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Tidskrift för Schack #9-10/1920 (Nordiska Schackförbundets Organ)
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Acknowledgments
I am grateful to the staff at Everyman Chess letting me contribute a book on one of my
favourite authors and players, Richard Réti. I am also thankful to my dear wife who, with her
support was indispensable and allowed me to conduct extensive research of a great artistic
chess mind. The editor Jonathan Tait did, as usual, a great job and amongst other things
discovered a hidden draw in the bishop ending in R.Réti-R.Spielmann, Vienna 1914, game 9,
which I overlooked myself. My good friend, the violoinist and chess enthusiast Jakob
Engelstoft contributed with the important tournament book covering the most successful
tournament in Réti’s life; Gothenburg 1920 with useful comments by A. Rubinstein. The game
collection Richard Réti’s Best Games by Golombek & Nunn has been a most useful source,
since it laid the foundation of Réti’s life as a chess player and study composer.
Introduction
“A man’s importance in the scheme of things is entirely relative. People go through life both
cheerfully and successfully without giving astronomy a thought. To them the most famous
astronomer is but a name should they happen to have heard of him. To his fellow
astronomers he is of paramount interest and importance.” – Julius du Mont (1881-1956)
My first acquaintance with Richard Selig Réti (1889-1929) was not by playing through and
studying his games. I was familiar with his famous win against Capablanca in New York
1924, but that was from the viewpoint of studying Capablanca’s losses rather than Réti’s
wins. There is a Swedish book, Capablancas Förlustpartier, written by J.E.Westman (yes, he
who played Leonid Stein at the Havana Olympiad in 1966) where one can play through all
Capablanca’s losses.
“Réti’s endings are the only ones worth solving and the only ones to give me trouble.” –
José Raúl Capablanca (1888-1942)
I solved some of Réti’s studies, especially the famous pawn ending where the white king,
located on h8, seems to be out of reach of the enemy h5-pawn, but nonetheless manages to
catch it by displaying a remarkable co-operation with the c6-pawn.
An astonishing study, unlikely to be forgotten once having become acquainted with the
remarkable idea. Other composers, such as Henri Rinck (1870-1952) and Ladislav Prokes
(1884-1966), were so impressed by this charming study that they created others with the same
theme, thereby emphasizing Réti’s significance in this sphere of chess. Here is the study by
Prokes where one can observe a clearly visible shadow of Réti.
Solution:
1 Kc8 Kc6 2 Kb8 Kb5 3 Kb7!
This move mirrors 3 Ke5!! in the study by Réti.
3 ... Kxa5
Otherwise 4 a6 wins for White.
4 Kc6 h5 5 Kd5
The white king is inside the square of the enemy h-pawn (h5/d5/d1/h1) and the draw is
achieved.
“Chess is a scientific game and its literature ought to be placed on the basis of strictest
truthfulness, which is the foundation of all scientific research.” – Wilhelm Steinitz (1836-
1900)
My most beneficial and thorough acquaintance with Réti was via his monumental writings,
New Ideas in Chess (1923) and Masters of the Chess Board (1933), which belong to the
treasures of chess literature. The scientific approach took a leap forward by introducing chess
ideas in a systematic and concrete way. Other such classics are Nimzowitsch’s My System
(1925) and Chess Praxis (1929). Despite the fact that Réti’s and Nimzowitsch’s books were
both written in the 1920s, they are completely different in content and style. In my opinion
Réti’s books should be read and assimilated before Nimzowitsch’s more compact works. Réti
discusses – with plain words, games and positions – the connection between society and
chess, and outlines chess development from Morphy to Alekhine. This progression, which to
a certain extent parallels individual chess development, is highlighted by important model
games illustrating new concepts and strategies. After reading these two classics by Réti, a
different and deeper understanding of chess will inevitably emerge in the diligent reader’s
mind. By reading and playing through the games, you will be able to reach another level of
understanding.
Naturally, I had a similar experience after having studied My System and Nimzowitsch’s
companion book, but that was through more painstaking work. With Réti everything was more
easily comprehensible. This does not imply that Réti wrote in a simple way, far from it. The
main difference is that Réti wrote about chess in a very coherent and scientific fashion, and
from the viewpoint of strategic ideas and differing chess schools. The ideas are presented in
chronological order: starting from romanticism, via classicism, to hypermodernism. Whereas
Nimzowitsch introduced his system of positional ideas, such as overprotection, prophylaxis,
blockade and so forth, in a thematic order.
It is also important to point out that Nimzowitsch’s work is only a part of a system, rather
than a system as a whole. His theories about prophylaxis and suchlike are immensely
important, but I feel something would be missing if I, while reading Nimzowitsch, had no
knowledge of Réti’s books, which outline the most important ideas from Morphy to Alekhine,
thus covering a long period in chess history, and make Nimzowitsch easier to understand. Réti
might be criticized for omitting significant players like Philidor, Paulsen, Staunton and
Chigorin, but in his defence it should be remembered that he did not manage to complete his
second book due to his unfortunate early death. Who knows what further volumes he had
planned?
Réti’s works give the reader a grounding in how chess has been played historically, from
the perspective of schools of thought and strategic ideas. From this we can appreciate that
Réti himself must have had a very strong strategic sense – and this is true. As a whole, Réti
showed strategic depth in his games and was an innovator in several respects. Even in his
early games, where he emphasized tactical ideas, glimpses of his future strategic abilities can
be seen as well.
It is interesting to note that, apart from the book you hold in your hand, only one
collection of Réti’s games exists in the English language, and that is Réti’s Best Games of
Chess (1954) by Harry Golombek. Why there are so few books about Réti, who is as
significant a player as such other non-world champions such as Nimzowitsch and Rubinstein,
remains an enigma. Maybe the chess community has unconsciously considered Golombek’s
book to be the last word on the subject? Golombek’s analyses of course needed to be
updated, but this was expertly done by GM John Nunn in Richard Réti’s Best Games
(Batsford 1997). Otherwise there is only IM Craig Pritchett’s more recent Great Chess
Romantics (Everyman 2013), which includes a chapter on Réti with seven of his games;
obviously this is only a taster, but it is still useful reading.
My general intention has been not to duplicate any games from previous works – for
example, Réti’s two miniatures against Max Euwe which are available in Pritchett’s book –
unless the game is important in terms of hypermodern development, or shows a specific
positional idea. In particular, his games from the 1924 New York tournament are hard to
ignore. Here Réti was the first player to beat the chess machine Capablanca in eight years, so
it would be difficult to leave that out. Games introducing Réti’s own opening system, such as
his wins against Bogoljubow and Edward Lasker, also belong in this category.
My overall aim has been not only to show the importance of Réti from the perspective of
the hypermodern development, but also what is specifically characteristic about his play; for
example, his penchant for delaying the development of the queen’s bishop.
A Short Biography
Richard Réti was born on the 28th of May 1889 in Bazin, Hungary (today Pezinok, Slovakia),
and belongs to the same generation as Rubinstein (1880), Nimzowitsch (1886), Capablanca
(1888) and Alekhine (1892). His parents were Dr. Samuel Réti from Hlohovec and Anna, née
Mayerova. He had an elder brother called Rudolph (1885-1957), who was a well-known
concert pianist and composer in Vienna. In the late 1930s his brother emigrated to the United
States and became an American citizen. The chess manuscripts and notes of Réti are
therefore held at the Library of Congress.
He met his future wife during the 1925 Moscow tournament. The following year they
married there on Réti’s 37th birthday. Her maiden name was Rogneda Sergeievna
Gorodetskaia, and she was the daughter of the Russian poet Sergei Gorodetsky.
Réti died of scarlet fever (scarlatina) on the 6th of June 1929 in Prague, at the young age
of 39. The infectious disease was a major cause of death before antibiotics were available.
Coincidentally, the third world champion, Alexander Alekhine (1892-1946), contracted the
same disease fourteen years later and, remarkably, was hospitalized in the same hospital!
Although, Alekhine was lucky and survived, he was clearly marked by the terrible disease
and his playing strength declined accordingly.
It can safely be assumed that, due to Réti’s untimely demise, the chess world missed a lot
of creative games and deeply thought-out endgame studies. He was one of the most creative
and artistic chess minds, and it is a tragedy that he departed so soon. For those interested in
visiting his grave it can be mentioned that Réti is buried alongside his father in the
Zentralfriedhof cemetery in Vienna, section T1, group 51, row 5, grave 34.
Thomas Engqvist,
Sweden,
January 2017
Chapter One
Early Years (1907-1914)
Zsigmond Barász (1878-1935) was a strong Hungarian player. He shared first place in the
third Hungarian Championship, Budapest 1911, with Zoltán von Balla. According to
Chessmetrics he was at his best when he was 34 years old. His highest ranking was 30th in
the world with an estimated rating of 2572 on the March 1912 list.
Game 1
R.Réti-Z.Barász
Székezfehérvár 1907
Semi-Slav Defence
1 d4
The young Réti played 1 e4 almost exclusively, followed by either the Ruy Lopez or the
King’s Gambit. So it is curious that during the Hungarian National Tournament at
Székezfehérvár, he played only Queen’s Gambits.
Answer: Currently we have a Colle formation, signified by the fact that the c1-bishop is
shut in behind the pawn chain. On the other hand, if the bishop is later developed to b2, we
reach a Zukertort position.
3 ... c6
Alekhine recommended 3 ... Bf5 as a strong antidote to White’s aspirations.
4 c4
Now it is a Slav by transposition, and Black’s next move makes it a Semi-Slav. If White
wants to continue with Colle schemes he should play 4 Bd3, securing the b1-h7 diagonal. 4
c3 is possible too, but in that case Black again has the option of placing his bishop on the h7-
b1 diagonal as per Alekhine’s recommendation above.
4 ... e6 5 Bd3 Nbd7 6 0-0
The best move order, avoiding the Meran Variation which arises after 6 Nc3 dxc4 7 Bxc4
b5. Black plans the liberation of the queen’s bishop as well as pressure on the centre via ...
Bb7, ... a7-a6 and ... c7-c5. This plan is less effective without the white knight on c3, since
Black lacks the useful tempo-gaining resource ... b5-b4 in key positions.
6 ... Bd6 7 Nc3 0-0 8 e4 dxe4
After losing to Steinitz in their 1889 match, Chigorin later fixed on 8 ... dxc4 9 Bxc4 e5,
followed by ... Qe7 or ... Qc7, as the correct handling in Black’s quest for equality.
9 Nxe4 Nxe4 10 Bxe4
Although this position is still being played regularly (MegaBase lists over 3000 games), it
seems to me that White has achieved a comfortable edge.
10 ... f5
Other moves:
a) 10 ... e5? is an elementary mistake, due to 11 dxe5 Nxe5 12 Nxe5 Bxe5 13 Bxh7+ (not
13 Qh5? f5) 13 ... Kxh7 14 Qh5 Kg8 15 Qxe5, winning a pawn.
b) 10 ... Re8 hopes for the impatient 11 Bxh7+? Kxh7 12 Ng5+ Kg6! (12 ... Kg8 13 Qh5
Nf6 14 Qxf7+ Kh8 15 f4! intending Rf3 is dangerous) 13 h4 Rh8 14 g3 Nf8 and Black is
better; but simply 11 Bc2 maintains White’s options and advantage.
c) 10 ... Nf6 can again be answered by 11 Bc2, or else the sharper 11 Bg5, when 11 ... h6
12 Bxf6 Qxf6 13 c5! Bc7 14 Re1 leaves Black with difficulties developing the c8-bishop.
d) 10 ... h6 is the most popular choice, forestalling any sacrifices and preparing ... e7-e5.
Nevertheless, after 11 Bc2 e5 12 b3 Re8 (or 12 ... f5 13 fxe5 Nxe5 14 Bb2) 13 Re1 exd4 14
Rxe8+ Qxe8 15 Qxd4 Bc5 16 Qc3, followed by 17 Bb2, White keeps an edge with positional
pressure on the black kingside.
11 Bc2 Nf6
The seemingly liberating 11 ... e5? is an illusion after 12 Bg5! Be7 13 Bxe7 Qxe7 14
Nxe5! Nxe5 15 Re1 Qb4 (otherwise Black loses a pawn) 16 Rxe5 Qxb2 17 c5! (opening the
a2-g8 diagonal while limiting the black queen’s retreat squares) 17 ... Kh8 18 Re3 Qb4 19
Qd3 b6 20 a3! Qa5 21 Re7 bxc5 22 Qg3 Rg8 23 Bb3 and White won in V.Korchnoi-Zhu
Chen, Bad Homburg 1998.
Answer: 12 b3
Réti intends to fianchetto his dark-squared bishop, increasing his control over the weak
e5-square. The logical 12 Re1 and 12 Qe2 support that aim too, while putting pressure on the
backward e6-pawn – Réti in fact plays Qe2 next move. Other alternatives which spring to
mind are 12 Be3 and 12 c5, playing against Black’s liberating ... c6-c5 break.
12 ... Qc7 13 Qe2 Re8
Question: What is White’s most principled continuation?
14 Ne5?
It seems Réti is fully content with exploiting the e5-square, but he undervalues the
weakness of the e6-pawn. In particular, by blocking the e-file he allows Black to develop his
bishop to b7.
Answer: It seems better to leave the e-file open and keep the option of increasing the
pressure on e6 with a knight move to g5. To this end, any of 14 Bb2, 14 Re1, and 14 c5 Be7
15 Bd2 would be more logical.
14 ... b6
A good alternative is 14 ... c5 15 Bb2 cxd4 16 Bxd4 b6, followed by ... Bb7, with
equality.
15 f4
Here 15 Bb2 makes more sense. The knight did not require further reinforcement, so there
is no reason to weaken the light squares at this moment.
15 ... Bb7 16 Bb2 Rad8 17 Rad1 c5
Black can be happy with the disposition of his forces, having secured full control of the
e4-square.
18 Qe1
Other sources gives 18 Qe3 Be4 19 Bxe4, when Black should play the intermediary 19 ...
cxd4! before recapturing on e4.
Instead, the sharp continuation 18 d5 exd5 19 cxd5 Nxd5 20 Bxf5 changes the semi-open
battle to an open centre where the most important factor is the activity of the pieces, which
Black can increase with the strong 20 ... c4!. Then White might try 21 Qh5 g6 22 Bxg6 hxg6
23 Nxg6, but Black survives the attack after 23 ... Qh7 24 Qg5 Bc5+ 25 Kh1 c3 26 Bxc3
Rd6! 27 Ne5+ Qg7 28 Qxg7+ Kxg7 29 Nc4+ Rf6 and stands no worse.
18 ... Be4?!
Here too it is better to insert 18 ... cxd4! 19 Bxd4, and only then continue with 19 ... Be4.
19 Bxe4 Nxe4
Exercise: How does White exploit Black’s inaccurate move order?
Answer: 20 d5!
Now White manages to turn the position to his advantage.
20 ... exd5 21 Rxd5
The rook move from d1 to d5 will always be associated with Réti, since it was this
particular manoeuvre which concluded his wins against Capablanca and Alekhine (see Games
30 and 33).
21 ... Nf6 22 Rd2 Ng4
The knight belongs on e4 really, but the text turns out okay.
23 Qg3 Bxe5
Black could have changed his mind and returned the knight with 23 ... Nf6!, followed by
... Ne4, not caring about the lost tempi. Centralization is worth more than time in this
position!
24 Rxd8 Qxd8 25 fxe5 g6 26 h3
Answer: 48 ... f4! (the main point of the defence) 49 gxf4 g3 50 Ke3 Kd5 51 Kf3 Kxc5
52 Kxg3 Kd5 53 Kf3 Kd4 and despite being a pawn down, Black holds the draw.
42 gxh4 Ke6 43 c5 bxc5+ 44 Kxc5 f4 45 Kd4 Kf5 46 b5 f3 47 Ke3 f2 48 Kxf2 Ke5
Exercise: Can you work the forced variation out to its conclusion?
Answer: 49 Kf3 Kd5 50 Kf4 Kc5 51 Kg5 Kxb5 52 Kxh5 Kc4 53 Kg4 Kb3 54 h5
Kxa3 55 h6 Kb2 56 h7 a3 57 h8Q+
With the pawn on a2 the position is an easy draw, but with the pawn on a3 it is a win.
57 ... Kb1 58 Qb8+ Ka1 59 Qe5+
Technically, 59 Qf4! is the most precise move, leading to mate in nine. Note that 59 ... a2
fails to 60 Qc1 mate.
59 ... Kb1 60 Qe1+ Kb2 61 Qb4+ 1-0
This is the key square for the white queen, putting pressure on the a3-pawn; after 61 ...
Ka2 62 Kf4, Black loses the pawn, since he is forced to make a move. To win by zugzwang is
one of the main methods in theoretical endgames.
A well-played game by the young Réti, showing his fondness for endings.
Adolf Albin (1848-1920) was a Romanian player, born in Bucharest. He is mostly known
for the interesting counter-gambit 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e5!? which bears his name. Albin’s chess
career is unusual because he learned the game when he was around 20 and only began
playing in international tournaments in his forties. His best result was second place at New
York at 1893, behind Emanuel Lasker who scored an unbelievable 13/13. There is a book by
Olimpiu Urcan called Adolf Albin in America: A European Chess Master’s Sojourn, 1893-
1895, where those interested can read more about the peak of Albin’s career.
Game 2
A.Albin-R.Réti
Vienna 1909
Giuoco Piano
Answer: It’s really a matter of taste whether one prefers 7 ... a6 or the move Réti plays.
7 ... a5 8 b5 Ne7 9 Be3
Question: How should Black react to the tension between the bishops?
19 ... Nd7?
Answer: The problem is 19 ... Bxf3 20 Nxf3 Ng4 and the e3-rook is trapped.
Surprisingly, Réti overlooked this tactic, presumably being too focused on strategic matters.
20 Nf1?!
Now White plans a faulty knight manoeuvre to g3, which will only hinder the important
move g2-g3, chasing the f4-knight from its dominant outpost. Again, 20 Qc2 is better,
followed perhaps by Bf1 and a timely g2-g3.
20 ... Qf6
With tactical ideas of ... Nh3+ and so on, though this is not very dangerous at the moment.
21 Ng3?!
Once more 21 Qc2 is correct, defending f2 (so that ... Nh3+ can be met by Kh1),
especially seeing as the queen will soon have to move anyway.
21 ... Nc5 22 Qc2 Rd7
Black’s plan now is simply to double on the d-file, trade on f3, and penetrate the weak d2-
square.
23 Rd1
Exchanging one of his passive rooks, but it does not neutralize Black’s threats.
23 ... Rxd1+ 24 Qxd1 Rd8 25 Qc2 Bxf3 26 Rxf3
Exercise: Can you locate the weakest point(s) in White’s position and find
Black’s strongest continuation?
30 ... Nxe4?!
The white e-pawn is not very important.
Answer: It was better to go for the queenside pawns with either 30 ... Rc1 31 Rxe5 Nxa4
or 30 ... Nxa4 31 Bb3 Ra1 32 Bxa4 Rxa4 33 Rxe5 Rc4, when Black wins easily.
31 Rxe5 Nd2?!
Here 31 ... Nxc3 32 Bxe6 fxe6 33 Rc5 (or 33 Rxe6 Kf7) 33 ... Nxa4 34 Rxc7 b6 was the
correct plan, followed by ... Rd5 or ... Rb1 and so forth.
32 Rd5! Nf3+ 33 Kg2
33 Kh1 is answered by 33 ... Ra1 with good winning chances.
33 ... Ne1+ 34 Kg1 Rxd5 35 Bxd5 Nc5 36 Ne3
36 ... b6
Réti seems to have had an aversion to taking the a4-pawn.
Answer: 36 ... Nxa4! was stronger, and if 37 Bxb7?! (37 Kf1 Nd3 38 Ke2 Ndc5 39 Kd2
is nominally better), then 37 ... Nxc3 with a straightforward win; for example, 38 Nc4 a4 39
Na3 Kf8 40 f4 Nd3 41 Kg2 Ke7 42 Kf3 Nc5 43 Bc6 Nb3 44 Ke3 Kd6 45 Kd3 Na2 46 Be8
(or 46 Kc4 Na5+) 46 ... Ke7 47 Bc6 Nb4+ 48 Kc4 Nxc6 49 bxc6 Kd6 with a winning knight
endgame. Note how well the black cavalry danced together in this variation!
37 Kf1 Ned3 38 Nc4??
He should have played 38 Ke2 Nb2 39 Ba2 Nbxa4 40 Nd5 Ne6 41 Kd2 with more
defensive possibilities than in the game, even if it still looks grim for White
38 ... Nxa4
At last. Now it’s all over since the c3-pawn cannot be defended either.
