6
lLlc3 White playedFJ 0-0, but after
6 ... e5 the Russian must have enjoyed
rattling out 71L1xe5!?! i.xe5 8 i.xc6+
3~ bxc6 9 "xc6+ i.d7 10 'ife4 f6 11 f4.
The major alternative is 3 'ifa4+. A Whether Zlochevsky felt bored or in
more direct way to regain the c4-pawn spired is hard to say, but after 11...i.f5
than 3 ~, the early development of 12 "e3 "d4 13 fxe5 fxe5 14 lLla3
the queen is a popular choice. Black "xe3+ 15 dxe3 i.e6 16 e4 White had
has a few ways to block the queen's emerged with the superior pawn
check: structure and the better bishop.
a) 3 ... 1L1c6 is perfectly natural, b) 3 ... c6. This can transpose to the
when White can try to exploit the pin main game if Black continues ... lLlb8-
or continue with normal development. d7 followed by ... e7 -e5, but here Black
a1) 4lLle5 promises White very lit wants to develop his light-squared
tle. Then Black has 4 ... "d6, which bishop. 4 "xc41L1f6 5 g3 (the immedi
takes the sting out of 5lLlxc6 (the only ate 5 d4leads to a Slav) keeps White's
point of 4lLle5) on account of the re options open, his position being suffi
ply 5 ...i .d7. Consequently White has ciently flexible to wait for Black to
nothing better than 5 lLlxc4, when the show his hand. Now Black can post his
annoying 5 .....b 4 either leaves White other bishop on g7 or go for a Slav set
tied up after 6 "c2 lLld4 7 "d3 c5 or up: