A repertoire based on his games emphasises positional play.
White
Open 1.d4, planning to avoid the Nimzo-Indian by 1...Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3.
Against the Queen's Gambit Declined: 3...d5 play 4.Nc3, meeting 4...Be7 with 5.Bf4 0-0 6.e3 and continuing against the main move 6...c5 with 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.a3.
If White switches to the Semi-Slav with 4...c6 play 5.Bg5, meeting 5...h6 with 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.e3, meeting 5...dxc4 with 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Nxg5 hxg5 10.Bxg5 Nbd7 11.g3!? and meeting 5...Nbd7 with 6.e3, which allows the Cambridge Springs: 6...Qa5 - reply to this with 7.cxd5 Nxd5 (the only move Kramnik's opponents played in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database) 8.Qd2.
Against the Ragozin: 4...Bb4 play 5.Bg5 (Kramnik with this move scored 91%!), meeting 5...h6 with 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.Qb3!? If 5...Nbd7 play 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Qc2.
Against 4...dxc4 play 5.e4 Bb4 6.Bg5 c5 7.Bxc4 cxd4 8.Nxd4.
Against the Semi-Tarrasch: 4...c5 play 5.cxd5 Nxd5 (none of Kramnik's opponents tried 5...exd5) 6.e4 Nxc3 7.bxc3 cxd4 8.cxd4 Bb4+ 9.Bd2 Bxd2+ 10.Qxd2 0-0 11.Rd1!? If 5...cxd4 play 6.Qxd4 exd5 (meet 6...Nxd5 with 7.e4 Nxc3 8.Qxc3) 7.e4!
Against the Queen's Indian: 3...b6 play 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7 7.Bg2 c6 8.Bc3 d5 9.Ne5 Nfd7 10.Nxd7 Nxd7 11.Nd2 0-0 12.0-0. If 4...Bb7 play 5.Bg2 Be7 6.0-0 0-0 7.Re1!?
Against the Bogo-Indian: 3...Bb4+ Kramnik scored 90% (four wins and a draw) with 4.Bd2 and 100% (four wins) with 4.Nbd2, so it is very difficult to give a repertoire recommendation, but the latter move has the advantage of being a lot less popular.
Against 3...c5 play 4.d5 cxd5 5.exd5 d6 6.Nc3 g6 7.Nd2!? Bg7 8.e4 0-0 9.Be2.
Against the Grünfeld: 2...g6 3.Nc3 d5 play 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Nf3 c5 8.Rb1 0-0 9.Be2.
Against the King's Indian: 3...Bg7 4.e4 d6 play 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.b4, meeting the mainline 9...Nh5 10.Re1 f5 11.Ng5 Nf6 12.Bf3 c6 with 13.Be3.
Against the mainline Benoni: 2...c5 3.d5 e6 play 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 6.Nf3 g6 7.Nd2!?, transposing to the line given against 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5. Against the Czech Benoni: 3...e5 play 4.Nc3 d6 5.e4. Against the Benko Gambit: 3...b5 play 4.cxb5 a6 5.e3.
Against 1...d5 play 2.Nf3. After 2...Nf6 3.c4 transpositions to lines already covered are likely, but meet the Slav: 3...c6 4.Nc3 dxc4 with 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5. Against 4...a6 Kramnik equally played 5.e3 and 5.a4, but did better percentage-wise and rating-wise with the latter. Against the main reply 5...e6 he scored much better percentage-wise and rating-wise with 6.g3 rather than with 6.Bg5.
Against a delayed Queen's Gambit Accepted: 1...d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 dxc4 play 4.e3, meeting 4...e6 with 5.Bxc4 c5 6.0-0 a6 7.Bb3!?, meeting 4...Bg4 with 5.Bxc4 e6 6.Qb3!? and meeting 4...g6 (the only other move he has faced) with 5.Bxc4 Bg7 6.0-0 0-0 7.Nc3.