39 Bc6 Nxc3 40 f4 a4 41 Kg2 Ne1+ 42 Kf2 Nc2 0-1
The a-pawn is supported all the way to a1, so White would have to give up his knight.
The talented Austrian player Dr. Julius Perlis (1880-1913) had only a short life.
Mountaineering in the Styrian Alps, and climbing without any company, it seems he lost his
way and had an accident. Two tourists heard his cries for help but were unable to respond
due to the encroaching darkness and snowstorm. His body was found two days later on the
12th of September. Since he had no visible injuries, the verdict was that he died of exposure.
Chesswise, Perlis had wins against such players as Alekhine, Maróczy, Marshall,
Nimzowitsch, Spielmann and Tartakower to his credit; his best tournament result was fifth
place at San Sebastian 1912. It is a pity for the chess world that he was unable to develop his
abilities to the fullest.
Game 3
J.Perlis-R.Réti
Vienna 1910
Tarrasch Defence
7 ... cxd4?!
Answer: The critical line is 7 ... c4!, followed by moves like ... Bb4, ... 0-0, ... Bf5 and
... Re8, exploiting the fact that it is more difficult for White to achieve the desired e3-e4
break with the dark-squared bishop on f4 rather than g5. A plausible line is 8 Be2 Bb4 9 0-0
0-0 10 Qc2 Ne7!, followed by ... Bf5.
8 Nxd4 Bb4 9 Bb5
9 ... Qb6?!
A pseudo-active move; it is not clear what the queen is doing here, apart from defending
the knight.
Answer: Simple development with 9 ... Bd7 10 0-0 0-0 is correct, as played in
V.Korchnoi-R.Kholmov, USSR Championship, Tbilisi 1959.
10 0-0 Bxc3
White threatened 11 Na4, so this move is literally forced. 10 ... Bd7 does not fit in with
the queen on b6, as can be seen after 11 Na4 Qd8 (11 ... Qa5?! only gives White further
tempi-gaining space after 12 a3 Be7 13 Rc1 Rc8 14 b4 etc) 12 Rc1 Rc8 13 Nb3 0-0 14 Nbc5
and White has a clear advantage with the more active pieces.
11 bxc3 0-0 12 Rb1 Nxd4?!
Here 12 ... Qc5 is both safer and more logical.
13 cxd4 Ne4?!
This, too, is a representation of pseudo-activity, since Black cannot get any real substance
out of it. Preparing ... b7-b6 with 13 ... Qe6 is better.
14 Bd3 Qa5 15 f3
The simple 15 Qc2 would lead to a positional win. Note that 15 ... f5 fails to 16 Rb5 Qd8
17 Rxd5!.
15 ... Nd2 16 Qe1
This is Perlis’s idea. 16 Rb5 loses material to 16 ... Qc3 (but not 16 ... Qxa2?? 17 Rf2
and it is Black who is losing wood).
16 ... b6
Obviously the queen must be defended so that the knight can move, but the fork is no
good anyway.
17 Bd6?
Now taking either rook gives Black a fully equal game. The correct response is 17 Rb5
Qc3 18 Rb3 Qa5 19 Qh4 with a winning position for White.
17 ... Nxf1 18 Qh4?!
Perhaps Perlis found the position after 18 Qxa5 (or 18 Bxf8 Qxe1 19 Rxe1 Kxf8) 18 ...
bxa5 19 Bxf8 Nxe3 20 Bc5 too boring and to offer too few winning prospects, but he’s
missed his chance and this was his best option now.
18 ... h6 19 Bxf8
Exercise: What is Black’s strongest continuation?
19 ... Ba6?
Answer: Réti missed 19 ... Qd2! 20 Bxf1 Qxe3+ and Black will emerge with the better
chances whatever White does; for example, 21 Kh1 (after 21 Qf2 Qxf2+ 22 Kxf2 Kxf8, Black
has an extra pawn) 21 ... Kxf8 22 Qd8+ (or 22 Re1 Qg5!) 22 ... Qe8 23 Qd6+ Kg8 24 Bb5
Qf8 25 Qxf8+ (or 25 Qxd5 Be6 and the a2-pawn falls) 25 ... Kxf8 26 Bc6 Rb8 27 Bxd5 Be6!
28 Bxe6 fxe6 leads to a favourable rook ending for Black.
20 Bxa6?
In positions with hanging pieces it is useful to look for situations where you can sell your
life as dearly as possible. Here that means 20 Bxg7! Kxg7 (of course not 20 ... Bxd3?? 21
Qxh6 Bh7 22 Bf6 or 21 ... f6 22 Bxf6 Kf7 23 Qg7+ Ke6 24 Qe7+ Kf5 25 Qf7!! and mate next
move, which is more beautiful than the “noisy” 25 g4+ Kg6 26 Qg7 mate) 21 Bxf1 (or 21
Bxa6 Nxe3) 21 ... Qxa2 with even prospects.
20 ... Nxe3
The bishops can wait. 20 ... Qxa6? 21 Bxg7 Kxg7 22 Rxf1 Qxa2 is in White’s favour,
who has a superior pawn structure as well as the better king position.
21 Qf2 Kxf8
22 Bd3
After 22 Qxe3 Qxa6, Black has good winning chances.
22 ... Re8
Good enough. 22 ... Nc4 is a logical alternative.
23 Re1
White could put up more resistance with either 23 Qe1 or 22 Qb2, though in the long run
his prospects for a draw are meagre. After the text move the d4-pawn will soon fall.
23 ... Qc3 24 Bb5 Re7 25 Qg3 Kg8
Not failing for the naïve trap 25 ... Qxd4?? 26 Qb8+ etc.
26 h4 Qxd4 27 Kh1 Kh7
Now ... Nf5 is a deadly threat. The immediate 27 ... Nf5 is strong too; e.g. 28 Qb8+ Kh7
29 Rxe7 Qxh4+ 30 Kg1 Qxe7 and Black wins.
28 Qh3
Exercise: With ... Nf5 prevented, how did Réti conclude the game?
The Hungarian master Isidor Arthur Gunsberg (1854-1930) is perhaps most well known
for playing the third World Chess Championship match in New York City, in late 1890 and
early 1891, where he faced Wilhelm Steinitz. After five games Gunsberg was even in the
lead, but eventually lost by the score of 10½-8½. According to Chessmetrics, he was briefly
ranked No.1 in the world in February 1889. Gunsberg must be considered an underestimated
player in the history of chess, since there are no books about him in the English language.
Game 4
I.Gunsberg-R.Réti
San Remo 1911
Ruy Lopez
Answer: Generally speaking, the pin with ... Bg4 is not a threat before White has
advanced the d-pawn to d4. However, Gunsberg next move is 8 c4, so to start with he makes
sure to keep control of the weakened d4-square by avoiding ... Bg4 and ... Nd4.
7 ... h6 8 c4 g5?!
This must be regarded as slightly dubious since Black will have problems with his king’s
position. This kind of move only proves that Réti was an aggressive and risk-taking player in
his youth. A sounder, positional continuation is to castle short and then utilize his previous
move by organizing an exchange with ... Nh7-g5.
9 Nh2?!
Gunsberg is obviously preparing against ... g5-g4, but his move is too defensive. White
should play according to the classical recipe, answering a flank attack with a counter in the
centre. This could have been executed by 9 d4 g4 10 hxg4 Bxg4 11 d5 b5 12 dxc6 bxa4 13
Nc3, followed by 14 Qd3. Or, even more strongly, by 9 Nc3! and Nd5; for example, 9 ... g4
10 hxg4 Bxg4 11 Nd5 Nxd5 12 exd5! b5 13 dxc6 bxa4 14 Re1, when White can open the
game with d3-d4 next move.
9 ... Kf8 10 Bxc6
Otherwise 10 Nc3 Nd4 11 Ne2 Ne6 gives Black good control of the central dark squares.
10 ... bxc6 11 Qe2 Be6
Here 11 ... Rg8! is more precise, keeping more options in the position.
12 b3 c5 13 Nc3 c6 14 Nd1 Qd7 15 Ne3 Kg7 16 Neg4?!
16 ... Nh7?!
Answer: 16 ... Nh5! hits the weak f4-square at once. After 17 Nxe5 (17 g3 creates a
weakness on h3 which can be exploited after 17 ... Rag8, by ... Nf6 again and ... h6-h5) 17 ...
dxe5 18 Qxh5 Qxd3, Black is fine.
17 Bb2 f6 18 Ne3 Nf8 19 g4?
This is a positional mistake since it is easier for Black to break with ... h6-h5 than for
White to play the corresponding h3-h4. Correct was 19 h4! straight away, and if 19 ... Ng6
then 20 g3 gxh4 21 Qh5, planning Nf5+.
19 ... Ng6 20 Ng2
After 20 Nf5+ Kf7 21 Bc1 h5, Black has a clear advantage.
20 ... Nf4?!
Answer: 20 ... h5 is stronger, when White cannot prevent the plan of ... h5xg4, ... Rh3 and
... Rah8. Note that 21 gxh5 fails to 21 ... Bxh3 22 hxg6 Bxg2.
21 Nxf4 gxf4 22 Kg2
Now White can regroup with Rh1, Rag1 and Kf1, securing the kingside.
22 ... Rag8 23 Rh1 Kf7 24 Rag1 h5 25 f3 f5 26 exf5 Bxf5 27 Kf1 Bg6 28 Ke1 Bf6 29
Kd1
Question: How should Black proceed here?
According to edochess, Gyorgy Fluss had his peak during 1912/13 with an estimated
rating of around 2100. (By comparison, edo gives Réti a rating of 2450 over the same period,
whereas Chessmetrics has him at 2500.)
Game 5
G.Fluss-R.Réti
Budapest 1911
Tarrasch Defence
1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 c5
If White avoids or postpones the attack on the d5-pawn with c2-c4, Black should aim to
do it himself. That is the first step towards turning the tables and playing White with the black
pieces.
3 e3
The immediate 3 c4 is the strongest continuation.
3 ... Nc6 4 c4
Better late than never, but Black has already equalized since White has the problem piece
on c1 to solve.
4 ... e6 5 Nc3 Nf6
Now it is a Tarrasch Defence with the less dangerous e2-e3, rather than g2-g3 and perhaps
Bg5 with further pressure on the d5-pawn.
6 Bd3 cxd4 7 exd4 Be7
Black is first to release the tension in the centre, though he postpones the exchange of the
c4-pawn for a while.
8 0-0 0-0 9 Bg5
A more common set-up is 9 a3 dxc4 10 Bxc4 a6. B.Spassky-E.Geller, Candidates
Tournament, Amsterdam 1956, continued 11 Bg5 b5 12 Ba2 Bb7 13 Rc1 b4 14 axb4 Nxb4 15
Bb1 Qa5 16 Ne5 Rac8 with mutual chances.
9 ... dxc4 10 Bxc4
Question: How would you continue?
27 ... Rc4?
Answer: 27 ... Rxc3! 28 bxc3 Ke7 29 Ke2 Kd6 gains a tempo on the game but, more
importantly, it takes it into a pawn ending.
28 Ke2?
White should have stayed in the rook endgame with 28 Ra3, which is a very easy draw.
Black must either lose a queenside pawn after 28 ... Rxd4 or go back and defend with the
rook, since 28 ... a5 does not get him anywhere after 29 Rb3, attacking the new weakness on
b6.
28 ... Rxc3!
White was probably hoping for 28 ... Rxd4 29 Rc8+ Ke7 30 Rc7+, but of course the pawn
ending is the real test.
29 bxc3 Ke7 30 Kd3 Kd6
31 h4
Other moves:
a) 31 c4 is no good due to 31 ... Kc6! and Black will eventually secure the d5-square for
his king as well as a distant passed pawn.
b) 31 Kc2 Kc6 32 Kb3 seems to keep the black king at bay, but when White has played
out all his moves on the kingside, Black will penetrate nevertheless or create a distant passed
pawn. A plausible variation is 32 ... Kb5 33 f4 h5 34 f5 h4 35 g4 hxg3 36 hxg3 g6! 37 g4 g5
38 a4+ (38 f6 a6 and 38 a3 f6 are no better) 38 ... Kc6 39 Ka3 a5 and Black wins by playing
... b6-b5.
31 ... Kc6 32 g4 Kb5 33 f4 f6
Naturally, Black is not going to allow the white pawns to line up on the fifth rank and
make the decisive breakthrough g5-g6. To this end even 33 ... h5 34 gxh5 f5 is winning. Note
that 33 ... Ka4?? would be a grave error in view of 34 c4 and it is White who is winning.
34 f5
Exercise: In this position Black has only one way to win. How?
Game 6
M.Lowcki-R.Réti
Abbazia 1912
King’s Gambit
1 e4 e5 2 f4 exf4 3 Nf3
Question: How should Black respond to the main variation of the King’s
Gambit Accepted?
3 ... d5
Answer: The Abbazia or “Modern” Defence is actually an old line from the 16th century,
known to the leading Italian Player Giulio Cesare Polerio (1548-1612). Its former name
originates from a theme tournament in Abbazia (Opatija) 1912, where all the games started
with the King’s Gambit Accepted. To this day 3 ... d5 is considered to be a reliable move.
Nevertheless, more critical lines are Fischer’s 3 ... d6 and Luis Ramirez Lucena’s (circa
1465-1530) recommendation of 3 ... g5, which both attempt to refute the gambit. Regarding
the latter move, I remember reading Masters of the Chess Board for the first time and the
following remark to the game J.Rosanes-A.Anderssen, Breslau 1862: “We know that the idea
of the King’s Gambit is to attack on the f-file, where Black’s f6 and f5 have become weak as
a consequence of 3 ... g5, as the pawn can no longer protect these squares or drive off hostile
units from them. Playing in accordance with the real meaning of the Gambit, White therefore
would have to aim first of all at the opening of the f-file and at the elimination of the pawn on
f4. The continuation leading to positional advantage is therefore 4 h4, undermining the
defence of the Gambit-pawn. ( ... ) If he plays 4 Bc4, Black can answer with 4 ... Bg7, which
would deprive the move 5 h4 of its purpose, since Black has now the possibility of
maintaining his chain of pawns through 5 ... h6.”
4 exd5 Nf6
This move makes the variation “modern”. In olden days they used to recapture with 4 ...
Qxd5, which allows White to develop while gaining a tempo or two on the black queen.
5 Nc3
Answer: Black attacks the pawn again with 5 ... c6, offering a gambit which it is
dangerous to accept, since 6 dxc6 Nxc6 accelerates Black’s development and leaves White
vulnerable in the centre. Instead, D.Bronstein-Y.Nikolaevsky, USSR Championship. Leningrad
1971, continued 6 d4 Bb4+ 7 Nc3 cxd5 8 Bxf4 0-0 9 Be2 dxc4 10 Bxc4 Bg4 11 a3 Ba5 with
about equal play.
5 ... Bd6
The main line 5 ... Nxd5 6 Nxd5 Qxd5 7 d4 Be7!, preparing a timely ... g7-g5, is more
annoying for White due to the active queen on d5. Note that 8 Bxf4?? fails to 8 ... Qe4+.
6 Bb5+ c6 7 dxc6
It is better to insert 7 Qe2+ before capturing on c6.
7 ... bxc6
A slightly primitive move considering that 7 ... Nxc6! accelerates his development, and
damaging Black’s pawn structure now would cost White his bishop.
8 Be2?!
Once again 8 Qe2+ can be handy, displacing Black’s pieces before retreating the bishop
to the classical a2-g8 diagonal. Then 8 ... Be6 is answered by 9 Bc4 0-0 10 Bxe6 Re8 11
Ng5!, forcing 11 ... fxe6 with a dynamic position. White has the superior pawn structure and
good control of the e4-square, while Black is ahead in time.
8 ... 0-0 9 0-0 Re8 10 d4 Nbd7 11 Bd3
11 ... Qc7
The queen would be more actively placed on b6, but the best move is probably 11 ... h6!,
preventing the manoeuvre Nf3-g5-e4.
12 Ng5! Qb6!?
It shows strength of mind by Réti to correct his inaccuracy so quickly. Nevertheless, 12 ...
Bb7 is more precise here.
13 Kh1
Defending the d4-pawn tactically (13 ... Qxd4?? now loses to 14 Bxh7+ etc). After the
more active continuation 13 Bc4 Re7 (13 ... Ne5?? drops a piece to 14 Na4) 14 Bxf4 Bxf4
15 Rxf4, White is slightly better.
13 ... Nf8!?
This is fully playable, but it is interesting that Réti again avoids the development of his
c8-bishop with either 13 ... Ba6 or 13 ... Bb7. Presumably he considered the bishop to be
already developed since it works on two diagonals from where it stands. Such an approach
saves time and maintains flexibility regarding where the bishop might eventually be placed. A
clever concept indeed, going against the principles of Morphy and Tarrasch regarding
development.
14 Nce4
Another possibility is 14 Bxf4 Bxf4 15 Rxf4 Qxb2 16 Nce4! (the exchange sacrifice 16
Rxf6 yields no advantage after 16 ... gxf6 17 Nge4 Kg7!, when White has no more than
sufficient compensation) 16 ... Nxe4 17 Bxe4 and White has the initiative, with threats on
both the kingside and the queenside.
14 ... Nxe4 15 Nxe4 Bc7 16 Bxf4?!
Here 16 Nc5 and 16 c3 are better moves.
16 ... Bxf4 17 Rxf4
20 ... Qg4?
Answer: Developing the bishop, in this case with 20 ... Bg4, is still the most logical
move. After 21 Qg3 (21 Qxc6 Rc8 22 Qa6 Rc5 gives Black excellent piece play for the
pawn) 21 ... Rae8, Black is at last fully developed with equality.
21 Qxg4?
It seems both players either missed or underestimated the critical 21 Nxf7! Qxf3 22 Rxf3,
when Black has two continuations, each leading to a rook ending a pawn down:
a) 22 ... Rxf7 23 Bc4 Ne5 24 Re1! Be6! (24 ... Nxc4?? 25 Re8+ is mate next move) 25
Bxe6 Nxf3 26 gxf3 and White emerges with an extra pawn.
b) 22 ... Bg4 23 Rg3 Rxf7 24 Bxg6 hxg6 25 Rxg4 Rf2 26 Rc4 Re8 27 Rxc6 Kh7 28 Rg1
Ree2 29 h3 Rxc2 30 Rxc2 Rxc2 31 Rb1 and Black is fighting hard to get a draw.
21 ... Bxg4
Capturing while developing is certainly an effective move!
22 h3?
Seeing that White’s bishop is more dangerous, he should seek to keep it. 22 Bc4
practically forces 22 ... Nh8 (22 ... Ne5? fails to 23 Rae1) 23 Rae1, when White is more
actively placed, with two pawn islands versus three, yielding him a slight plus.
22 ... Be2 23 Bxg6
The slight damage this causes to Black’s pawn structure is insignificant. It was simpler to
remove both bishops and play 23 Bxe2 Rxe2 24 Rac1 f6 25 Nf3 c5 26 Rfe1 with an equal
endgame.
23 ... hxg6 24 Rf2 f6 25 Nf3
Question: Should Black exchange his bishop or keep it?
Exercise: What is the best way for Black to react to the coming pawn race?
Karoly Sterk (1881-1946) was a Hungarian chess master who played for his country in
Olympiads at Paris 1924, Budapest 1926 and Prague 1931. He had a 50% score against Réti,
and had in fact beaten him five days earlier in Debrecen. According to Chessmetrics, Sterk
was rated 30th in the world in 1915, his highest estimated rating was 2568 in 1913, and his
best individual performance came in Bad Pistyan 1912, where he scored 7/12 versus 2645-
rated opposition.
Game 7
R.Réti-K.Sterk
Debrecen 1913
Caro-Kann Defence
1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 Bf5 4 g4
If White wants to play g2-g4 it is more popular to prepare it with 4 Nc3 and only after 4
... e6 to go for 5 g4. The immediate 4 g4 is less effective since it allows the black bishop
extra options. not least the ability to retreat back down the h3-c8 diagonal.
4 ... Bd7
The safest reply. Note that 4 ... Be4 might be answered by 5 Nf3!?, followed by further
threats on the bishop via Be3 and Nbd2 or Nc3 with convenient development.
5 f4
Question: What is the most principled continuation?
5 ... e6
Answer: The most principled move is 5 ... h5!, undermining White’s fragile grip on the
light squares, when 6 g5 Bg4 solves the problem with the light-squared bishop once and for
all.
6 h4?
Here is a suitable moment to begin(!) development with 6 Nf3, simultaneously preventing
the threatened 6 ... Qh4+.
