Chess Strategy

In the GM Neil McDonald’s book “Chess Secrets: The Giants of Strategy” Vladimir Kramnik’s style was described as:

“In Kramnik’s games we witness what might be described as a ‘breakthrough style’: he aims for a space advantage and then tries to smash the pawn barriers in his path. Typically this leads to the creation of a passed pawn. His build-up is direct but patient, until the moment arrives for aggressive action.”

I glanced at some Kramnik’s games and was surprised to see how well the author nailed the point. Here is a typical example…

White has a significant advantage in space and his, apparently weak, Bishop is doing a very important service - it controls d8 square.
The first step for White is to prevent Black from challenging the d-file.

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