Against 2...e6 play 3.c4 with a likely transposition to a line already covered.
Against the Liberated Bishop: 2...Bf5 play 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3, meeting 4...c6 with 5.Qb3 Qb6 6.c5, meeting 4...Nf6 with 5.Bg5 and meeting 4...Nc6 with either 5.Bf4 or 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bf4.
Against 2...c5 play 3.c4, meeting 3...e6 with 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nc3 and meeting 3...cxd4 with 4.cxd5 Nf6 5.Qxd4 Qxd5 6.Nc3 Qxd4 7.Nxd4.
Against 1...e6 Kramnik often transposed to a French Defence: 2.e4 d5 3.Nc3 but he also played 2.c4, which is an easier repertoire fit. If Black then played a delayed Dutch: 2...f5 Kramnik once played 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 and once played 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3.
Against an immediate Dutch: 1...f5 Kramnik usually went for a kingside fianchetto, eg 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 g6 (he did not face 3...e6) 4.g3.
Against 1...d6 he did best with 2.Nf3, with likely transpositions to lines already covered, and against the independent 2...Bg4 he played 3.c4.
Against 1...g6 he did best with 2.c4, meeting 2...Bg7 with 3.e4 (or 3.Nc3 and 4.e4).
Black v 1.e4
Play 1...e5 intending to meet the Spanish: 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 with the Berlin: 3...Nf6, the main line being the Berlin Wall: 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8. After 9.Nc3 Kramnik played 9...Bd7 and 9...Ke8 almost equally often but scored better percentage-wise and rating-wise with the latter. He usually met the standard 10.h3 with 10...h5.
Against 5.Re1 Nd6 6.Nxe5 Be7 7.Bf1 (the only move Kramnik faced) he usually replied 7...Nxe5 8.Rxe5 0-0, usually meeting 9.d4 with 9...Bf6 10.Re1 Re8 and usually meeting 9.Nc3 with 9...Ne8 10.Nd5 Bd6 11.Rel c6 12.Ne3 Be7 13.Nf5 d5 14.Ne7+ Kh8 15.Nxc8 Rxc8 16.d3 f5.
Against 4.d3 he usually played 4...Bc5, meeting 5.c3 with 5...0-0, usually meeting 5.0-0 with 5...d6 (but scoring much better when he played 5...Nd4) and meeting 5.Bxc6 with 5...dxc6, usually replying to 6.Nbd2 with 6...Be6.
Against a transposition to the Spanish Four Knights: 4.Nc3 he played the Rubinstein Variation: 4...Nd4. and he met 4.Qe2 with 4...Bc5.
Against the Scotch Four Knights: 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nxd4 he played 5...Bb4, and against the Scotch: 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 he mostly played 4...Nf6 but scored much better percentage-wise and rating-wise with 4...Bc5. He twice faced the Scotch Gambit: 4.Bc4, both times replying 4...Bc5.
Against the Italian Game: 3.Bc4 he played 3...Bc5, usually meeting 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 with 5...d6 6.0-0 a6. Against 5.d4 exd4 6.e5 d5 7.Bb5 Ne4 8.cxd4 he played 8...Bb6, and against 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Bd2 (no games with 7.Nc3) he played 7...Nxe4!? 8.Bxb4 Nxb4 9.Bxf7+ Kxf7 10.Qb3+ Kf8!? 11.Qxb4+ Qe7.
There is only one game with the Evans Gambit: 4.b4, Kramnik replying 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Be7.
Against the Bishop's Opening: 2.Bc4 Kramnik played 2...Nf6.
Against the Vienna: 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 he did slightly better with 3...d5 than with 3...Bc5. Against 3.f4 he played 3...d5 4.fxe5 Ne4 5.Nf3 Bc5!?
There are no games in Mega20 in which he faced the King's Gambit.