6 ... h5
Black strives to block the kingside, in order to be able to work freely on the other flank,
where the prospects are on his side.
7 g5 g6
The immediate 7 ... c5 is more energetic. There is no need to prevent White from playing
g5-g6 at this stage.
8 f5?!
White probably reasons that he must start something on the kingside, even at the cost of a
pawn. At least the f4-square is conquered which might come in handy, especially for a knight,
while also denying Black use of the f5-square. All the same, 8 Nc3 is better, perhaps
followed by a later Na4, trying to create some play on the queenside.
8 ... exf5
Capturing the other way with 8 ... gxf5! is more critical, enabling the knight manoeuvre ...
Ne7-g6 with pressure on the h4-pawn as well as a possible blockading white knight on f4.
9 Nh3?
It is better to manoeuvre the knight via e2, since White now has to withstand an attack on
his central d4-pawn.
9 ... c5!
The logical reply, especially as White disregarded the centre with his previous move.
10 Be3 Nc6 11 Nc3?!
It is still possible to keep the pawn chain intact with 11 c3 Qb6 12 Qd2.
11 ... Qa5
The alternative is 11 ... cxd4 12 Bxd4 Bg7, when 13 Nxd5?? Be6 wins a piece. Perhaps
Black did not want to allow 13 Nb5, followed by Nd6+, but the simple 13 ... Kf8 14 Bc5+
Nge7 leads to a position where Black is clearly better. It is understandable in practical chess
not to allow the opponent too much activity, even if it is not particularly dangerous, especially
if there are alternative ways to keep the advantage, while snuffing out that activity as well.
12 Rh2?
Rather than this artificial rook move, 12 Nf4 is a better try, intending 12 ... cxd4 13 Bxd4
Bg7 14 Nfxd5 Be6 15 b4! with an unclear position, although 14 ... 0-0-0! still looks good for
Black.
12 ... Be6 13 Rd2 cxd4 14 Bxd4 Nxd4 15 Rxd4 Bb4 16 Qd3
16 ... a6?
In comparison with Réti’s dubious play so far, this is Sterk’s first error in the game. There
is no need to defend against the check on b5. After 16 ... Ne7 17 Qb5+ Nc6 18 Qxa5 Bxa5,
Black has a virtually winning position.
17 0-0-0?
It was better to leave the king in the centre and force matters with 17 a3 Bxc3+ 18 Qxc3
Qxc3+ 19 bxc3 Ne7 20 Rb4, when White at least has some counterplay.
17 ... Bxc3
There was no hurry to make this exchange. Simpler is 17 ... Ne7! 18 Nf4 0-0!, when 19
Nfxd5? fails to 19 ... Nxd5 20 Nxd5 Bxd5 21 Rxd5 Qxa2 22 c3 Rac8 and Black is winning;
the main threat is ... Rxc3+.
18 Qxc3 Qxc3
Now 18 ... Qxa2? should be avoided because of 19 Qb4 with good counterchances.
19 bxc3 Ne7 20 Nf4 0-0-0?
The strongest continuation is 20 ... Nc6 21 Nxd5 0-0-0, still with a clear advantage for
Black, since the e5-pawn is also hanging.
Exercise: How can White exploit Black’s error?
21 Bg2?
Answer: White should grab the chance to play 21 c4! dxc4 22 Nxe6 fxe6 23 Bxc4 Nd5
24 Bxd5 (or 24 Bb3 with some compensation for the pawn) 24 ... Rxd5 25 Rxd5 exd5 26
Rxd5 Rd8 27 Rc5+! (not 27 c4? Rxd5 28 cxd5 b5 with a lost ending due to Black’s passed f-
pawn and queenside majority) 27 ... Kd7 28 Kd2 Ke6+ 29 Ke3 and White may have
sufficient activity to draw. Or if 21 ... Nc6 then 22 cxd5 Nxd4 23 Rxd4 Bd7 24 c4 Rhe8 25
Nd3, when White is close to full compensation for the exchange and can improve his position
with moves like Kd2-e3-f4 and Bg2.
21 ... b5
This prevents c3-c4 but gives White an additional break. By trying to keep hold of the d5-
pawn, Black merely limits his own forces. 21 ... Nc6! 22 R4d2 Rhe8 is more precise.
22 a4! Kc7?
With this move the final remains of Black’s huge opening advantage disappear. Here 22 ...
Nc6 23 R4d2 bxa4 should have been played, though it was now necessary to calculate some
variations. The main line goes 24 c4 Nxe5 25 Nxe6 fxe6 26 Re2 Nxc4 27 Rxe6 Rhe8! 28
Rxg6 Ne3 29 Rd2 a5 and Black keeps a clear advantage. The black knight is super strong
and can jump to c4 where it supports both a-pawns.
23 axb5 axb5 24 Rb4
This strong placement of the white rook would not have been possible with a black knight
on c6.
24 ... Kc6?!
Black will lose the b5-pawn in the long run, so it was better to sacrifice it immediately
with 24 ... Ra8! 25 Rxb5 Rhb8, exchanging one pair of rooks in the process.
25 Kd2
Preparing Rdb1 with further pressure on the b5-pawn. A future king march to d4 is also a
possibility.
25 ... Ra8?
The simplest way to draw was 25 ... Rb8 26 Rdb1 Kc7! 27 Rxb5 Rxb5 28 Rxb5 Rb8! 29
Rxb8 Kxb8; for example, 30 Ke3 Kc7 31 Kd4 Kb6 (threatening ... Nc6+) 32 Nxd5+ Nxd5 33
Bxd5 Bxd5 34 Kxd5 and the defended passed f5-pawn secures the draw. Who would have
imagined that such a doubled pawn could be so strong?
26 Ne2?
Answer: The immediate 26 Rdb1! is the correct move order, the point being that 26 ...
Rhb8? now fails to 27 c4! Ra5 28 cxd5+ Bxd5 29 Nxd5 Nxd5 30 c4! and so on. White’s
doubled pawns have a lot of tactical potential too! The comparatively best 26 ... Ra5 is also
answered by 27 c4!, intending 27 ... bxc4? (27 ... Rab8 28 cxb5+ Kb6 is necessary) 28 Rb7
with a clear advantage, and if 28 ... Nc8? then 29 Ne2! wins for White; among other things the
threat is a very beautiful mate starting with 30 Nd4+.
26 ... Rhb8 27 Rdb1
More consequent was 27 Nd4+ Kc7 (or 27 ... Kd7 28 Bf1) 28 Nxb5+ Kd7 29 c4 Ra5 30
Kc3 with a slight initiative, even if the position is objectively equal.
27 ... Ra5 28 Nd4+ Kd7?!
Beginning a completely erroneous trek to the kingside. 28 ... Kc7 29 Nxb5+ Kd7 30 Nd4
Rxb4 31 cxb4 Ra2 was still equal.
29 Bf1! Ke8?
Putting the king on d8 was better, particularly on the next move.
30 Bxb5+ Kf8?
Exercise: What is the problem with this retreat?
Answer: 31 Bd7!
This slightly spectacular move forces the exchange of rooks and is stronger than 31
Nxe6+ fxe6 32 Bd7, which should win too.
31 ... Rxb4
31 ... Rba8 32 Rb8+ is no better for Black.
32 cxb4
This is the point. The c3-pawn has been transferred to b4, becoming a dangerous distant
passed pawn, as well as attacking the rook.
32 ... Ra7 33 Bxe6
It is a matter of taste whether one takes with the bishop or the knight. 33 Nxe6+ fxe6 34
Bxe6 Nc6 35 Bxd5 Nxe5 36 c4 wins easily as well.
33 ... fxe6 34 Nxe6+ Ke8
Or similarly 34 ... Kf7 35 Nd4, followed by the advance of the b-pawn. White might also
throw in e5-e6+ with gain of tempo if it seems worthwhile.
35 b5 Nc8 36 b6!
The simplest win.
36 ... Rb7 37 Nc7+ Kd7 38 Nxd5 Ke6
38 ... Kc6 39 c4 is equally hopeless, since capturing the b6-pawn leads to a lost pawn
ending; for example, 39 ... Nxb6 40 Rxb6+ Rxb6 41 Nxb6 Kxb6 42 e6 Kc7 43 c5 Kc6 44
Ke3 Kc7 45 Kd4 Kc6 46 Ke5 Kc7 47 e7 Kd7 48 Kf6 f4 49 c6+ and so forth.
Exercise: In this winning position, what is White’s most precise continuation?
39 c4
Answer: Réti’s move is good enough, but White could also play 39 Rb5!, when the e5-
pawn is taboo due to 39 ... Kxe5? 40 Ne7+.
39 ... Kxe5 40 Kd3 Nd6 41 Re1+ Ne4 42 Nf6!
The best move, increasing the pressure on the e4-knight, while 42 ... Rxb6? runs into 43
Nd7+.
42 ... Kd6 43 Nxe4+ fxe4+
52 Rh8
Here 52 g6 Rh2+ (or 52 ... Rg3 53 Rg5) 53 Kc1 Kc3 54 Rc5+ Kb4 55 Rg5 Rxh4 56 g7 is
a quicker win. Réti prefers to advance both pawns step by step in the spirit of Philidor.
52 ... Kd5 53 g6 Rg3 54 h5 Ke6 55 h6! Rg2+ 56 Kc3 Rg3+ 57 Kd4 Rg4+ 58 Ke3
Rg3+ 59 Kf2 Rxg6 60 h7 Kf7 61 Rd8 1-0
An unusual game with many errors on both sides, but one still showing Réti’s creative
play.
Gustaf Nyholm (1880-1957) was the first Swedish player to participate in international
tournaments abroad. According to Chessmetrics, he was ranked 20th in the world in January
1920 with an estimated rating of 2510. His best individual performance was at Abbazia 1912,
where he scored 5/9 versus 2605-rated opposition. Nyholm’s main weakness was that he
made mistakes in complicated positions and at the end of tournaments, one reason being that
he was not so strong physically and sometimes even ill. His style was romantic and he loved
gambits, kingside attacks and combinations, preferring players like Morphy and Anderssen to
Steinitz and Lasker.
Game 8
G.Nyholm-R.Réti
Baden-bei-Wien 1914
Danish Gambit
1 e4 e5
Seven years later, G.Nyholm-R.Réti, Stockholm 1919, went 1 ... c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4
Nxd4 a6 5 Be2 (5 Bd3 is normal) 5 ... Nf6 6 Bf3 (the inspiration for this bishop manoeuvre
was the game G.Marco-C.Schlechter, Cambridge Springs 1904; the most obvious drawback to
the extended fianchetto is that the bishop can be challenged at any time by the black queen’s
knight) 6 ... Nc6 7 0-0 Ne5 8 b3?! (8 Nc3) 8 ... b5 9 Bb2 Qc7 10 Nd2 Bb7 11 Rc1?! (11 Be2!
is better, and if 11 ... Nxe4 12 Nxe4 Bxe4 then 13 a4 b4 14 Re1 with some play for the pawn)
11 ... g5? (Nyholm wrote in his annotations: “A dangerous move for both players. It would
have been motivated if White had weakened his kingside, for example with h2-h3. Now it
seems the move is impolite, especially regarding the well-placed bishop on b2, and the rook
on c1 which is ready to support c2-c4 with an attack.” 11 ... Bc5 is best with a clear
advantage for Black; presumably Réti preferred to play in a hypermodern style, but on this
occasion it backfired.) 12 c4! b4 13 c5!
Réti presumably overlooked that 13 ... Nd3? fails to 14 c6!! (what a c-pawn!) 14 ... dxc6
(or 14 ... Bxc6 15 Rxc6 dxc6 16 Nxe6 fxe6 17 Bxf6 Bg7 18 Bh5+ Kf8 19 Bxg5 and Black’s
position falls apart) 15 Nxe6 fxe6 16 Bxf6 Bg7 (16 ... Rg8 17 Bh5+) 17 Bh5+ Kf8 18 Qf3
Qf4 19 Qxd3 Qxf6 20 e5! and White is winning. 13 ... Bxc5? is also a mistake due to the
extraordinary riposte 14 Nc6!! with a clear advantage.
Instead, the game continued 13 ... g4 14 Be2 Nxe4?? (this loses a piece; it is necessary to
move the rook off the long dark diagonal with 14 ... Rg8, when Black still has a reasonable
position) 15 c6! Nxd2 16 cxb7 Qxb7 17 Qxd2 Rg8 18 Nxe6 fxe6 ( 18 ... Nf3+ 19 Bxf3) 19
Bxe5 Qe4 20 Bg3 1-0. A bad day for Réti was a good day for Nyholm.
2 d4 exd4 3 c3
From the Centre Game with 2 d4, we now have the Danish Gambit represented by this
pawn sacrifice. It was first analysed by a Danish jurist called Blankensteiner in the 1830s,
according to the Oxford Companion to Chess. Subsequently, it was taken up by the Swedish
master Hans Lindehn, and then the Dane Severin From, and later investigated by other
Scandinavian players and analysts. In Sweden it is actually known as the Scandinavian
Gambit (Nordisk Gambit).
3 ... dxc3
Normally, it is considered best to accept a gambit, aiming to return the material at an
optimum moment, transforming it into other advantages – as, for example, the Hungarian
grandmaster Géza Maróczy used to do. If Black prefers to decline, then 3 ... d5 is the usual
move.
However, there is another interesting continuation in Rosentreter’s Defence 3 ... Qe7!?,
which was mentioned more than a hundred years ago in the Lärobok i Schack (1903) by the
brothers Ludvig and Gustaf Collijn. It has for a long time been regarded as one of the best
antidotes to the Danish Gambit and remains so even to this day. GM Larry Kaufman gives the
move an exclamation mark in his opening repertoire book. Spielmann actually played this
way against Réti in the same tournament, who responded with the mirroring but odd 4 Qe2?
(the critical line is 4 cxd4 Qxe4+ 5 Be3 with some compensation for the pawn) 4 ... Nf6 5
Nd2? d5 6 e5 d3 7 Qxd3 Qxe5+, when Black had an extra pawn for virtually nothing.
4 Bc4
Nyholm was regarded as a great specialist in the Danish Gambit. On the whole, he was
most dangerous in the opening and pretty good in the middlegame. Nevertheless, Réti
manages to beat him in a miniature!
4 ... d5
Or 4 ... cxb2 5 Bxb2 d5 6 Bxd5, which comes to the same thing.
5 Bxd5 cxb2 6 Bxb2 Nf6
7 Nf3?
The main variation is 7 Bxf7+ Kxf7 8 Qxd8 Bb4+ 9 Qd2 Bxd2+ 10 Nxd2 Re8 with an
approximately equal game. G.Nyholm-S.Tartakower (again at this tournament) continued 11
f3 (11 Ngf3, with the trap 11 ... Nxe4? 12 Ne5+, is another option) 11 ... Nc6 12 Rc1?! (here
12 Ne2, 12 Kf2, and 12 a3 are all reasonable ways to maintain the balance) 12 ... Be6?! (both
players seemed to have underestimated the strength of 12 ... Nd5!, threatening the annoying ...
Ndb4 as well as ... Nf4 with a slight advantage) 13 a3 Rad8 with an equal position.
Another move is 7 Nc3?, as played by the Swedish GM Jonny Hector and popular in the
mid-1980s, but it is refuted by 7 ... Nxd5 8 Nxd5 Nd7!, followed by 9 ... c6. Note that it is
important to prevent the deadly knight check on f6. After the thoughtless 8 ... c6?? 9 Nf6+!
gxf6 10 Qxd8+ Kxd8 11 Bxf6+, White wins the exchange for nothing.
Answer: It allows Black to develop smoothly, after which White has no compensation for
the sacrificed pawn.
7 ... Bb4+
Another good option is 7 ... Nxd5 8 exd5 Qe7+ 9 Kf1 (or 9 Kd2 Qb4+ 10 Bc3 Qf4+ 11
Kc2 f6! and White’s king is far more exposed than Black’s) 9 ... Bd7, followed by ... Na6 and
... 0-0-0 with a clear advantage for Black.
8 Kf1
Strictly speaking, 8 Bc3 is better, but this is not what you want to be playing in the Danish
Gambit. White’s two raking bishops are the key to the whole system, so it seems illogical to
give them up.
8 ... 0-0?!
Protecting the bishop with 8 ... Na6 is more sensible, before castling.
Exercise: Is there a problem with Black’s move?
9 Qb3?
Answer: Réti was normally a strong tactical player, so we must assume he saw 9 Bxf7+!
and had planned 9 ... Kh8! 10 Qxd8 Rxd8, according to Maróczy’s method that there is
always a moment when you can return the pawn for other advantages. In this case Black has
secured the exchange of queens and can reckon on a slight but stable advantage due to the
queenside pawn majority. Actually, 9 ... Kxf7 is good too but leads to more concrete
variations: 10 Qb3+ Ke8 11 Qxb4 Qd1+ 12 Qe1 (or 12 Ne1 Nc6 13 Qd2 Qh5) 12 ... Qxe1+
13 Kxe1 Nxe4 14 Bxg7 Rg8 and so forth.
9 ... Nc6
Setting a little trap. Otherwise, simply 9 ... Nxd5 10 exd5 a5!, planning ... Na6-c5, was
strong.
10 Nc3
The trap was 10 Bxc6? bxc6 11 Qxb4? Rb8! 12 Qd4 Rxb2! with a winning position, since
13 Qxb2? Qd1+ 14 Ne1 Ba6+ leads to mate. Now 11 Bxc6 is a threat, so Black defends the
b4-bishop in the most natural way.
10 ... Qe7 11 a3 Bd6
It is a matter of taste where the bishop retreats. 11 ... Bc5 and 11 ... Ba5 are also quite
safe.
12 Re1
Intending 13 e5 Nxe5 14 Nxe5 Bxe5 15 f4, winning a piece, but this threat is easily met.
12 Nb5 Bc5 gets White nowhere either.
12 ... Ne5 13 Nxe5
The computer prefers 13 Nb5, though 13 ... Nxf3 14 Qxf3 Bc5 15 Bb3 c6 16 Nd4 Re8 17
e5 Bg4 seems pretty convincing for Black as well.
13 ... Bxe5 14 Bc4 c6 15 h4?!
This looks like either resignation or desperation. There is more purpose to 15 a4,
preventing ... b7-b5 and threatening Ba3, although after 15 ... Rd8, Black’s extra pawn and
more harmonious forces will eventually decide the game.
15 ... b5 16 Be2 Be6
It is interesting that Réti opted for this rather routine development, since the bishop was
well placed where it stood in this particular position. Instead, he could have improved his
rooks with candidate moves like 16 ... a5, 16 ... Rd8, 16 ... Re8, or even 16 ... Rb8.
17 Qc2
17 Nd5 Bxd5 18 exd5 Bxb2 19 Qxb2 Nxd5 is nothing, since 20 Bxb5? fails to 20 ... Qb7.
17 ... Qc5
Réti activates his queen, pinning the c3-knight and preparing ... a7-a5 followed by ... b5-
b4.
18 Rc1 Rfd8 19 g3 a5 20 Qb1
Nyholm understandably wants to avoid the exchange of queens, and plans a discovered
attack with Nd5, but decentralizing his own queen has its drawbacks.
Exercise: What is Black’s strongest continuation?
20 ... Rd2
This quiet, improving move is probably the most pragmatic choice.
Answer: The more spectacular 20 ... Bxg3! 21 fxg3 Qe3, followed by ... Qxg3, would
perhaps have been played by someone like Alekhine, who normally preferred explosive
variations when given the choice.
21 Nd5 Rxb2?
But this is far too casual and gives White a chance. The logical continuation is 21 ... Qd6
22 Bxe5 Qxe5 23 Ne7+ Kf8 24 Nxc6 Qxe4 25 Qxe4 Nxe4 and Black is winning.
22 Qxb2??
Presumably Nyholm intended 22 ... Bxb2 23 Nxf6+ and 24 Rxc5, but Black no longer has
to fall in with that plan.
The correct move order was 22 Nxf6+! Bxf6 23 Qxb2 Bxb2 24 Rxc5 and White has
somehow won the exchange, although he remains clearly worse after 24 ... Bd7 25 a4 bxa4 in
view of Black’s strong bishops and queenside pawns.
22 ... Qxd5! 23 exd5 Bxb2 24 Rc2 Bxd5 0-1
Now Black has far too much material, so White understandably resigned.
The Viennese master Rudolf Spielmann (1883-1942) was a professional chess player and
spent most of his mature life in Germany. He is said to have competed in more than 100
tournaments and 50 matches and was one of the hardest-working players. During the 1927
New York tournament he came to the conclusion that he needed to improve his rook endings
– by the time he competed at Bad Kissingen in 1928 he was already a first-class specialist! In
1928/29 he did the same thing with positional play by studying the classic works of
Nimzowitsch.
Before this period Spielmann was mainly a dangerous attacking player, especially in open
positions, and an intuitive one regarding combinations. He was regarded as the upholder of
the romantic tradition, following in the footsteps of Anderssen and Chigorin. He might be
regarded as a forerunner of Mikhail Tal in that he believed sacrifices should be judged
according to the problems they set the opponent rather than whether they are objectively
correct. Another similarity regarding their personalities is that both had a very friendly
disposition. Spielmann himself wrote a classic book entitled The Art of Sacrifice (Richtig
Opfern!) published in 1935, which it is necessary to assimilate in order to understand the art
of combinations at a deeper level.
Game 9
R.Réti-R.Spielmann
Vienna 1914
Four Knights Game
Answer: 5 Bxc6
Retreating with 5 Ba4 transposes to a minor variation of the Ruy Lopez which is
considered harmless.
5 ... dxc6
Not 5 ... bxc6? 6 Nxe5 and Black loses the central pawn without any compensation.
6 Nxe5 Nxe4
This is the tactical justification of Black’s fourth move.
7 Nxe4 Qd4
7 ... Qd5 comes to the same thing, but why not move as deep into enemy territory as
possible?
8 0-0 Qxe5 9 d4
It is useful to ask the question of the black queen before committing to Re1.
9 ... Qd5
Rubinstein tried 9 ... Qf5 against Kuczynski at Lodz 1907, but in that case White can
respond 10 Ng3! Qd5 11 Bf4 Bd6 12 Nh5! with advantage, as in A.Motylev-A.Kharlov,
European Club Cup, Izmir 2004.
10 Re1 Be6
11 Ng5
Answer: Taimanov analysed 11 Bg5!, preventing castling queenside, while planning b2-b3
and c2-c4; for example, 11 ... Bd6 12 b3 b5 13 Rc1 b4 14 Qf3 0-0 15 Nxd6 Qxd6 16 c3 bxc3
17 Qxc3 with a slight structural advantage, even if a draw is the most likely result.
On the other hand, if Black tries to drive the g5-bishop away with 11 ... h6?!, White can
respond 12 Bf6!! (rather than Taimanov’s 12 Bh4), the idea being that the natural 12 ... Qf5 is
met by 13 Qd3! and the bishop is still taboo in view of Nd6+. Securing the queen with 13 ...
Qg6 does not solve the problem either, because 14 Bh4 then threatens 15 d5! cxd5 16 Nf6+
gxf6 17 Rxe6+ and wins. Black has to attempt artificial castling with 14 ... Kd7, followed by
... Re8 and Kc8, but then 15 Rad1 Re8 16 d5! cxd5 17 Qc3 Kc8 18 Bg3 Kb8 19 Nc5!! (even
stronger than taking on c7) 19 ... Bxc5 20 Qxc5 Rc8 21 b4, intending b4-b5, leads to a
dangerous initiative for White.
11 ... 0-0-0 12 Nxe6 fxe6 13 Qg4
13 ... Qxd4
A.Alekhine-D.Van Foreest, Bussum (simul) 1933, continued more passively with 13 ...
Re8?! 14 Bf4?! (14 Re4 secures a slight advantage) 14 ... h5! 15 Qg6 Bd6 16 Bxd6 cxd6
(now Black has equalized) 17 Rad1 Qf5 18 Qxf5 exf5 19 Kf1 Kd7 20 h4 Rxe1+ 21 Rxe1 Rh6
22 Re3 Re6 23 Rg3 g6 24 Rb3 (I do not believe for a second that Alekhine played 24 Rh3 as
in the source) 24 ... Kc7 25 f3 d5 and a draw was agreed.
14 Qxe6+ Qd7
14 ... Rd7 is playable too, with the point 15 Qe8+ Rd8 16 Bg5! Bd6!.
15 Qxd7+
15 Bg5 leads to nothing substantial after 15 ... Qxe6 16 Rxe6 Rd5!.
15 ... Rxd7 16 Re8+ Rd8 17 Rxd8+ Kxd8
Question: How would you evaluate this position?
Answer: White has a small but distinct advantage. Three pawns versus two on the
kingside is an significant factor when the opponent has more difficulties creating a passed
pawn on the other side.
18 b3
Now Black gets the opportunity to place his pieces on optimal squares. 18 Be3 is more
active.
18 ... Bc5 19 Bb2 Rf8
Threatening f2, so White does not have time to take on g7.
20 Rd1+ Kc8?!
A good rule when playing against an opposing pawn majority is to place the king on the
same side of the board. This will make it more difficult for the adversary to create a passed
pawn, and if one does somehow appear the king stands ready to help restrain it. Therefore 20
... Ke8 or 20 ... Ke7 looks more logical, whereas after the text move it is cut off by the white
rook.
21 Rd2 g6
Exercise: How does White deal with the f2-weakness?
Answer: 22 Kf1
Réti plans to place his pawn on f3, according to the famous rule by Capablanca.
Presumably he did not want to weaken the f3-square with 22 g3 unnecessarily, since
Black might exploit it with 22 ... g5 23 Kg2 g4, practically forcing 24 Bd4, when Black can
choose between 24 ... Bd6 and 24 ... Rd8. After the latter move, 25 c3 looks best, since
White would be happy for all the pieces to be exchanged. Instead, 25 Bc3 Re8! gets nowhere,
while 25 Be3 leads to a draw by force after the surprising 25 ... Bxe3! 26 Rxd8+ Kxd8 27
fxe3; for example, 27 ... Ke7 28 Kf2 Ke6 29 e4 Ke5 30 Ke3 c5 31 Kd3 Ke6, when it easily
visible that there is no possibility of zugzwang, and as a consequence the passed pawn is
without venom.
22 ... Rf5 23 f3 Bd6 24 Kf2 Ra5 ‘
The Fischer-like 24 ... Bxh2?? loses to 25 g3 Rg5 26 Rd8+! (26 Bf6 Bxg3+ 27 Kg2 Bf4+
28 Bxg5 Bxg5 prolongs the game considerably) 26 ... Kxd8 27 Bf6+ Kd7 28 Bxg5 and the
bishop remains trapped.
25 a4 Rh5
Black could have played 25 ... b5! at once, aiming to get rid of his doubled pawn and
balance the game. It works tactically because of the following variation: 26 Bc3 (26 axb5
cxb5 is completely equal; the rook comes to a2 next move) 26 ... b4 27 Bg7 Bxh2!. In this
position the Fischer move works, since 28 g3 Rg5 29 Rd8+ fails to 29 ... Kb7 and the bishop
escapes.
26 h3 b5 27 Bc3 Rh4?!
Spielmann tries to encourage his opponent to capture on b5, but Réti does not oblige.
Instead, 27 ... bxa4 28 bxa4 Rc5 is a fairly easy way to draw; e.g. 29 Rd3 (or 29 Bb4 Rc4 30
Bxd6 cxd6 31 Rxd6 Rxc2+) 29 ... Rc4 30 a5 Ra4, followed by ... Bb4.
Exercise: What is the drawback to Black’s last move?
Answer: 28 g4!
Shutting the rook in as well as blocking the fourth rank. Black cannot play 28 ... Rxh3??
because of 29 Rxd6! cxd6 30 Kg2 and the rook is trapped; i.e. 30 ... Rh6 31 Bg7 Rh4 32 Bf6
Rh6 33 Bg5.
28 ... Bf4
Black can liberate his rook with 28 ... h5 29 Kg2 hxg4 30 fxg4 Rh7, but White still has a
symbolic extra pawn after 31 Bf6.
29 Rd8+?
It is better to play 29 Kg2, rather than help Black exchange his problem rook. Obviously
he cannot take on d2, since his rook gets trapped again.
29 ... Kxd8 30 Bf6+ Kd7 31 Bxh4 c5?
A serious mistake. 31 ... Ke6 should have been played. If Spielmann was worried about a
possible pawn ending after 32 Bg3, there was no need: 32 ... Ke5 cements the f4-square and
Black has nothing to fear. It would now be suicide to play 33 Bxf4?? Kxf4, when White even
loses due to the enormous activity of the black king.
Exercise: Why is Black’s move a mistake?
Answer: 55 Ke4!
Threatening 56 Be3 while the black bishop cannot get to the other side of the c5-pawn.
55 ... Bh2 56 Bf4! 1-0
Black resigned in view of 56 ... Bg1 57 Be3 Bxe3 (or 57 ... Bh2 58 Bxc5 Kg7 50 Kf5) 58
Kxe3 Kg7 59 Ke4 Kxg6 60 Kd5 Kf6 61 Kxc5 and his king is too far away to stop the c-pawn.
Walter John (1879-1940) was a German chess master. He was born in the Polish city of
Torûn, which was then part of the German Empire. According to Chessmetrics, his best world
ranking was 16th in January 1918, and his highest estimated ranking was 2602 in September
1908. His best individual performance was achieved at Barmen 1905, scoring 6/13 versus
2649-rated opposition. He is probably most well known for a game he lost to Schlechter at
that tournament, where he succumbed to too many dark-square weaknesses in his position.
Game 10
Wa.John-R.Réti
Mannheim 1914
Ruy Lopez
Question: What are the plans for both sides and what is Black’s strongest move?
Answer: 9 ... c5
In his excellent theoretical work Bologan’s Ruy Lopez for Black, GM Viktor Bologan
expresses the view that White cannot easily advance his pawn majority “without risking
creating weaknesses or opening the position for Black’s bishop pair. ( ... ) In this regard,
Black’s pawns on the queenside appear to be more mobile although Black must remain alert
once he weakens the d5-square with ... c6-c5.”
Another option is 9 ... Re8, putting the queen’s rook on the e-file as quickly as possible to
exploit the fact that White is a “file up” on the kingside. Bologan gives the following
interesting variation: 10 0-0-0 c5 11 Ne2 f5 12 Ng3 Nf6!? 13 exf5 h5 14 Rhe1 (or 14 h4 Bd6)
14 ... h4 15 Ngf1 Rh5 with the initiative. Note that the f8-bishop is in essence already
developed since it has the important function of defending the c5-pawn. Anyhow, it can
always go to d6 after a preliminary ... b7-b5 to avoid a harassing Nc4.
10 Ne2 b6
Black has slowly mobilized his crippled majority. His pawns now control the d4-square,
hampering White’s e2-knight and e3-bishop, while clearing the c6-square for a minor piece
and the b7-square for the king. Furthermore, by reinforcing the c5-pawn Black is now able to
develop his knight to e7.
11 f3 Ne7 12 0-0-0 Nc6 13 h4
Exercise: How can Black solve the problem of his remaining kingside forces?
Answer: 13 ... h6
An interesting solution. Réti wants to develop the bishop to g7, but the immediate 13 ...
g6 might run into moves like 14 Bg5 or 14 h5. Note that d6 is not a stable place for the
bishop owing to the harassing white knights winning tempi after 13 ... Bd6 14 Nc4 Be7 15
Nf4 and 16 Nd5.
14 g4?!
It is better to discourage ... g7-g6 by playing 14 h5 anyway, when Black can try the
extended fianchetto by placing the bishop on f6 instead after 14 ... Be7. If White prevents this
through 15 Nf4, Black has the strong 15 ... Ne5, controlling the c4-square as well as securing
the d6-square for the bishop since 16 Nd5 Bd6 17 f4? is met by 17 ... Ng4. This is an
instructive illustration of how White’s pawn majority, while advancing, also creates
weaknesses for himself. Incidentally, this topic has not been covered much in books on
strategic play.
14 ... g6 15 g5 h5 16 Rde1?
The beginning of what should have been a dubious plan, in which case White’s move just
wastes a tempo and gives away potential control of squares on the d-file, particularly d5.
Activating the king’s knight with 16 Nf4 would be normal, keeping an eye on the weakened
d5-square, though Black is nonetheless a little better now.
16 ... Bg7
Réti must have been happy with his position after this move, since he loved the kingside
fianchetto.
17 Rhf1
Preparing the advance of the f-pawn. Otherwise 17 Nf4 could still have been played,
although it does not harmonize with the rook on e1.
17 ... Rhe8 18 f4
Exercise: How should Black react to his opponent’s pawn push?
18 ... Nd4?
Answer: The best response is to secure and consolidate the position by means of 18 ...
Ne7!. If White persists in playing for an f4-f5 break, the following might occur: 19 Ng3 Kb7
20 f5? (quieter continuations give Black time to improve his position with ... a5-a4 and ...
Bg4) 20 ... Be5 21 Bf4 Bxf4 22 Rxf4 Nxf5! and the e4-pawn is pinned against the white rook.
This variation shows the defect of White’s set-up, especially the placement of the rook on e1.
Whereas after Réti’s move in the game, White’s dream of playing f4-f5 comes true.
19 Bxd4
Completely wrong is 19 Nxd4? cxd4 20 Bg1 d3! 21 c3 (not 21 cxd3?! Bb5 and ... Bxd3,
when White has no compensation whatsoever for Black’s activity and strong bishop pair since
the doubled pawn has been profitably exchanged) 21 ... Bh3 and the harmony in White’s
position is destroyed after 22 Rf2 or 22 Rf3 Bg4.
19 ... cxd4
Black seems to have a good position with his bishop pair and healthy pawn majority.
However, White now has his share of chances on the kingside, so the position is balanced.
20 f5
Planning the follow-up Nf4 with pressure on the g6-pawn.
20 ... gxf5
Black has several possibilities, but it is logical to open the position as much as possible
to increase the power of the bishops versus the knights. Other continuations are 20 ... Be5 21
fxg6 fxg6 22 Nf4 c5!? 23 Nxg6 Bg3, or 20 ... d3 21 Nf4 dxc2 22 fxg6 fxg6 23 Nxg6 Bh3,
both leading to equal play.
21 exf5??
A fatal mistake. White should have played 21 Ng3! Be5 (or 21 ... fxe4 22 Nxh5) 22 Nxh5
(22 Nxf5 is met by 22 ... Be6) 22 ... fxe4 23 Rxe4 Bc6 24 Ree1 with mutual chances.
Exercise: What was wrong with the move in the game?
According to Chessmetrics, Breyer highest ranking was 9th in the world in December
1917 with an estimated rating of 2630. At the time of the current game he was ranked equal
10th with Réti, but in fact Breyer found Réti to be a difficult opponent, and only beat him
once in their 16 games together while losing on nine occasions.
Game 11
G.Breyer-R.Réti
Kosice 1918
King’s Gambit
1 e4 e5 2 f4
The King’s Gambit is the oldest known gambit in chess history. It has been ventured not
only by pronounced romantic players such as Anderssen, Chigorin, Kolisch, Morphy and
Spielmann, but also by those of a different style, like Rubinstein, Spassky and Bronstein.
2 ... exf4
This is absolutely the best continuation for Black, either to reach an early equalization or
even try for more. Do not be deterred, when you are preparing for a game, by the fact that
your opponent might be a King’s Gambit expert and therefore ready for this move. Learn
some variations and there is virtually nothing for Black to worry about. The Soviet GM
Ratmir Kholmov (1925-2006) once said, after losses to Bronstein and Spassky: “Make sure
that you always have a solid system against the King’s Gambit at your disposal.”
3 Qf3
This line is in fact known as the Breyer Gambit. White’s idea is rather crude: ignoring the
development of the king’s knight for the moment, White plans to recapture the gambit pawn
with the queen, and then follow up with Bc4, Nf3, and 0-0. The result is that strong pressure
is established on the half-open f-file, particularly the f7-square. Coupled with the fundamental
idea of setting up a classical centre with pawns on e4 and d4, the two chief aims of the
opening are thus achieved. In that sense Breyer’s move is both logical and in the spirit of
King’s Gambit.
Question: So, what is your answer to the Breyer Gambit?
9 ... 0-0
Answer: Having declined to castle kingside on the previous move, it was better now to
play 9 ... Qe7+! 10 Nge2 0-0-0 11 0-0-0 g5!, showing the main idea behind castling
queenside.
10 Nge2 Bb4!?
Réti wants to use his queen when he eventually recaptures on d5. The natural 10 ... Re8
might have been answered by 11 0-0-0 Nc4 12 Nxf4! (12 Bxf4 allows the clever 12 ... Qe7!,
threatening ... Ba3!) 12 ... Nxd2 13 Rxd2 Bxf4 14 Qxf4 Nxd5 15 Nxd5 Qxd5 16 b3 and
White has a rather safe position after, for example, 16 ... Re7 17 Rf1 Rae8 18 Kb2 and so
forth.
11 0-0
Castling long was an option for White too: 11 0-0-0 Nbxd5 (or 11 ... Bxc3 12 Nxc3
Nbxd5 13 Rhe1 Qd6 14 Re5 and White is fine) 12 Nxd5 Bxd2+ 13 Rxd2 Qxd5 14 Qxd5
Nxd5 15 c4 Ne3 16 Nxf4 Nxc4 17 Rc2 Nb6 18 Rxc7 Rac8 19 Rxc8 Rxc8+ 20 Kd2 with full
equality.
11 ... Bxc3
Réti tries to upset the balance, since after 11 ... Nfxd5 12 Nxd5 (12 Nxf4 Nxf4 13 Qxf4
Nc4 14 Be1 Bd6 offers Black a slight initiative, whereas pawn-grabbing with 14 ... Nxb2?! is
not so palatable after 15 Rb1 Bd6 16 Qf3 Nc4 17 Rxb7 and White has good counterplay) 12
... Bxd2 13 Ndxf4 Qe8, the position is rather simplified. The white bishop looks a bit
awkward on d2, but it actually helps to control the weak e3-square.
12 bxc3?
This is the worst recapture. Any of the others was preferable: 12 Bxc3 Nbxd5 13 Nxf4 c6
with equality; or 12 Nxc3 Nbxd5 13 Nxd5 Qxd5 14 Qxd5 Nxd5 15 Bxf4 with a level
endgame; or even 12 Qxc3!? Ne4 13 Qd3 Nxd2 14 Qxd2 and if 14 ... g5 then 15 g3!.
12 ... Qxd5
12 ... Nc4 13 Bxf4 Qxd5 was good too.
13 Bxf4
13 Qxf4 Qe4 also forces the exchange of queens. If White wants to avoid a queen trade,
he has to resort to 13 Qd3, but then 13 ... Qc6 14 Rxf4 Nfd5 15 Rf3 Nc4 highlights the weak
light squares and Black’s super knights secure a large advantage.
13 ... Qxf3
It will be easier for Black to exploit the opposing pawn weaknesses without the queens,
since White will find it more difficult to generate counterplay.
14 Rxf3 Rfe8 15 Ng3 Nfd5 16 Rb1 Rab8 17 Kf2 Re6
A rook lift with dual purpose: Black can either double on the e-file or swing the e6-rook
across to c6 attacking the c3-pawn. Another good move is 17 ... g6, taking squares away from
the white knight, as well as giving the black king some air.
18 Rb5 Rc6 19 Ne4 Rc4 20 Nd2
It makes sense to exchange the annoying rook with 20 Rc5, but then Black activates the
other one with 20 ... Re8 21 Rxc4 Nxc4 22 Nd2 Nb2! 23 c4 Nxf4 24 Rxf4 Nd1+ 25 Kf1 f5!
with a clear advantage. The black knight is doing a terrific job!
Exercise: How should Black meet the threat to his rook?
20 ... Rxc3?
Grabbing the c3-pawn releases the pressure.
Answer: Correct is 20 ... Ra4! 21 Rb2 f6 22 Bg3 Re8, when Black’s pieces are more
active than their opposing counterparts, yielding a clear advantage. It is difficult to find a
constructive plan for White, whereas it is easy for Black to improve his position move by
move; for example, with ... Kf7, ... h7-h5, ... g7-g5 (if the opponent allows it!), ... Kg6 etc.
Black can also consider ... Re6-c6 with his second rook, forcing White to put his knight in an
even more passive position on b1, protecting c3 and a3.
21 Rxc3 Nxc3 22 Rc5?
Breyer misses a chance to equalize with 22 Rb3! and then:
a) 22 ... Ncd5 23 Bg3 (intending to harass the centralized knight with c2-c4) 23 ... f5 24
Kf3 g5 25 c4 g4+ 26 Kf2 f4 27 cxd5 (27 Bh4 Ne3!) 27 ... fxg3+ 28 Kxg3 Nxd5 29 Kxg4,
when White’s activity compensates for Black’s more compact position
b) 22 ... Nbd5! is stronger, although White has his share of the chances in the rather hair-
raising variation 23 Bxc7 Re8 24 Rxb7 Re2+ 25 Kf3 Re3+ (25 ... h5!?) 26 Kf2 g5 27 Nb1
Re2+ 28 Kf3 g4+ 29 Kxg4 Nxb1 30 Be5 f6 31 c4! Ne3+! (after 31 ... fxe5? 32 cxd5, it is
suddenly Black fighting for a draw!) 32 Kf3 Nc3 33 Bxf6 Nxc4 34 Rg7+ Kf8 35 Rxa7 h5 36
a4, when a draw is the most likely outcome.