Black v 1.d4 and Others
Aim against 1.d4 for a Nimzo-Indian: 1...Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4, meeting 4.Qc2 with 4...0-0 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3, at which point Kramnik played 6...b6 slightly more often than 6...d5, but did slightly better with the latter.
Against 4.e3 play 4...0-0, meeting 5.Bd3 with 5...c5 6.Nf3 d5 (Kramnik sometimes reversed Black's fifth and sixth moves) 7.0-0 Nc6 8.a3 Bxc3 9.bxc3 Qc7 and meeting 5.Ne2 with 5...d5 6.a3 Be7 7.cxd5 Nxd5!? (he played this uncommon move twice against one appearance for 7...exd5).
Against 4.Nf3 play 4...d5!?, meeting the most popular reply in Mega20 5.Bg5 with 5...Nbd7 6.cxd5 exd5 and meeting 5.cxd5 (the most popular reply of Kramnik's opponents) with 5...exd5 6.Bg5 Nbd7, which reaches the same position. Most games in Mega20 then continue 7.e3, which Kramnik met with 7...c5.
Against 4.f3 play 4...d5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7.cxd5 Nxd5.
He only once faced 4.a3, replying with the mainline 4...Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 c5 6.e3 0-0 7.Bd3 Bc6 8.Ne2 b6 9.e4 Ne8.
Kramnik also only once faced 4.Bg5, replying 4...c5 5.d5 d6 6.e3 exd5 7.cxd5 Nbd7.
Against 3.Nf3 Kramnik usually switched to a Queen's Gambit Declined: 3...d5 and after 4.Nc3 made it a Semi-Slav: 4...c6.
Against 5.e3 Kramnik played 5...Nbd7, meeting 6.Bd3 with 6...dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 Bb7. He usually met 6.Qc2 with 6...Bd6, usually following up 7.Be2 0-0 8.0-0 with 8...Re8, usually following up 7.Bd3 with 7...0-0 8.0-0 dxc4 9.Bxc4, at which point he did best with 9...b5, and following up 7.b3 with 7...0-0, at which point he twice met the main move 8.Be2 with 8...b6 and once with 8...e5, and he once met 8.Bb2 with 8...e5 and once with 8...Qe7.
Against 5.Bg5 Kramnik usually played 5...h6 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.e3 Nd7 8.Bd3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 g6 10.0-0 Bg7, but almost as often and with similar results played the unusual 8...Qd8!? 9.0-0 Be7. If 6.Bh4 Kramnik liked to play 6...dxc4 7.e4 g5 8.Bg3 b5 9.Be2 Bb7.
Against 5.cxd5 he played 5...exd5 and against 5.g3 Nbd7 6.Bg2 he played 6...dxc4.
Against the Catalan: 4.g3 Kramnik varied his responses but did marginally best with 4...dxc4, at which point he only faced 5.Bg2. Here his favourite lines, with which he got almost identical results, were 5...Nc6 6.Qa4 Bb4+ and 5...Bb4+ 6.Bd2 a5.
Against 2.Nf3 he usually play 2...d5, with obvious transpositional possibilities to the QGD, and against the London System: 3.Bf4 he usually went for quick queenside play with ...Qb6 after either 3...c6 or 3...c5. Against the New London: 2.Bf4 he twice played 2...c5 and once played 2...g6.
Against the Trompwosky 2.Bg5 Kramnik did best with 2...d5, meeting 3.Bxf6 with 3...exf6 and meeting 3.e3 with 3...c6 or 3...c5.
Against the Veresov: 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bg5 he played 3...c6.
Kramnik's most common response to the English: 1.c4 was 1...e6, usually meeting 2.Nc3, 2.g3, 2.Nf3 and 2.d4 with 2...d5.
Against 1.Nf3 he usually played 1...d5, meeting the Réti: 2.c4 with 2...d5 (transposing to the English move-order 1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 d5) and usually meeting the King's Indian Attack: 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 with 3...c6 and following up both 4.0-0 and 4.d3 with 4...Bg4.