22 ... Nbd5 23 Bxc7
Exercise: Where should Black put his rook?
23 ... Rc8?
This pseudo-pin should not achieve anything.
Answer: 23 ... Re8! is more dangerous. One plausible variation is 24 Ba5 Nd1+ 25 Kg1
N1e3 26 c4 Nf4, when Black’s enormous activity is too much for the white position to deal
with in a proper way.
24 Bd6??
The wrong direction. 24 Ba5! forces the exchange of rooks with 24 ... Rxc5 25 dxc5,
when 25 ... Nxa2 might be met by 26 Ne4 Nab4 27 c4 Nf4! 28 Nd6 Nc6 29 Nxb7 Ne6 30
Bc3 with good drawing chances.
24 ... Rxc5??
Swapping the rooks off seriously jeopardizes Black’s prospects of winning.
Answer: 24 ... Re8! is now even stronger than on the previous move, since the c3-knight
can no longer be challenged, so Black can play ... f7-f6 and penetrate with the rook on the e-
file; for example, 25 Kf3 b6 26 Rc6 f6 27 Bg3 (or 27 Nf1 Nb5) 27 ... Re3+ 28 Kg4 Re2 and
so forth.
25 Bxc5?!
Taking with the d-pawn is better as it makes the b7-pawn a target for the knight. After 25
dxc5 Nxa2 26 Nb3 (stopping Black from advancing his a-pawn) 26 ... f5 (or similarly 26 ...
Nac3 27 Kf3 f6 28 Na5) 27 Na5 b6 28 Nb7 bxc5 29 Bxc5, White’s strong bishop and the
elimination of his doubled pawn means he has reasonably good drawing chances.
25 ... b6 26 Bd6 Nxa2?
Grabbing the a-pawn is too greedy. 26 ... f5 or 26 ... f6, followed by ... Kf7-e6, is the
correct course.
27 c4 Ndb4 28 d5?!
It is better to centralize the king first. A possible variation is 28 Ke3 f6 29 Ne4 Kf7 30 d5
Ke8 31 g4 and White has sufficient compensation for the pawn, with a space advantage in the
centre and on the kingside.
33 ... Nd5+?
This check only drives the white king further forward.
Answer: Black needs to bring his own king into the game with 33 ... Kf8, although
White’s activity should be sufficient to hold after 34 Kd4 b4 35 Kc5 Ke8 36 Kc6 (not 36
Kxb4? Ne2 37 Bf2 Nf4 38 Bg3 Nh5 39 Bf2 Kd7 and the c7-pawn falls) 36 ... Ne7+ 37 Kb7
Kd7 38 Kxa7 Kc8 39 Kb6 Ncd5+ 40 Kc5 Kd7 41 c8Q+! Kxc8 42 Bd6 Kd7 43 Bxe7 Nxe7 44
Kxb4 Nd5+ 45 Kc5 Ne3 46 g3 Ke6 47 Kd4 Ng4 48 Nf3 and so forth.
34 Kd4 Nde7 35 Ne4?
It was important to control the b-pawn with 35 Kc5 before centralizing the knight. If Black
defends the pawn with 35 ... a6, the most likely result is a draw. Look at the following
variation: 36 Ne4 Kf8 37 Nd6 (Black can hardly move his pieces so he has to advance his
kingside pawns) 37 ... f6 38 h4 g5 39 hxg5 fxg5 40 Bh2 h5 41 Be5 h4 42 Bf6 (now it is a
forced draw) 42 ... b4 43 Nxc8 Nxc8 44 Kxb4 Ke8 45 Bxg5 Kd7 etc.
35 ... b4 36 Kc4 f5 37 Nd6 g5
Seeing no prospect of holding onto his queenside pawns (e.g. after 37 ... a5 38 Kb5 b3 39
Nxc8 Nxc8 40 Be5 etc), Réti gets his kingside pawns moving.
38 Kxb4 f4 39 Nxc8 Nxc8 40 Be1 Kf7 41 Bd2?
Breyer forgets to use his king. Correct is 41 Kc5 Ke6 42 Kc6 g4 43 Kc5! with sufficient
counterplay after the further 44 Kd4. White can pick off the kingside pawns and leave the a-
pawn to the bishop.
41 ... Ke6 42 h4?
Trying to undermine the kingside pawns. 42 Kc5 is again a better try, although White will
now have a tough time after 42 ... Kd7; for example, 43 Bc3 Nd6 44 Kd5 Nb5 45 c8Q+ Kxc8
46 Be1 Nc7+ 47 Kd6 h6 48 Ke5 Kd7 49 Kf5 Ne6 50 Kg6 Nc5 51 Kxh6 Nd3 52 Bc3 g4 and
wins.
Exercise: What is the problem with White’s move?
42 ... h6?
Answer: Black has a smooth win after 42 ... f3! 43 gxf3 gxh4. White faces outside passed
pawns on both sides of the board. If he goes for the a-pawn with his king, Black will force the
front h-pawn through by manoeuvring his knight to f3; e.g. 44 Ka5 Kd7 45 Bf4 h3 46 Ka6
Ne7 47 Kxa7 Kc8, followed by ... Ng6-h4 etc. If the white king goes the other way, Black will
push his a-pawn down the board, pick up the c7-pawn, and then transfer his king to the
kingside where he has another h-pawn in reserve.
43 Kc5 Kd7 44 Kd5?
Here 44 hxg5 hxg5 45 Kd5 Kxc7 46 Bb4, preventing ... Nd6, was the correct course (but
not 46 Ke5 Kc6 47 Kf5? due to 47 ... Nd6+! and wins in view of 48 Kxg5 Ne4+).
44 ... Kxc7?
Again missing 44 ... f3! 45 gxf3 gxh4 and Black wins after 46 Bxh6 Ne7+ 47 Ke4 a5 and
so on. After the text, White can return to the previous note with 45 hxg5 hxg5 46 Bb4.
45 Ke6?! Nd6?
45 ... Kc6 is the best try. One fascinating, long line runs 46 hxg5 hxg5 47 Bb4 (not 47
Kf5? Nd6+ 48 Kxg5 Ne4+ etc) 47 ... g4 48 Kf5 f3 49 gxf3 g3! 50 Be1 g2 51 Bf2 a5 52 Kg4
a4 53 Kh3 a3 54 Kxg2 Kd5! 55 Bh4 Ke5 56 Be1 Kd4 57 Bh4 Nd6 58 Bf6+ Kd3 59 f4 a2 60
Kf3 Nc4 61 Ba1 (not 61 f5? Ne3!) 61 ... Kc2 62 f5 Kb1 63 Bg7! Nb2 64 f6 a1Q 65 f7 and
surprisingly the game is a draw.
46 Bc3??
A huge blunder. After the natural continuation 46 hxg5 hxg5 47 Bb4 Nc4 48 Kf5 Ne3+ 49
Kxg5 Nxg2, Black cannot win.
46 ... Kc6 47 hxg5 hxg5 0-1
White is two pawns down for nothing, so Breyer resigned.
A game full of errors, but it was really exciting with an interesting ending. What the
student can learn from the game is the enormous agility of the knight. It’s easy to
underestimate the knight when it struggles against a bishop, but here White’s dark-squared
bishop had a really hard time keeping pace with the black knight!
In Masters of the Chess Board, Réti mentions that Spielmann was the last bard of the
Gambit Game, who especially wanted to revive the King’s Gambit. Following Spielmann’s
successful result at Carlsbad in 1929, where he shared second place with Capablanca and
even managed to beat him, he constantly adopted 1 d4. This conversion made his colleagues
nickname him not the “the last knight of the King’s Gambit” but “the last knight of the
Queen’s Gambit”! In the next game too Spielmann plays a solid opening.
Game 12
R.Spielmann-R.Réti
Stockholm 1919
Ruy Lopez
6 Nxe5?!
Trading the king’s knight for the queen’s knight is harmless, and it is surprising that an
attacking player like Spielmann chose this move instead of a more ambitious continuation,
such as 6 Qe2 Nd6 7 Bxc6 bxc6 (not 7 ... dxc6? 8 dxe5 Nf5 9 Rd1 Bd7 10 Nc3, when the pin
is very unpleasant for Black) 8 dxe5 Nb7 (8 ... Nf5 is answered by 9 Qe4) 9 Rd1; or 6 dxe5
0-0 7 Qe2 d5 (7 ... Nc5 8 Rd1 secures an edge as well) 8 c4 a6 9 cxd5 axb5 10 dxc6 Qd5 11
Re1 Bf5 12 cxb7.
6 ... Nxe5
Simply 6 ... 0-0 is good too. The exchange on e5 will not run away without White paying
a price for it.
7 dxe5 0-0 8 Qe2
As will soon be clear, this is not the best placement for the queen. 8 Nd2 or 8 Qf3 is more
precise.
8 ... d5 9 c4?!
9 exd6 is an admission that his eighth move was inaccurate, since White will lose further
time with his queen after 9 ... Nxd6 10 Bd3 Bf6 and 11 ... Re8. Nevertheless, this was the
best continuation at White’s disposal.
9 ... c6 10 cxd5
10 Ba4 might have been met by 10 ... Bf5 or 10 ... Nc5 11 Bc2 d4 12 Rd1 f6 with a slight
advantage.
12 ... Rad8
If Black sticks with rook moves as the main candidates, it is slightly more precise to play
12 ... Rfd8, since it is not necessary to overprotect the f7-square here. After the text move,
the a7-pawn is left unprotected, and this can be exploited by a later Be3 with a possible gain
of tempo.
Answer: The seemingly daring 12 ... Qxe5! is best since, after the pinning move 13 Re1,
Black has the continuation 13 ... Bd6 14 Qh5 (note that 14 g3?? weakens f3, which can be
exploited immediately by 14 ... Ng5! with a decisive gain of material) 14 ... Rfd8! 15 Bxe4
Bxe4 16 Qxe5 Bxe5 17 Nc3 (or 17 Nd2 Bxb2!) 17 ... Bxc3 18 bxc3 and with an extra pawn,
Black has the advantage as long as he keeps at least one pair of rooks on the board.
13 Bxe4
If instead 13 Qxf5 Qxd3, Black’s queen is in a very dominant position.
13 ... Qxe4?!
Answer: It is true that the bishop pair becomes stronger the closer we get to the endgame,
particularly coupled with elements like a pawn majority and control of the only open file. All
the same, the bishop pair is a very strong asset in the middlegame too, and it is stronger here
to keep the queens on the board with 13 ... Bxe4!. White is forced to reply 14 Qg3, protecting
the tactical weaknesses on g2 and e5, when 14 ... Bg6 15 Nc3 Qa5 gives Black a very active
position.
The idea that one should not blindly exchange queens and strive for the endgame, even
when it is good to do so, I garnered from Pachman’s tremendous book Complete Chess
Strategy. I remember studying the classic game B.Englisch-W.Steinitz, London 1883, many
years ago, where Steinitz opted to exchange queens, playing 14 ... Qxd2, rather than keep
them on the board with 14 ... Qc4!, which was a more precise continuation according to
Pachman.
The reasons for leaving the queens on in the current game are, in my opinion, threefold:
1. Queen and two bishops are a tremendous force in the middlegame, especially when the
centre is completely opened, as here.
2. Black’s queen has an easier time finding a convenient square, whereas doing likewise
is more difficult for White.
3) It may be possible to trade queens later and under better circumstances, since Black’s
advantage increases step by step.
14 Qxe4 Bxe4
It is well known that Réti loved endgames, and he composed many endgame studies.
Strictly speaking, though, this is a middlegame without queens and two sets of minor pieces.
GM Jonathan Speelman has an excellent definition of the endgame (probably the best), stating
that, excluding kings and pawns, the sum of the amount of pieces should not be more than 13
points for each side. In this case both players have a piece value of 16 points; hence we are
dealing with a queenless middlegame, at least for the moment.
15 Nc3 Bf5!
Question: Why did Réti avoid putting the bishop on d3 with gain of tempo?
Answer: He wants to exchange the rooks as well, and 15 ... Bd3 makes it more difficult
as it blocks the only open file.
16 Be3 b6 17 Rfd1 Rxd1+ 18 Rxd1 Rd8 19 Rxd8+ Bxd8
Now that both sets of rooks have been liquidated, a transition to a practical minor piece
ending has taken place. Black does not need to worry about any potential tactical counterplay
with the rooks anymore, so the king can more easily be activated. The two bishops, coupled
with the queenside pawn majority and the exposed e5-pawn, give Black all the reasons to
play for a win.
20 Kf1 Kf8 21 Ke2 Bc7 22 f4 Ke8
Presumably Réti did not want to block the path for his dark-squared bishop after the
plausible 22 ... Ke7 23 Kf3 h5 24 h3 h4?? 25 Bf2, when the pawn cannot be defended by ...
Bd8.
Perhaps the best way to improve Black’s position is to follow the famous method of
Steinitz, which suggests the removal of the knight’s outpost when possessing the bishop pair.
Here White would like to put his knight on d6, not fearing the loss of a pawn in view of the
resulting opposite-coloured bishops. This idea suggests the removal of the e5-pawn with 22
... f6! 23 exf6 gxf6.
23 Kf3 h5 24 Ne4
White’s drawing chances increase as the knight heads for d6.
24 ... Be6 25 a3 Bd5
The pin is only of a temporary kind and is easily resolved by White.
26 Bd4 c5
The white bishop has fairly limited play. On the g1-a7 diagonal it bites on the black pawn
chain a7/b6/c5, while on c3 it is obstructed by its own pawns.
27 Bc3 g6?!
Black wants to prevent f4-f5, but this move gives the white knight another outpost on f6.
Instead, 27 ... Kd7 28 f5 Kc6 29 Ke3 a5 30 Ng5 b5 is more logical, although 31 e6 fxe6 32
Nxe6 Bxh2 33 Nf4 Bg1+ 34 Kd3 c4+ 35 Kd2 leaves White with reasonable drawing chances.
28 Ke3 Kd7
29 g3
It was simpler to play 29 Nf6+ Kc6 (or similarly 29 ... Ke6 30 f5+! gxf5 31 Nxh5 Bxe5
32 Bxe5 Kxe5 33 Nf4) 30 f5 (of course not 30 Nxd5? Kxd5 when Black has excellent
winning chances with the superior bishop and more active king dominating the light squares)
30 ... Bb3 31 e6!, which gives White more counterplay than the game continuation. After 31
... Bd6 32 Be5 gxf5 33 Bxd6 Kxd6 34 e7 Kxe7 35 Nxh5, the endgame should end in a draw
as Black’s extra doubled pawn is worth nothing.
29 ... Bd8 30 Nd6?!
Again 30 Nf6+ Kc6 31 f5 is the strongest continuation.
30 ... Be7 31 Kd3
It would be better to admit his mistake and go back with 31 Ne4.
31 ... a6
The computer wants to play 31 ... Bxd6 32 exd6 Kxd6, but Réti would surely not have
managed to win the game with such a colourless and greedy continuation. This is one of the
differences between computers and humans.
32 Ke3 Ke6 33 Kd3 Bd8
Now White is merely waiting while Black improves his position gradually.
34 Bd2 f6 35 Bc3 fxe5 36 Bxe5
36 fxe5 is clearly worse, as the pawn is vulnerable on this square and continues to restrict
White’s bishop. After 36 ... a5! 37 Ke3 Bg5+ 38 Kd3 a4, Black can improve his position with
... Bc6 and ... b7-b5, or ... Bg2 and ... Kd5, as well as simply ... Bh6-g7.
36 ... b5
Not 36 ... Bc7?! due to 37 Nf7! and White equalizes after 37 ... Bxe5 38 Nxe5 or 37 ...
Kxf7 38 Bxc7.
37 Ne8
Question: How does Black continue?
Réti plays beautifully with his bishops! In the previous diagram they were positioned on
b6 and b7, whereas now they have rotated 180 degrees and are on their most aggressive
posts! A really nice regrouping of the bishop pair.
48 f5
If White had tried to show more patience with either 48 Bd2 or 48 Be5, he would have
lost for sure since Black would have brought his dark-squared bishop to d4 with devastating
effect. After an exchange of bishops, Black’s strong king would eventually decide the issue.
48 ... gxf5 49 gxf5 Bf4
Exercise: What is White’s best defence in this difficult endgame?
50 f6?
A turning point in the game.
Answer: The last drawing chance is 50 Bf6, when the direct 50 ... Bf1 wins a pawn but
releases the knight. After 51 Nf3 Bd3+ 52 Kc3 Bxf5 53 Bxh4 (not 53 Nxh4? Be4 and the
knight is locked in prison by the dominating bishop) 53 ... Bxh3, all the remaining pawns are
situated on the same side of the board. If Black tries to activate the king first with 53 ... Ke4
54 Nd2+ Ke3 55 Bf6 Ke2, then 56 Nxc4! bxc4 57 Kxc4 Bxh3 58 Kc5 Be3+ 59 Bd4 Bxd4+
60 Kxd4 Kd2 61 a4 and 62 a5 draws, since the white king will be in the corner when the a5-
pawn is captured and Black has the wrong coloured bishop to drive it out.
On the other hand, Réti might simply have replied 50 ... a5! and it is not clear what White
can do, while Black improves his position move by move.
50 ... Bxg5 51 f7 Bh6
Or 51 ... Be7 52 Bb4 Ke6 53 f8Q Bxf8 54 Bxf8 Bxh3 and Black wins in the same manner
as in the game.
52 Bd2 Bg7 53 Bc3 Ke6! 54 Bxg7 Kxf7 55 Bd4 Bxh3
The point is that White cannot win the h4-pawn (56 Bf2 is met by 56 ... Bf5+ and 57 ...
h3), so the opposite-coloured bishops are not enough to save him. The lesson to learn is not
to place the king on the same colour as the opponent’s bishop!
56 Kc3 Bc8 57 Kb4 Ke6 58 Kc5 h3 59 Bg1 Kf5 60 a4 Kg4!
The simplest way to win.
61 axb5 axb5 62 Kxb5 Kf3 63 Bh2 Kg2 64 Bb8 Be6
The bishop not only defends c4, it also controls the important b3-square behind it, so
White cannot eliminate the queenside pawns.
65 Kb4 h2 66 Bxh2 Kxh2 67 Kc3 Kg3 68 Kc2 Kf2 0-1
“He forgot everything, stick, hat, umbrella; above all, however, he would always leave
behind him his traditional yellow leather briefcase, so that it was said of him: wherever
Réti’s briefcase is, there he himself is no longer to be found. It is therefore evidence of
Réti’s pre-existence.” – Savielly Tartakower (Vienna 1924)
Savielly Tartakower (1887-1956) was born in Rostov-on-Don, the largest city in the south
of Russia. After WWI he became a Polish citizen. He had a brilliant intellect and was not
only a great chess player (ranked 3rd in the world in 1921, according to Chessmetrics) and a
prolific writer of chess books; he was also a Doctor at Law, a screen writer, and a very well-
known translator of Russian poetry into German and French.
Like Réti he was representative of the hypermodern movement. His greatest contribution,
The Hypermodern Game of Chess (Die hypermoderne Schachpartie), contains 108 very
well, originally annotated games. With impressive chapters like “The Doctrine of
Weaknesses”, many other insightful writings about the great players, and systematically
covering a whole range of openings from the hypermodern era, it is just as important as Réti’s
and Nimzowitsch’s classics and should be studied from cover to cover to gain the right
feeling for the kind of chess that was played during this period of chess history.
Game 13
R.Réti-S.Tartakower
Vienna (match) 1919
Sicilian Defence
1 e4
The most suitable move according to Tartakower, since it: (i) Enters the centre of battle
without delay; (ii) Mobilizes the maximum of pieces (bishop, knight and queen); (iii) provides
well-defined targets; and (iv) has therefore been subjected to thorough research since time
immemorial. Fischer concurred, writing more succinctly: ‘Best by test.”
1 ... c5
Tartakower opts for the Sicilian Defence, an opening with a good reputation. Sometimes,
despite the fact that he knew everything, Tartakower did not play the openings that were
considered the best. According to Réti, “it gives him pleasure to choose those that are
considered weaker, so that he can reveal the shortcomings of the recognized theories wherever
that is possible. Indeed, he has in this way contributed much to the revision of old dogmas.”
2 Nf3 e6 3 Nc3 a6 4 g3
White’s game plan is the “accumulation of latent power”, to use an expression from
Tartakower.
4 ... Nc6
N.Short-G.Kasparov, Tilburg 1991, continued with the logical 4 ... b5 5 Bg2 Bb7 6 d3 d6
7 0-0 Nd7 a3 Rc8 9 Bd2 Ngf6 10 Nh4 and now 10 ... Qc7, defending the b7-bishop before
playing ... Be7, was correct with a balanced game. The immediate 10 ... Be7? allowed the
tactical trick 11 e5 with advantage to White, although Short did not subsequently play in the
strongest way and the game was drawn after 25 moves.
5 Bg2 Nf6
I.Glek-N.Miezis, Porto San Giorgio 2000, saw the enterprising continuation 5 ... g5 6 d3
h6 7 Be3 d6 8 h4 g4 and here 9 Nd2 is best with an edge.
6 0-0 Be7 7 e5
Objectively, the best course for White is probably 7 d4 cxd4 8 Nxd4 Qc7, transposing to
an Open Sicilian, specifically a standard line of the Kan Variation. After the text move, the
game takes on an independent character while keeping the game closed. Alternatively, 7 d3
still emphasizes the accumulation of latent energy.
7 ... Ng4 8 Qe2 Qc7 9 Re1 d6?!
The correct way to attack the white centre is 9 ... f6 10 exf6 Nxf6 with an even game.
15 Qh5
Answer: Before playing the knight to e4 Réti wants to provoke ... h7-h6. Whether this is
to White’s advantage, when looking at the concrete variations, is not clear. It is generally in
the attacker’s interest to provoke a weakening of the defensive pawn structure, and here it
might enable a future sacrifice on h6 or even a g2-g4-g5 break in some positions. On the other
hand, the white queen has moved already and was fulfilling a function on e2, as we will see.
Instead, 15 Ne4 Be7 (there is no reason for Black to give up the bishop pair via 15 ...
Nd4?! 16 Nxf6+ Qxf6 17 Qd1) 16 c3 leads a similar position, and without the drawback that
occurs in the game, but of course without the provoked ... h7-h6 as well. It is a matter of taste
whether one prefers to play this position or the actual one.
Another option is 15 Bxc6 Bxg5 16 Bxg5 Qxg5 17 Be4, removing two pairs of minor
pieces from the board. In this case too White has a slight advantage: he can still use one
outpost for his bishop, while Black’s bishop has a harder time becoming active. White can
improve his position with moves like f2-f4 and c2-c3, followed by doubling the rooks on the
d-file, and a timely opening of the game with d3-d4.
15 ... h6
Practically forced. Giving up the bishop pair with 15 ... Bxg5 16 Bxg5 Qb6 17 Rab1 is far
less appetizing, when attacking manoeuvres like Re4-h4 are in the air.
16 Ne4
Here 16 Bxc6 hxg5 17 Be4 g6 is nothing special for White.
16 ... Be7
17 c3?
With the queen on h5 this is illogical, since the d3-pawn becomes a target.
Answer: It is better to put pressure on the c5-pawn with 17 Be3. Then 17 ... f5!? is
answered by 18 Nd2 and a timely Nc4 (not 18 Nxc5? since 18 ... f4 19 Bxf4 Rf5 wins a
piece), and 17 ... Nd4 18 Rac1 does not solve Black’s problems either. 17 ... Nb4 is probably
best, forcing the queen back to defend the c2-pawn. Nevertheless, after 18 Qe2 Qc7 19 c4!,
preventing ... Nd5, White’s pieces are more active and the pressure on the c5-pawn remains.
The raking bishops are tremendous in this position. It is not clear why Réti refrained from this
set-up, but we have seen this peculiar trait before. He sometimes delayed the development of
his queen’s bishop even when it was more logical to develop it!
17 ... f5!
The immediate 17 ... Qxd3? runs into 18 Bxh6! gxh6 19 Rad1! (a strong intermezzo;
compare 19 Qxh6 Rd8 20 Nf6+ Bxf6 21 Be4 Qd2 22 Bh7+ Kh8 23 Qxf6+ Kxh7 24 Qxf7+
Kh8 25 Qf6+ Kh7 26 Re4 Qh6 27 Rh4 Qxh4 28 Qxh4+, which prolongs the game
unnecessarily) 19 ... Qb5 20 Qxh6 Ne5 21 Nd6 Bxd6 22 Rxd6 Ng6 23 Be4 Qe8 (or 23 ...
Qxb2 24 Rd3! and Black’s queen cannot defend the kingside) 24 Bxg6! fxg6 25 Re4 and
White wins by transferring the rook along the fourth rank to g4 or h4.
18 Nd2
Note that 18 Bxh6? is met by the zwischenzug 18 ... Qe8!, when two white pieces are
hanging.
18 ... Qxd3
19 Nf3?!
Answer: To strengthen the grip on e5 it is more logical to play 19 Bxc6! bxc6 20 Nf3,
followed by Bf4 or Ne5. Nevertheless, it is not to everyone’s taste to surrender a fianchettoed
bishop even when it is objectively good!
19 ... Qc4?!
This just wastes time, since the queen was better where it was. Developing with 19 ...
Bd7 is more natural. We do not know Réti’s intention, but 20 Nh4! Be8 21 Ng6 appears to
offer White just about enough compensation for the pawn deficit.
20 Bf4
Tartakower was obviously hoping for 20 Bxh6??, when 20 ... Qg4! would have decided
the game in a swift manner.
20 ... Bd7
21 Bf1
Another possibility is 21 Nd2 Qb5 22 a4 Qxb2 23 Rab1 Qa2 24 Rxb7 Be8 25 Qe2 with
advantage to White, whose pieces are far more active than his opponent’s. The immediate
threats are Rxe7, Bxc6, Rc7, and Qxe6+.
21 ... Qa4
Worse is 21 ... Be8 22 Bxc4 Bxh5 23 Bxe6+ Kh8 24 Nd2, when White has regained the
pawn with a tremendous bishop on e6.
22 b3 Qa5
Instead, 22 ... Qa3 just puts the queen out of play. After 23 Bc4 Rf6 24 Ne5 Be8 25 Qh3
Nd8 26 Be2 Qa5 27 Nc4 Qb5 28 Rad1 (better than 28 Nd6?! Qc6 29 Nxe8 Qxe8, when
White is only slightly better) 28 ... Qc6 29 Rd3, planning Bf3, White has more than sufficient
compensation for the pawn.
23 Bc4 Rf6?
The seemingly greedy 23 ... Qxc3 is best. After 24 Be5 (24 Ne5 Nxe5 25 Bxe5 Qa5 26
Re3 also gives White enough compensation for the pawns) 24 ... Nxe5 25 Nxe5 Be8 (25 ...
Bc8? is too passive; Black has no development and is clearly worse after 26 Ng6 Rf7 27
Rad1) 26 Bxe6+ Kh8 27 Bf7 Bxf7 28 Nxf7+ Kg8 29 Nxh6+ gxh6 30 Qg6+ Qg7 31 Qxg7+
Kxg7 32 Rxe7+ Rf7 33 Re5, White has regained the material with the superior position, and
has some slight chances to convert the rook ending into a win.
24 Ne5 Be8
24 ... Nxe5 25 Bxe5 Rf7 26 Rad1 Bc8 27 Qg6 does not solve Black’s problems at all.
Exercise: What is the problem with Black’s last move?
Answer: 25 Nxc6!
With his queen also en prise on a5, there is no time for Black to capture the white queen.
25 ... bxc6
Unfortunately, 25 ... Bxc6 fails to 26 Rxe6 with a decisive attack; for example, 26 ...
Rxe6 27 Bxe6+ Kh7 (or 27 ... Kh8 28 Be5!) 28 Qxf5+ Kh8 29 Bxh6! gxh6 30 Qe5+ and so
on.
26 Qf3 Bd7 27 Rad1 Ra7 28 Be5 Rf7 29 Rxd7 Rxd7 30 Bxe6
The Dutch player Petrus Albertus Koetsheid (1882-1961) was blind from the age of
seven. Despite this disability he was a skilled problem composer. Over the board, he seems
to have played in few tournaments; most of his games in the database are from the Dutch
Team Championship, though he did manage to beat Réti in a simultaneous in 1919.
Game 14
R.Réti-P.Koetsheid
Rotterdam 1919
French Defence
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 Nf6
The classical variation of the French Defence.
4 Bg5 Be7 5 e5 Nfd7 6 h4!?
Proving that Réti sometimes preferred a romantic continuation to a positional one, such as
6 Bxe7 Qxe7 7 f4 0-0 8 Nf3 c5 9 dxc5 or 9 Qd2. White’s aggressive sixth move is known as
the Albin-Chatard Attack, having originated with Adolf Albin (who we met in Game 2) and
the French amateur Eugène Chatard (1850-1924), though Albin’s name is often replaced by
that of Alekhine, in recognition of his famous win against Hans Fahrni at Mannheim 1914. In
modern times GMs Jonny Hector and Gyula Sax have been connoisseurs of this variation.
6 ... Bxg5
Again, the acceptance of the gambit pawn is critical, and this is regarded as the main
variation in the latest edition of the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings. In return, White will
gain time against the black queen and target the kingside.
Other continuations show a variety of ideas for White: 6 ... c5 7 Bxe7 forces Black to
recapture with the king, since 7 ... Qxe7?! 8 Nb5! is awkward. If Black prepares ... c7-c5 with
6 ... a6, White can continue 7 Qg4 Bxg5 (not 7 ... c5? due to 8 Bxe7 and 9 Qxg7) 8 hxg5 c5
and now the disruptive 9 g6!?. Hitting the bishop 6 ... f6 can be met by 7 Qh5, when 7 ... g6 8
exf6! leaves Black weak on the dark squares. Finally, 6 ... h6 7 Bxe7 Qxe7 8 f4 is also
reckoned to in White’s favour, since ... h7-h6 has rendered Black’s standard ... f7-f5 break
problematic.
7 hxg5 Qxg5 8 Nh3
Question: Why play the knight to the rim instead of developing normally
with 8 Nf3 - ?
Answer: Albin did in fact play that way, but Alekhine’s 8 Nh3 is stronger. The main
reason is that White wants to keep the d1-g4 diagonal open for the queen so it can hit the
tactically weak g7-pawn; while the knight is better placed on f4, targeting various light
squares in Black’s position, and may go on to h5 as well.
8 ... Qe7
In A.Khalifman-E.Heyken, German League 1993, Black tried 8 ... Qh6, pinning the knight
and preventing Nf4. After 9 g3 (9 Nb5 Na6 gets White nowhere) 9 ... a6 10 f4 g6 (Lasker
once tried 10 ... c5!? here) 11 Qf3, the drawback of moving the queen to h6 is seen, since the
queen loses time. The game continued 11 ... Qf8 12 0-0-0 Nc6 13 f5!? Nb6?! (13 ... gxf5 14
Nf4 Nb6 is better) 14 Ng5 and White seized a strong initiative.
9 Qg4
Alekhine’s famous game continued 9 Nf4 Nf8? (too passive; developing with 9 ... Nc6 is
a better response) 10 Qg4 f5 (10 ... Ng6? fails to either 11 Nxg6 fxg6 12 Rxh7 or 11 Nfxd5)
11 exf6 gxf6 12 0-0-0 c6 13 Re1 Kd8 14 Rh6 e5 15 Qh4 Nbd7 16 Bd3 e4 17 Qg3 Qf7
18 Bxe4! dxe4 19 Nxe4 Rg8 20 Qa3! (the queen manoeuvres in this game are truly
magnificent!) 20 ... Qg7 21 Nd6 Nb6 22 Ne8! Qf7 23 Qd6+ 1-0 A.Alekhine-H.Fahrni,
Mannheim 1914.
As it happens, Réti commented on this masterpiece in the Wednesday chess column in the
Amsterdam newspaper Algemeen Handelsblad (17/9/1919). He had arrived in Holland as a
political refugee, and remained there until July 1920, when he left to play in the Gothenburg
tournament in Sweden.
9 ... f5?!
In Modern Ideas in Chess, Réti investigates the casual game E.Bogoljubow-R.Spielmann,
played at a confectioner’s shop in Stockholm, December 1919, which continued 9 ... g6 10
Nf4 a6 11 0-0-0 c5 12 Qg3 Nb6 13 dxc5 Qxc5 14 Bd3 Qf8 15 Be4!!
15 ... dxe4 16 Nxe4 N8d7 17 Qc3! (improving on 17 Qh4 Qe7 18 Nd6+ Kf8 19 Qh6+
Kg8 20 Nh5 Qf8, after which Spielmann eventually consolidated in their actual tournament
game) 17 ... Qe7 18 Nf6+ Nxf6 19 exf6 Qf8 20 Qc7 Nd7 21 Nd5 exd5 22 Rhe1+ Ne5 23
Rxe5+ Be6 24 Kb1 Rd8 25 Rdxd5! Rxd5 26 Rxd5 Bxd5 27 Qc8 mate.
The main idea is to show that, not having any pawn breaks, White has to smash through
with a piece sacrifice in the centre. This is actually what Réti tried to do against Koetsheid. It
is interesting that Bogoljubow’s game made such an impression on Réti, when he had already
elaborated the same idea himself five months before!
10 Qg3
It it logical to place the queen on a dark square, but 10 Qh5+!? is also playable; for
example, 10 ... Qf7 (10 ... g6 weakens the dark squares, which is exploited by 11 Qh6) 11
Qxf7+ Kxf7 12 Ng5+ Ke7 13 Nb5 Na6 14 Rxh7 Rxh7 15 Nxh7, when White has regained the
sacrificed pawn with a slight advantage, due to his superior remaining pieces.
10 ... a6?!
There was no need to fear Nb5, since ... Nf8 keeps everything covered. 10 ... b6 11 Nf4
Nf8 12 0-0-0 Bb7 is a better set-up for Black.
11 Nf4 Nf8
The only good way to prevent the twin threats of 12 Nfxd5 and 12 Ng6, exploiting the
half-open h-file.
12 0-0-0 c6?!
Black sets the d5-pawn in stone, but this comes at a heavy price since his development is
almost at a complete standstill. 12 ... Nc6 is relatively best, aiming for ... Bb7 again. For
example, 13 Be2 Qf7 (securing g6 and d5) 14 Bh5 g6 15 Bf3 Ne7 (further reinforcement),
followed by 16 ... b6, 17 ... Bb7 and 18 ... 0-0-0, after which Black can think about
unravelling.
13 Be2 Nbd7
14 Bh5+!?
This tempting bishop check actually helps the black king to a better square, namely c7.
Answer: It is more useful to play 14 Kb1, safeguarding White’s own king, and thereafter
consider reorganizing the pieces in connection with the g2-g4 break; possible set-ups are Rh5
and Qh3, or Qe3 and Nd3. Either of these strategic plans would be normal, but Réti has a
completely different idea, resembling that of Alekhine and Bogoljubow. Let us see what he
has in mind.
14 ... Kd8
Of course 14 ... g6?? is unplayable in view of the pin on the h-file, which White exploits
with either 15 Bxg6+ or 15 Nxg6.
15 Bg6
This is Réti’s ingenious and artistic idea. Perhaps inspired by Alekhine’s game against
Fahrni, he tries to crack the French Defence by concentrating all the minor pieces on the
opposing pawns, which are acting like a wall and preventing the white army from reaching the
black king. Objectively speaking, this is not the most effective method in this position, but it
is useful to remember that it is sometimes possible to win without a traditional pawn break
and instead go for a tactical solution by sacrificing one or two pieces in the central area of the
board.
15 ... h6?!
There was no need to move the h-pawn. Black’s position is fully playable after 15 ... Nb6
or even 15 ... Kc7, with the possibility of playing ... Kb8-a7 later on. Note that 16 Bxf5 is
met by the intermezzo 16 ... g5! 17 Ng6 hxg6 18 Rxh8 gxf5 and Black has the better long-term
prospects with two pieces for a rook, when he eventually gets them out.
16 Bxf5?
This was Réti’s idea. Unfortunately, it’s not the correct one at this stage of the game.
Answer: White should return to the strategic plan involving g2-g4. He might play 16 Qf3,
or 16 Kb1, followed perhaps by the preliminary moves a2-a3 and Ka2 to prevent any
counterplay with ... Nb6-c4 and Qb4, and then break with the g-pawn. There is not much
Black can do about this strong plan.
16 ... exf5
With the pawn on h6, 16 ... g5? would now by answered by 17 Ng6.
17 Ncxd5 cxd5 18 Nxd5
Réti is playing in a far more aggressive and risky manner than Alekhine and Bogoljubow
did in their respective games. Okay, he has obliterated the defensive wall, and is now hoping
for some play with his central pawns and against the black king, but it is nowhere near the
value of the two pieces sacrificed.
18 ... Qe6
18 ... Qf7 is also good.
19 c4 Ng6
The critical move is 19 ... b5!, activating the queenside and undermining White’s pawn
phalanx and knight. The g7-pawn is irrelevant: after 20 Qxg7 Rh7 21 Qg3 Bb7, White has
nothing concrete, while Black is threatening both the c4-pawn and the centralized knight.
20 f4
White is obviously hoping to disorganize Black’s position with his central pawn mass.
20 ... b5!
Better late than never. This is the key move for Black if he wants to win the game.
21 Ne3 bxc4 22 d5
Exercise (combination alert): What is the best continuation from Black’s
point of view?
22 ... Qe8?
After this passive move White suddenly has full compensation.
Answer: Presumably both players overlooked 22 ... Nxf4! 23 dxe6 Ne2+, regaining the
queen with a clearly won position; while after 23 Qxf4 Qxe5, Black is a piece up for virtually
nothing since his king is well protected behind the d5-pawn.
23 Nxc4
Now White has an advanced absolute centre, in combination with well-placed pieces
interacting with each other. Black’s pieces are completely disorganized and he must play
precisely with every move.
23 ... Ndf8
More active is 23 ... Nc5, which forces 24 Nd6 Ne4 25 Nxe4 fxe4 26 e6, and now Black
can continue 26 ... Ne7 27 Qxg7 Qf8 28 Qc3 Ke8 29 d6 Bxe6 30 dxe7 Kxe7 31 Qc7+ Ke8
32 Qe5 Ke7 with an equal game.
24 Kb1
Other candidates also lead to level positions; for example, 24 Qa3 Qb5 or 24 Nd6 Qa4.
24 ... Rb8 25 Nd6
25 ... Qe7??
The only reasonable move is 25 ... Qa4, not worrying about the knight fork in view of 26
Nf7+ Ke8 27 Nxh8?! (White should play 27 Nd6+ Kd8 28 Nf7+ with a draw by repetition)
27 ... Qxf4 28 Qc3 (or 28 Qxf4 Nxf4) 28 ... Qb4! (after 28 ... Nxh8 29 Rd4 Qg5 30 e6, White
has sufficient compensation, since Black’s minor pieces are passively placed and
disorganized, while White’s are well centralized – the h1-rook will soon go to e1) 29 Qxb4
Rxb4 30 Nxg6, when Black’s bishop and knight are stronger than White’s rook and pawn.
26 Rc1 Bd7?
More resistance is offered by 26 ... Qa7, although White has a clear plus after 27 e6.
27 Qc3 1-0
Black resigned, since he cannot defend against both decisive queen checks on c7 and a5.
A very instructive game, showing that it is possible to win against the French Defence
without any pawn breaks, albeit sometimes only with the opponent’s help!
Willem Andreas Schelfhout (1874-1951) was a Dutch player, who represented his country
in three Chess Olympiads (London 1927, The Hague 1928, and Hamburg 1930), and drew a
mini-match (1-1) with Euwe in 1923. According to Chessmetrics, his highest ranking was 37th
in the world over three different months in 1920/21. He achieved his highest estimated rating
2440 in 1929 when he was close to 55 years old.
Game 15
W.Schelfhout-R.Réti
Rotterdam 1919
Four Knights Game
1 e4 e5 2 Nc3
The starting position for the Vienna Game.
2 ... Nf6 3 Nf3
Transposing to a Petroff Defence or Three Knights’ Game.
3 ... Nc6
And this is the Four Knights’ Game.
4 Bb5
From the Vienna we have now reached a variation known as the Spanish Four Knights. It
is fascinating how an opening can change on every turn, determined only after a certain move
has been played. And then we have the names of different variations on top of it!
4 ... Nd4
Rubinstein’s antidote. We saw Réti on the other side of this opening in Game 9, where
Spielmann played the inaccurate 4 ... a6?!. Today, the ultra-modern 4 ... Bd6 is also an
important sideline.