Against 1.b3 he most often played 1...d5 2.Bb2 Nf6.
Kramnik twice faced the Bird: 1.f4, both times replying 1...d5.
Here, because I thought it might be of special interest to club players, is Kramnik taking on a very strong opponent's Liberated Bishop.
Kramnik (2790) - Boris Gelfand (2675)
Hoogovens (Wijk aan Zee) 1998
1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Bf5
A more-in-keeping-with-the-repertoire way of reaching this position would be by reversing White's opening two moves.
3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 c6 5.Qb3
Playing on the queenside is the standard response when Black develops his light-square bishop early in a Queen's Gambit.
5...Qb6
5...Qc7 6.Bf4!? may have come as quite a shock (to spectators at least) in the 1995 Bundesliga game Kramnik (2715) - Gerald Hertneck (2595). After 6...dxc4 7.Bxc7 cxb3 8.e4 Bg6 9.a3!? the position was unclear (but 1-0, 33 moves).
6.c5 Qc7
White gets pleasant queenside pressure after 6...Qxb3 7.axb3.
7.Bf4 Qc8
Note that 6...Qc8? in the Hertneck game would have been a mistake because there is no decent answer to 7.cxd5, eg 7...exd5 8.e4! dxe4 9.Ng5 Nh6 10.Bc4 Bg6 11.Ncxe4 with a big attack, or 7...cxd5 8.Nb5 Na6 9.Rc1.
8.Nh4 Bg6 9.Nxg6 hxg6
The half-open h file is not much compensation for Black's otherwise restricted position.
10.e4 Nf6
Later games saw 10...dxe4 but White has good options after 11.Nxe4 Nf6.
11.exd5!? Nxd5 12.Nxd5 cxd5 13.Bb5+!?
Possibly improving over two previous high-level games that saw 13.Bxb8 Qxb8 14.Bb5+, when the black king did not prove overly inconvenienced at being obliged to shuffle sideways to d8 (although White did win both those games).
13...Nc6 14.0-0-0!?
The white king's position looks a little airy but Black will have trouble getting at it, and meanwhile Black has to find somewhere safe for his king.
14...Be7 15.h4 Kf8!?
My main analysis engines like this move - it is Stockfish11's top choice - but White must be better.
16.Kb1 a6 17.Ba4 Na5 18.Qf3 b6
Robert Hübner in Mega20 suggests 17...Kg8.
19.cxb6 Qb7 20.Rc1?!
Stockfish11 wants to be materialistic with 20.Bc1 while Komodo11.01 and Hübner want to go for it on the kingside with 20.h5 g5 21.h6! But given long enough the engines reverse their judgments - Komodo11.01 becomes materialistic and Stockfish11 wants to be gung ho.
20...Qxb6 21.Rc7?
The engines reckon White is still better after a move such as 21.Be5 or 21.h5.
21...Rb8?
Black is at least equal after 21...Bf6 or 21...Bd8, according to the engines.
22.Qc3 Nc4?
This looks aggressive but there is a complete answer. The engines give 22...g5 23.Be5 f6 24.Bg3 with a small edge for White.
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| White to play and win |
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23.Rc6 Qxb2+
Best, but losing.
24.Qxb2 Rxb2+ 25.Ka1 Kg8
White threatened the devastating 26.Rc8+ (and 25...Rc8?? fails to 26.Bxb8).
26.Rxc4 Rxf2 27.Rc8+ Kh7 28.Rxh8+ Kxh8 29.g3
White has a bishop for two pawns. The game finished:
29...Ba3 30.Rd1 Kg8 31.Rd3 Be7 32.Bc7 g5 33.hxg5 Bxg5 34.Kb1 Be7 35.Bc2 g5 36.a4 f5 37.a5 Bf6 38.Bb6 f4 39.gxf4 gxf4 40.Rd1 1-0
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