5 Nxd4
A spoilsport response, which can nevertheless be annoying if Black wants to win. The
critical lines follow after White drops the bishop back to either a4 or c4.
It is amusing that White has also played 5 Bd3!? here, mirroring 4 ... Bd6!? above.
Z.Varga-Z.Gyimesi, Hungarian Championship, Kazincbarcika 2005, continued 5 ... Nxf3+ 6
Qxf3 d6 7 Bc4 Be6 8 d3 Qd7 9 h3 Be7 10 Be3 c6 11 Bb3 0-0 with an equal game.
So what was the idea behind playing the bishop to d3 and then to c4 two moves later?
Simply that 5 Bc4 at once can be met by 5 ... Bc5, when Black too controls a classical
diagonal with his bishop, aiming at the king on e1 or its probable future placement on g1. If
White then opts to take the e5-pawn, Black gains counterplay against the vulnerable centre
with ... d7-d5. For example, 6 Nxe5 Qe7 (6 ... d5! may be even stronger) 7 Nd3 d5! as in
A.Nimzowitsch-A.Alekhine, St Petersburg (playoff) 1914; or 7 Nf3 d5! as in O.Bernstein-
A.Rubinstein, Russian Championship, Vilnius 1912. Obviously 7 Nf7?! is met by 7 ... d5! as
well, while 7 Ng4? runs into 7 ... Nxg4 8 Qxg4 Nxc2+. The final variation shows the hidden
point behind placing the bishop on d3: after 5 Bd3 Bc5 White has 6 Nxe5 Qe7?! 7 Ng4!, when
both e4 and c2 are defended by the bishop, though 6 ... 0-0 gives Black a reasonable game
anyway, in view of White’s obstructed development.
5 ... exd4 6 e5
A typical thrust in such positions. The alternative 6 Nd5 was introduced in
A.S.Selesniev-R.Spielmann, Pistyan 1922. If Black is playing for a win the best practical
choice is 6 ... Nxd5 7 exd5 Qf6, which was Alekhine’s choice against H.Wolf at Carlsbad
1923. The main point is to avoid the drawish nature of the game arising after 7 ... Bc5 8
Qe2+ or 7 ... Be7 8 Qg4 Bf6 9 Qe4+, forcing the exchange of queens.
6 ... dxc3 7 exf6 Qxf6
Winning a pawn with 7 ... cxd2+? 8 Bxd2 Qxf6 is regarded as too risky as it seriously
accelerates White’s development. After 9 0-0 Be7 10 Re1 0-0 11 Bc3 Qd6 12 Qf3, White has
excellent winning chances with more pieces deployed on the battlefield.
8 bxc3?!
Correct is 8 dxc3, but it has the drawback, especially for the first player, that the game
becomes pretty drawish after 8 ... Qe5+ 9 Qe2 Qxe2+ 10 Bxe2 d5. A.Alekhine-
J.R.Capablanca, St Petersburg 1914, continued 11 Bf4 c6 12 c4 with equality, as White
eliminates his doubled pawn. The game concluded 12 ... Be6 13 cxd5 Bxd5 14 0-0 Bc5 15
Rfe1 0-0 16 Bd3 Rfe8 17 a3 f6 18 Kf1 g6 19 f3 Kf7 20 Rxe8 Rxe8 21 Re1 Rxe1+ 22 Kxe1
Ke7 23 Ke2 Bd6 24 Ke3 Bc5+ 25. Ke2 Bd6 26 Ke3 Bc5+ with a draw by threefold
repetition. Quite a boring game but nevertheless instructive, representing the “drawing death”
and decadence prevalent in the period 1910-1921.
Thirty years later, Alekhine, with the black pieces in the first matchgame against one of
the strongest Spanish players, Dr. Ramon Rey Ardid, at Saragossa 1944, played the slightly
more ambitious 8 ... Bc5. The game continued 9 Qe2+ Qe6 10 Bc4 Qxe2+ 11 Kxe2 0-0 12
Be3 Re8 with a slight advantage to Black due to the superior pawn formation, although it too
ended in a draw after 41 moves.
8 ... c6 9 Be2
Considering our opening discussion regarding placing the bishop in front of the d-pawn, it
is not surprising that an ultra-modern move like 9 Bd3!? is playable. This places the bishop
on a more active diagonal, while the other one can at worst be exchanged on a3 after a
preliminary a2-a4. The advance of the a-pawn might also be useful in the quest of trading it
for one of Black’s pawns and reducing White’s present three pawn islands to two.
9 ... d5 10 d4
This move looks rather static in connection with the worse state of the c1-bishop and the
weakness of the c4-square. Instead, 10 a4 Bd6 11 Ba3 Bxa3 12 Rxa3 still deserves close
attention. The rook might turn out to be useful on the third rank in connection with ideas like
c3-c4 (the c-pawn wants to be exchanged anyway!), a4-a5 or Rb3. Naturally, these mini-plans
are executed in accordance with Black’s own moves and ideas.
Exercise: How should Black continue?
10 ... Qg6?
We have seen it before and we will see it again: Réti’s tendency to sit with the bishops on
their original squares, especially the queen’s bishop. Here we notice that the development of
the king’s bishop is delayed as well.
Answer: More natural and efficient is 10 ... Bd6, followed by kingside castling. A
possible continuation is 11 0-0 0-0 12 Bd3 Re8 13 Qh5 g6 14 Bg5 Bxh2+! (evidence that
development is one of the leading principles in good opening play; now the bishop plays the
main role in this little drama) 15 Kh1 (not 15 Kxh2?? Qd6+ 16 Bf4 Qxf4+ 17 g3 Qd2 and
wins) 15 ... Bf4 16 Bxf6 gxh5, when Black has an extra (albeit doubled) pawn and is slightly
better.
11 0-0 Bh3
This move is Réti in a nutshell regarding his relationship with the queen’s bishop. Having
left it at home thus far, he now seizes the chance to bring it to the most active square with
gain of tempo. Note that 11 ... Bf5 fails its purpose due to 12 Bh5 and 13 Re1+, disturbing
the harmony in Black’s position.
12 Bf3 0-0-0
It looks slightly risky to put the king on the queenside, but this is the price Black has to
pay for delaying his kingside development. Everything has its price in chess!
13 Kh1?
Why force the h3-bishop to a better diagonal, where it puts pressure on the main
weakness in White’s position? The logical 13 Rb1 is more useful and flexible.
13 ... Bf5 14 Bh5 Qe6?!
Presumably Réti was of the opinion that his light-squared bishop was stronger than its
counterpart! After all, the f5-bishop exercises strong pressure on the c2-pawn, which is a
static weakness, compared with the f7-pawn, which is a tactical weakness. But the real
disparity is between the dark-squared bishops. Therefore 14 ... Qf6 is correct, not preventing
15 Bg4 since Black should be content to allow this exchange. A good line then is 15 ... Bd6
16 Bxf5+ Qxf5 17 Qd3 Qh5 18 h3 Rhe8 with a positional advantage due to the weaknesses of
a complex of light squares, in particular e4, e2 and c2.
15 a4?!
More natural is 15 Re1 Qd7 (15 ... Qf6 is now answered by 16 Bf4, setting the trap 16 ...
Bxc2?? 17 Qd2! h6 18 c4! and White wins) 16 Bf4 with actively placed bishops. If both sets
of bishops are exchanged, as after 16 ... Bd6 17 Bxd6 Qxd6 18 Bg4 Qf4 19 Bxf5+ Qxf5,
White is happy in the major piece ending, since the bad dark-squared bishop is gone and he
enjoys a more secure king.
15 ... Re8!?
This move would be easily understandable were it not for the rook on h8 which looks
rather trapped at the present moment. Réti is still delaying the development of the f8-bishop.
Presumably he wanted to save a tempo on the variation 15 ... Bd6 16 Ba3 Bxa3 17 Rxa3
Rhe8, when it is White’s turn to move. One question remains though: does Black want the
queen’s rook on e8 rather than the king’s rook? We will try to answer this in connection with
the 19th move.
16 Bd2?!
There is little justification for this passive move. If White did not want to play 16 Ba3, he
should at least develop the bishop more actively on f4.
Exercise (combination alert): How does Black exploit the weakened light squares?
22 ... f5?!
Answer: It is better to provoke a further weakening by playing 22 ... h5. White can hardly
allow ... h5-h4 so he must play 23 h4 himself, after which Black has the extremely strong 23
... Rg4!! with the devastating plan of ... f7-f5-f4. Note that the immediate 23 ... f5 would be
answered by 24 f3.
23 f3 Re7 24 Qd2 Rhe8 25 Bf2 h6
Black takes away a potential square for the white queen so it will remain passive.
26 Rxe7 Rxe7 27 Re1?
Question: Explain in words the problem with the text move.
Answer: It is only in Black’s interest to exchange major pieces. The dream is to reach a
bishop ending, where it will be easier for the black king to manoeuvre to a5 and pick up the
a4-pawn. With major pieces on the board this basic plan is not feasible. Black would have to
try and find a way to force the trade of at least one set of major pieces himself.
27 ... Rxe1 28 Qxe1 Qe7 29 Qf1
For the reasons we have just discussed, White cannot allow the queens to be swapped off
as well.
29 ... Qe6 30 h3 h5 31 Qd3 a6
Another good continuation is 31 ... g5, followed by ... g5-g4, putting all his kingside
pawns on light squares.
32 Be3 b5
Since White has prevented ... g7-g5, Black grabs space on the other wing while
permanently fixing the c-pawns.
33 Kf2
33 ... Kb7
A typical human move, defending a6 and threatening 34 ... bxa4. The drawback is that
Black’s initiative loses some momentum.
Answer: Komodo 9 suggests the more purposeful 33 ... h4! 34 g4 (not 34 gxh4? f4 35
Bd2 Qxh3 and White gets slaughtered) 34 ... fxg4 35 fxg4 Kb7, when Black’s position on the
kingside is stronger than in the game.
34 axb5 cxb5
White was forced to capture on b5, and Black correctly recaptured away from the centre,
creating a passed pawn.
35 h4
White has managed to gain some control over the kingside, but the problems on the other
flank look insoluble.
35 ... Kc6?
This seemingly natural move is a mistake. Either 35 ... Qd7 or 35 ... Kb6 was correct,
preparing the march of the a-pawn.
36 Bg5?!
What is this for? White overlooks the most tenacious move 36 Qd2!, with the tactical
point of 36 ... a5 37 c4! b4 (or 37 ... dxc4 38 Qxa5) 38 c5 Bc7 39 Qd3 and Black’s king is
too exposed for him to win the game; or if 36 ... Kb6 then 37 Bf4 with only a slight advantage
to Black. It seems both players missed this possibility. Chess is not an easy game, especially
when in time trouble.
36 ... a5 37 Qd1?
37 Qd2! is still the best, when Black must show great skill to keep his prospects alive.
The direct 37 ... a4? is again met by 38 c4! dxc4 (38 ... bxc4?! 39 Qa5 a3 40 Qa6+ Kd7
41 Qa4+ is a perpetual) 39 Qa5 Qc8 40 c3 Qb7 41 Bf4 Bxf4 42 gxf4 Kd7 43 Qb4 Ke8 44
Qc5 and it is not easy for Black to make progress since White’s queen and d-pawn are too
active.
Black has to prevent the queen intrusion on a5 at all cost and play 37 ... Bc7! 38 Bf4
Bb6. White can try to invade via the a3-f8 diagonal by playing 39 Qc1 (not 39 Be5??, since
the bishop can just be taken) 39 ... a4 40 Qa3, but after 40 ... Kb7 41 Qf8 Qc8!, Black is in
control of the game.
For example:
a) 42 Qxg7+? Ka6 43 Bd2 b4! (collapsing the white centre; not 43 ... a3?? 44 Qe7 and
White even wins!) 44 Qe5 bxc3 45 Qe2+ (to prevent the black queen from entering c4) 45 ...
Ka5 46 Be3 (or 46 Bc1 Bxd4+ and so forth) 46 ... a3 and Black wins through the principle of
the two weaknesses! White cannot hold the centre and the passed a-pawn at the same time.
b) 42 Qa3 Qe8!, protecting b5 while preventing the white king from entering the battle on
the queenside. With a passed pawn and an active king, Black has good winning chances.
37 ... a4 38 Qa1 a3 39 Qa2
Exercise: Here Réti played a clever queen manoeuvre. Can you spot it?
44 ... a2??
This hasty move prolongs the game considerably and in fact jeopardizes the win.
Answer: The study-like solution is 44 ... Kb5! 45 Ke2 Ka4 46 Kd1 a2 47 Bb2 a1Q+! 48
Bxa1 Ka3 49 Kc1 Ka2 50 Bb2 Bc7, when White is in zugzwang and loses the bishop, trapped
by its own pieces. It is slightly surprising the great endgame composer overlooked this finish.
45 Bb2 Ba3 46 Ba1 Bc1 47 Ke2 Kb5 48 Kd1
84 g6??
White cannot give way with his king, so he has to push a pawn but chooses the wrong one.
Answer: 84 h5! Kxg5 85 h6! Bf8 (not 85 ... Kxh6?? 86 Kxf4 and White wins again) 86 h7
Bg7 87 Bb2 with a theoretical draw, since White can now just ‘pass’ with his bishop.
84 ... Bf8 85 Bb2 Bh6 86 h5 Kg5 87 Ba1 Kxh5 88 g7 Bxg7 89 Kxf4 Kg6
The white king cannot advance any further, so the black pawns are secure.
Answer: The reason is that he can now penetrate via the queenside, since White’s
blockade will be destroyed by zugzwang. Look what happened in the game.
90 Bb2 Kf6 91 Ba1 Bh6+ 92 Kg4 Bc1 93 Kh4 Ke7 94 Kg4 Ke6 95 Kh5 Kd6 96 Kg6
White’s last chance is to play as actively as possible with the king. The attempted fortress
with 96 Kg4 Kc6 97 Kf3 Kb5 98 Ke2 Ka4 99 Kd1 fails here because Black has the whole c1-
h6 diagonal for his bishop. (In the position after 48 Kd1, it could only go to e3 which was too
close to the white king.) Hence 99 ... Bh6 100 Bb2 Bg5 sees White in zugzwang, and losing
after 101 Ke2 (or 101 Ba1 Ka3 and 102 ... Bc1) 101 ... Bc1! 102 Ba1 Ka3 103 Kd1 Bb2 etc.
96 ... Kc6 97 Kf7 Kb5 98 Ke6 Ka4 99 Kxd5 Ka3 100 Kxc4 Bb2 101 d5 Bxa1 102 d6
Bxc3 103 d7 Bf6 0-1
There are small margins in chess! White was only one tempo behind at the end, and had a
draw earlier on.
An instructive game in all its phases, even if far from perfect. Réti missed a golden
opportunity at move 44, but he still managed to set his opponent problems and eventually
created a little study after all!
Siegbert Tarrasch (1862-1934) was one of the strongest players in the world, ranked
consistently in the top ten for over thirty years and No.2 for a lot of that period. In Modern
Ideas in Chess, Réti wrote that Tarrasch understood the importance of quick and economical
development of all his pieces. He combined Steinitz’s technique with Morphy’s principle of
rapid development; the latter Steinitz had neglected, playing a slower game with extended
knight manoeuvres. Tarrasch’s most important contribution to chess strategy is his ideas
concerning a space advantage.
It should be said that by publishing his knowledge in books, newspapers and magazines
Tarrasch made things easier for his opponents – and the same can be said about Réti and
Nimzowitsch. In the long run they helped the development of chess considerably since,
without the treasures written by these great teachers, chess understanding would be on a much
lower level. Tarrasch’s most famous book is Three Hundred Chess Games (Dreihundert
Schachpartien), which was regarded by Grandmaster Reuben Fine as “one of the monuments
of our game.”
Game 16
S.Tarrasch-R.Réti
Berlin 1920
London System
7 ... Qc8?!
This is too passive and wrong in principle, since the queen exercises no central control
here.
Answer: It is better to play either 7 ... Qc7, keeping control of the important e5-square; or
else 7 ... Qb6, striving for the exchange of queens, which is normally in Black’s interest, for
the purpose of taking the sting out of any early initiative generated by the white pieces.
8 e3 Nb6?
Réti relinquishes more control of e5 and opts for a light-square strategy. I wonder what
Tarrasch thought about his opponent going against his own famous “dogmatic” rule that you
should not place a knight on the b6-square since in most cases it stands rather awkwardly
there. Objectively, the “correction” 8 ... Qc7 is still the most logical, in order to push ... e7-e5
next move. The solid 8 ... e6 is also fine, if a little passive.
9 Bd3 Bg6 10 Bxg6
Black does not mind the exchange of bishops, weakening White’s light squares further.
10 ... hxg6 11 Ng5
It is not necessary to exploit the weak g5-square immediately, but Tarrasch wants Black to
declare his intentions in the centre. Otherwise, the simple 11 c4 is a sensible approach, since
White’s pawn triangle in the middle no longer serves any purpose. For instance, there is no
bishop on g7 to restrict, so why play so passively in the centre?
11 ... d5
Now the pawn centre is fixed, and White is assured of control of the central dark squares.
11 ... e6 is more flexible, though if Black does not play ... d7-d5 at some stage he may
struggle for space, which, as we have already noted, would be playing to Tarrasch’s strengths;
for example, 12 a4 Be7 13 a5 Nbd5 14 Bh2 0-0 15 0-0 Nc7 16 e4 and White has more
freedom for his pieces.
12 e4
Good, too, is the standard priyome 12 a4, aiming to chase the b6-knight away while
conquering space on the queenside.
Exercise: Should Black pay attention to the g5-knight or continue his
development?
12 ... Nh7?
Answer: 12 ... e6 13 0-0 Be7 would be normal moves. It is unclear why Réti wanted to
exchange the rather strangely situated knight on g5 at this moment, instead of securing the
centre and continuing the development of his pieces. The f6-knight can perform other, more
important duties standing where it is. In some situations it might be transferred to h5, and
there is no reason to fear 14 e5 Nfd7, since Black gets a good French structure without the
bad bishop.
13 Nxh7 Rxh7
Black has lost the right to castle, and the h7-rook has no future on the h-file since the h3-
pawn literally kills it. The only chance to activate the rook is if Black manages to achieve ...
g6-g5-g4, but the chance of this occurring looks unrealistic.
14 0-0-0?
Either 14 0-0 or 14 a4 is far superior. By castling queenside White’s plan of gaining space
on that flank is ruled out, and from now he has a limited area in which to create play.
14 ... e6
Presumably Tarrasch was hoping for 14 ... dxe4? 15 Rhe1 (other good candidates are 15
c4 and 15 Be5 with a clear edge; 15 Nxe4?? Qf5 should naturally be avoided) 15 ... f5? 16
Qg8! with a crushing position.
15 Kb1 Qd7 16 Nf3?!
Surprisingly, the great master of exploiting space advantages does not play 16 c4. After
16 ... dxc4 (otherwise c4-c5 gains more space) 17 Nxc4 Nxc4 18 Qxc4, White has a nice
classical centre and Black’s kingside rook is misplaced. Then 18 ... Rh5 (intending ... Rb5) is
answered by 19 Be5 f6 20 g4 Rh8 21 Bg3 and the problem with the rook is still unresolved,
while White can work with the dangerous break d4-d5, opening up the position.
16 ... Nc4 17 Ne5 Nxe5 18 dxe5
18 Bxe5 leads to an equal game.
Exercise: How should Black continue?
Answer: 18 ... b5
Faithful to his predilection, Réti delays the development of his bishop. Komodo 9 prefers
18 ... Bc5. From a human perspective, Réti might have found it disturbing that White can play
19 exd5 exd5 (19 ... cxd5 20 c4 d4! is another option) 20 c4, but after 20 ... Qf5+ (at this
moment 20 ... d4 is imprecise owing to 21 e6! fxe6 22 Bg5 and White has more than
sufficient compensation for the pawn) 21 Ka1 0-0-0 (not 21 ... Qxf4?? 22 Qxb7 Rd8 23
Qxc6+ and wins) 22 Bg3 d4, Black is perfectly fine.
19 Qc2
Supporting his centre, while moving the queen away from a possible tempo-gaining ... a7-
a5-a4.
19 ... Be7 20 Be3 Qb7?!
It is more logical to play 20 ... Qc7, when the pressure on the centre would deter White’s
forthcoming plan.
21 f4 Rh8 22 g4 0-0-0 23 f5
Tarrasch makes his intended break at once. The alternative was 23 exd5 Rxd5 24 Rxd5
cxd5 25 Bd4 and then to prepare f4-f5 further with Qd3 and Rg1.
23 ... gxf5 24 exf5 Qd7?!
Réti persists placing his queen on a light square. Again, 24 ... Qc7 seems better, and if 25
Rdf1 then 25 ... Bh4 with a defensible position.
25 Qf2?!
In the quest for an advantage, White’s most convincing continuation is 25 fxe6 fxe6 26
Qg6, when his pawn majority is a more deadly resource than Black’s. Note that 25 ... Qxe6 is
met by 26 Bxa7, when 26 ... c5 does not trap the bishop due to the sequence 27 b4 cxb4 28
cxb4+ Kb7 29 Bd4! with a clear advantage, while after 26 ... Qxe5 27 Bd4 Qg5 28 Rdf1,
Black has no co-operation whatsoever and is clearly worse.
Exercise: How does Black meet the twin threats of 25 Bxa7 and 25 f6 - ?
Exercise: Here Réti moved one of his rooks to g8. Which is the right one?
28 ... Rhg8?
The wrong rook! Black secures an escape for his bishop to g5, but by moving the rook off
the h-file, he releases his restraint of the kingside pawns.
Answer: 28 ... Reg8 is correct, so that after 29 Rhg1 Bg5 30 Bxg5 Rxg5, White cannot
play the pawn to h4.
29 Bc5?
Tarrasch fails to exploit his opponent’s error. He should have played 29 Rhg1, intending
to embarrass the black bishop with g4-g5, while 29 ... Bg5 30 Bxg5 Rxg5 is now answered by
31 h4, when White’s kingside majority is far more dangerous than Black’s central pawns.
29 ... Rg6 30 Be7?!
Here 30 Qe3 is a better try, intending 30 ... a5 (or 30 ... a6) 31 Rdf1 32 a4 bxa4 33 h4
with some play for the sacrificed pawns.
30 ... Qc7 31 Rdf1 Qe5 32 Qf4?!
Trying to defend the position passively is doomed to failure. The bishop is actually
misplaced on e7, so White should have considered playing 32 Bc5! again; for example, 32 ...
Rxf6 33 Qd3 or 32 ... Kb7 33 a4 with some counterplay.
32 ... Qxf4 33 Rxf4 Rh8 34 Kc2 Kd7 35 Kd3??
This is much too slow. Now Black takes over the game completely. It is necessary to
open new lines on the queenside with 35 a4. After 35 ... e5 36 Rf5 bxa4 37 Rxe5 Bxf6 38
Bxf6 Rxf6 39 Re2 Rf3 40 Reh2 Rh4 41 Ra1 Rf4 42 Rg1, White has greater chances for a
draw than after the planless move played in the game.
35 ... e5 36 Rf5
36 ... Ke6?!
Going for the f6-pawn prolongs the game.
Answer: 36 ... Bg3! wins on the spot; there is no way to prevent the pawn snap on g4 next
move. If White defends it with 37 Rff1, Black wins the h3-pawn instead after 37 ... Rgh6.
37 Ke3 Bxf6 38 Bxf6 Rxf6 39 Rxf6+ Kxf6 40 Kf3
The immediate 40 h4 is better, intending 40 ... Kg6 41 g5 f5 42 gxf6 Kxf6, when White
has gained a move or two on the 42 gxf5+ line below.
40 ... Kg6
Obviously 40 ... Kg5 is answered by 41 Kg3.
41 h4 f5
42 Re1
42 gxf5+ Kxf5 helps Black to activate his king. He should win after 43 Ke3 e4 44 h5 Rh6,
intending ... Ke5, ... c5 and ... d4+; or if 45 b4 then 45 ... Kg4 46 Rg1+ Kxh5 47 Rg7 a6 and
... Rg6 will release the black king from the side; White’s chances look grim.
42 ... e4+
Giving up the e-pawn with 42 ... Rxh4 43 Rxe5 fxg4+ 44 Kg3 is clearly worse.
43 Kg3 f4+ 44 Kxf4 Rxh4 45 Re2
Activating the rook with 45 a4 fails to 45 ... bxa4 46 Ra1 Rh2 47 Rxa4 Rxb2 48 Ra6 (or
48 Rxa7 Rc2 49 Ra3 Rf2+) 48 ... Rf2+ 49 Ke3 Rf3+ 50 Kd2 Rf6 51 Rxa7 Kg5 52 Rg7+ Rg6
53 Rd7 Kf4! 54 c4 Ke5 and Black wins.
45 ... Rh7 46 Rg2 Rf7+ 47 Ke5
The retreat 47 Ke3 Rf3+ 48 Kd2 Kg5 is no good either.
47 ... Kg5 48 Kd6 Rf6+ 49 Ke5
Instead, 49 Kc5 e3 gives rise to the following, not so tempting variations: 50 Kd4 Rf2 51
Rg3 Kf4 52 Rxe3 c5+ 53 Kd3 c4+ 54 Kd4 Rd2+ and White’s rook is lost, or 50 Re2 Re6 51
Kd4 Kxg4 52 Rxe3 c5+ 53 Kd3 Rxe3+ 54 Kxe3 a5 with a winning pawn ending.
49 ... e3 50 Kd4
50 Re2 Rf3, followed by ... Kxg4, is not really an improvement for White.
50 ... Rf2 51 Rg1 Kf4
52 Re1
The variation after 52 g5 goes 52 ... Rd2+ 53 Kc5 e2 54 g6 Rd1 55 Rg4+ Kxg4 56 g7
e1Q 57 g8Q+ Kf3 and the black king escapes the queen checks rather easily.
52 ... Rxb2 53 Rxe3 Rd2+
Or 53 ... c5+ 54 Kd3 c4+ etc.
54 Rd3 c5+ 0-1
The international tournament in Gothenburg, 1st-23rd August 1920, was the first great
chess tournament after WWI. It was this tournament that gave Réti the grandmaster title. He
took first place by scoring 9½ points out of 13, ahead of Rubinstein on 9 points and
Bogoljubow on 8. Given the strength of the competition, it was regarded as a surprise that
Réti won. According to Tidskrift för Schack, his play was solid and energetic while also
displaying a high quality, so his victory was well deserved. Here we look at his game against
a player who came join fourth on 7½ points behind these three giants.
The Serbian grandmaster Borislav Kostic (1887-1963) is perhaps most famous for his
match against Capablanca in 1919, in which he lost all five games, though all their other
meetings were drawn. From the first game Kostic must have realized it was going to be
difficult, after losing a long battle with the black pieces in the supposedly harmless 5 Qe2+
variation of the Petroff. Capablanca displayed his merciless technique in the best game of the
match.
Kostic was well educated and spoke many different languages fluently, but never had any
job except that of playing chess. His highest historical ranking was 5th in the world in 1921.
He was also one of the best blindfold players and had a tremendous memory. In 1915 he
played 20 blindfold simultaneous games in New York, achieving 19 wins and one draw. He
died from blood poisoning at the age of 77 after his foot had become infected.
Game 17
Bo.Kostic-R.Réti
Gothenburg 1920
London System
1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 d6 3 Bf4 Bg4 4 h3
Deviating from Game 16, where Tarrasch played the safer but more passive 4 Nbd2.
4 ... Bxf3
The most straightforward move, disrupting the white pawn structure as well as facilitating
a future ... e7-e5 break.
5 exf3
Capturing towards the centre with 5 gxf3?! is more risky, as it practically commits White
castling queenside and therefore unnecessarily declares the future address of the king.
5 ... Nbd7
Playing for ... e7-e5 is most consistent, but it is not compulsory. Another option is 5 ...
d5, followed by ... e7-e6. By placing the centre pawns on light squares, Black makes up for
having relinquished his light-squared bishop.
6 Nc3
Another option is 6 c4 e5 7 Be3.
Answer: 6 ... c6
Presumably Réti refrained from 6 ... e5 owing to 7 Qe2, which is a correct decision. After
the further 7 ... Be7 8 dxe5 dxe5 9 Bxe5! Nxe5 10 Qxe5 0-0 11 Bd3 Bd6 12 Qb5 Re8+ 13
Kf1, followed by g2-g3 and Kg2, Black’s compensation looks questionable.
7 Be2
A passive post for the light-squared bishop. When you have a choice you should,
according to Capablanca, habitually place the bishop on d3 where it has a more active
function. White might have been worried about 7 Bd3 Qb6, hitting b2 and d4, but after 8 Ne2
Qxb2!? (or 8 ... e5 9 Be3 Nd5 10 Bc1 exd4 11 0-0, followed by Re1 and/or Bc4) 9 Rb1 Qxa2
10 Rxb7 Nb6 11 Nc1 Qa4 12 Qe2, he has more than enough compensation with a more active
position; for example, 12 ... 0-0-0?! 13 Ba6 Nc4 14 Rxa7+ Kb8 15 0-0! gives White a strong
attack.
7 ... e5
There is no point in 7 ... Qb6 now, since 8 Qd2 Qxb2? 9 Rb1 Qa3 10 Rxb7 sees Black in
all sorts of trouble.
8 dxe5
After 8 Bh2?! exd4 9 Qxd4 d5, White’s queen is exposed to ... Bc5 or the knight
manoeuvre ... Nc5-e6. Another problem is that the London bishop shoots its arrows on empty
squares, which are easily avoided by Black, making the bishop close to useless.
8 ... Nxe5!?
True to his style, Réti opts to play in a hypermodern style.
Answer: Objectively, the classical continuation 8 ... dxe5 is probably better, when Black
gains a direct presence in the centre and can follow up with ... Bc5 or ... Bb4. Once again
Réti prefers to postpone bringing the bishop to a more active location, perhaps fearing its
exchange in the spirit of Breyer.
9 0-0
9 Qd2 is more flexible, keeping the options of castling in either direction.
9 ... Ng6
A clever practical choice by Réti, harassing the London bishop, and asking White to
determine its correct position and future path at once. This is not an easy decision,
considering all the options White has with this piece. In the tournament book though
Rubinstein thinks the knight is badly placed on g6 and that it not in any hurry to go there since
Bxe5 was only in Black’s interest. It was better to continue with 7 ... Be7 and so forth.
Incidently Komodo10 is of the opinion that 7 ... Ng6 is more precise than 7 ... Be7.
10 Bg3
The bishop drops back only so far, rather than h2, because White wants to keep control of
h4. The alternative is Rubinstein’s recommendation 10 Be3 in the spirit of Philidor, who said
that “the pawns are the very soul of the game”. White can then consider improving his
kingside with g2-g3, creating a pawn shield and supporting the advance of the extra f-pawn.
10 ... Be7 11 f4 0-0 12 f5
This is the correct way to play with the doubled f-pawn.
12 ... Ne5 13 f4?
Mobilization of the kingside pawn mass is the right plan, but not in this manner. The
reason is that White has closed his own h2-b8 diagonal and opened the classical a7-g1
diagonal for his opponent. Now that ... Nh4 is no longer possible, it is more logical to play 13
Bh2, followed by g2-g4. This is another echo from Philidor: in some positions we must
maintain the mobility of the pawns.
13 ... Ned7 14 Bf2
16 ... Ne4?
This allows White to exchange his rather useless knight and block the e-file. The passed
pawn that Black gains is not particular dangerous at this point.
Answer: 16 ... Ne8 or 16 ... Bxf2+ 17 Rxf2 Ne8 is the best continuation. The knight
belongs on the d6-square where it attacks the f5-pawn, practically forcing White to put his
bishop on g4 where it looks ridiculous, like a Russian pawn.
17 Nxe4 dxe4 18 Qd2?
White should take the chance to liquidate with 18 Bxc5 Nxc5 19 Qxd8 Rfxd8 20 Rfd1
with equality. As it happens, he is allowed to reach a virtually identical position in the game.
Rubinstein’s more active suggestion 19 f6 gxf6 20 Bg4 fails to 20 ... e3!
18 ... Qe7
Here 18 ... Bxf2+ 19 Rxf2 Re8 20 Qe3 Qa5 is a strong alternative, though Réti’s move is
good too.
19 Be3?
There is no need to blockade the pawn on this square. Better prospects are given by 19
Qc3, not fearing 19 ... e3 20 Bh4, since the passed e-pawn is safely blockaded on the light
e2-square. This is what Nimzowitsch called a reserve blockade.
Exercise: Can you find Black’s best move?
19 ... Rad8?!
Answer: It was stronger to play 19 ... Nb6!, threatening ... Nd5, and if 20 Qc3 then 20 ...
Bxe3+ 21 Qxe3 Qb4!, targeting the weak dark squares in White’s position and keeping a clear
advantage.
Instead, Réti made the common mistake of simply developing his pieces, instead of
forming a plan to meet the requirements of the position. Of course Réti was aware of this
important concept, ever since he played a consultation game with Capablanca at the Vienna
Chess Club in the early part of 1914. In his ground-breaking work, Modern Ideas in Chess,
he wrote the following: “From a careful study of Capablanca’s games, I learnt in the end that
instead of applying Morphy’s principle of developing all the pieces as quickly as possible he
was guided in his play by some plan based as much as possible on positional considerations.
According to that method every move not demanded by that plan amounts to loss of time.”
The final sentence in particular is important to understand and remember.
20 Qc3 Bxe3+ 21 Qxe3 Qc5?
The exchange of queens facilitates White’s defences. More critical is 21 ... Nb6 22 c4
Qd7!, targeting the weak f5-pawn. Then 23 Qxe4?! is met by 23 ... Rfe8 24 Qc2 Qd2! 25
Qxd2 Rxd2 26 Bg4 Nxc4, when Black has a definite edge, but 23 b3 Qxf5 24 Bg4 should be
good enough to hold.
22 Qxc5 Nxc5 23 Bc4?!
As we noted above, White could have reached an equivalent position by playing 18 Bxc5
etc. Here 23 Rfd1 or 23 Rad1 is the simplest way to keep the balance, while 23 Kf2 Rd2 24
Ke3 Rxc2 25 Rac1 Rxc1 26 Rxc1 is fine as well: after the e4-pawn drops off, White’s rook
and bishop are slightly stronger than the rook and knight, but Black has the superior pawn
majority.
Exercise: How does Black exploit White’s poor move?
Answer: 23 ... b5
Alternatively, 23 ... Rd4 gives Black time to double rooks with the slightly better
prospects.
24 Bb3 Rd2
The absolute seventh is a dream rank for a rook to enjoy!
25 Rf2 Rfd8 26 Re1 a5
A more circumspect continuation is 26 ... Kf8, cancelling the pin on the f7-pawn before
returning to the plan of hunting down the enemy bishop with ... a7-a5-a4.
27 g6 Nxb3 28 gxh7+?
This merely helps Black mobilize his king. It was better to take the knight; for example,
28 cxb3 (or 28 axb3) 28 ... hxg6 (or 28 ... R2d4 29 Rfe2) 29 fxg6 R2d4 (or 29 ... f5 30 Rxd2
Rxd2 31 h4! Rxb2 32 Rc1) 30 Rfe2 fxg6 31 Rxe4 Rxe4 32 Rxe4 Rd2 33 Re8+ Kf7 34 Ra8
with good drawing chances.
28 ... Kxh7 29 axb3?
The half-open c-file is more of an asset to White than the half-open a-file. The last hope
of surviving this difficult rook ending is with 29 cxb3! R2d4 30 Rfe2 e3 31 f6! (not 31 Rxe3
Rxf4 32 Rf1 Rxf1+ 33 Kxf1 Rd2) 31 ... g6 32 Rf1.
29 ... Rd1! 30 Kf1
The immediate exchange 30 Rxd1 Rxd1+ 31 Kg2 Rb1 32 c3 f6 results in a very active
rook for Black which, in combination with the passed e-pawn, gives him excellent winning
chances.
30 ... Rxe1+ 31 Kxe1
Exercise: Do you see Black’s strongest move?
31 ... Rd5??
Rook endings are difficult!
Answer: Réti missed the strong move 31 ... e3!. The main idea is to collect both White’s
f-pawns in exchange for the e-pawn. The main variation goes 32 Re2 Re8 33 f6 g6 34 Kf1 (or
34 Rg2 Re4 35 Rg4 Rd4, intending ... Rd2) 34 ... Re4 35 Kg2 Rxf4 36 Rxe3 Rxf6 and Black
should win. Incidentally, 30 ... e3! on the previous move was good too.
32 Re2?!
White could have achieved an easier draw by activating his king. After 32 Ke2! Rxf5 33
Ke3 Rh5 34 Kxe4 (34 Rh2?? allows Black to defend the e-pawn with 34 ... f5) 34 ... Rxh3 35
Ke5, White has lost a pawn but his dominant king in the centre gives him sufficient
compensation. The further 35 ... Rh6 36 f5 Kg8 37 Kd4 Kf8 38 Kc5 Rf6 39 Rg2 shows
clearly that it is not possible for Black to improve his position. The pawn race arising after 39
... Rxf5+ 40 Kxc6 b4 41 c4 bxc3 42 bxc3 Rf3 43 Rc2 g5 44 b4 axb4 45 cxb4 is a draw. The
black king is merely a spectator, while White’s supports the b-pawn. Once more the golden
rule is exemplified: that activity is more important in rook endings than snapping pawns.
32 ... Rxf5 33 Rxe4 Kg6 34 Kf2 Rd5 35 Re2
Either 35 Re7 or 35 Kf3 is more active.
35 ... Kf5 36 Kf3!?
Kostic does not want to obstruct his rook, for which he has plans on the third rank.
Otherwise he might have guarded the entry points d2 and d4 with his king and sought activity
for his rook on the g-file; for instance, 36 Ke3 f6 (after 36 ... Rd1 37 Rg2 g6 38 Rg5+ Ke6 39
c4, White gains counterplay on the fifth rank) 37 Rg2 g6 38 h4 and so forth.
It is too late for 36 Re7? in view of 36 ... Rd2+ 37 Ke3 Rxc2 38 Rxf7+ Ke6 39 Rxg7
Rxb2 40 Ke4 Rxb3 41 f5+ Kd6 42 Rg6+ Kc5 43 h4 (or 43 f6 Kd6!) 43 ... a4 and Black is
winning.
36 ... f6!
Of course not 36 ... Rd1? 37 Re5+ Kf6 38 Rc5, when White has serious counterplay.
37 Re3
Kostic’s idea is to switch his rook to c3 to target Black’s queenside pawns. Here too 37
Rg2 g6 38 Ke3 offers strong resistance. Black can try 38 ... c5, to give his rook the d4-
square, but after 39 Rg1 (not 39 c3? c4, followed by ... Rd3+) 39 ... Rd4 40 Ra1 Re4+ 41
Kd2 a4 42 c4, White obtains counterplay on the opposite wing at just the right moment.
37 ... Rd4
This direct assault should not be successful. Instead, Black had an interesting
continuation in 37 ... Rc5!?. If White naïvely plays 38 c3?, the rook can return to the d-file
with 38 ... Rd5, intending ... Rd2 now that the response Rc3 has been ruled out (or if 39 Re7
then 39 ... Rd3+ 40 Ke2 Rg3 wins the f4-pawn); while after 38 Re2, Black can try 38 ... a4!?,
aiming to penetrate into White’s position with 39 ... axb3 40 cxb3 Rc1. The drawback to this
plan is that the queenside pawns are eliminated: 39 bxa4 bxa4 (threatening ... Rc4) 40 Re4
(not 40 b3?? due to 40 ... Rc3+! 41 Kf2 a3 and wins) 40 ... Rxc2 41 Rxa4 Rxb2 42 Rc4 Rb3+
43 Kg2 and Black cannot make progress since 43 ... Rb5 44 Rxc6 Kxf4 is a draw.
38 Rc3 Rxf4+ 39 Kg3 Re4 40 Rxc6 Re3+ 41 Kg2 Kf4
Another way of playing the position is 41 ... g5; for example, 42 Rb6 b4 43 Ra6 Ke5 44
Rxa5+ Kf4 45 Rc5 Re2+ 46 Kf1 Rh2, but White can draw after 47 c3 Rxb2 (or 47 ... Rxh3 48
Kg2) 48 cxb4 Rxb3 49 b5 Rxh3 50 Rc4+ Ke5 51 Rb4 and so forth.
42 Rc5 g5 43 Rc6??
The first of five game-changing blunders. Tartakower always said that “the winner is the
player who makes the next-to-last mistake”.
More consequent is 43 Rxb5, not fearing 43 ... Re2+ 44 Kf1 Rxc2 45 Rxa5 Rxb2, since
46 Ra3 f5 47 b4 Rxb4 is a draw. The only chance for Black in this position is if his king is on
h4 and his f-pawn on f4, after which he can manoeuvre towards the h3-pawn by ... Rb2-e2-e3
with an easy win. Unfortunately, he will never achieve that, since ... Ke5-f6 is answered
simply by a rook check on a6, while if the black rook drops back White moves his king up
one or two steps.
43 ... f5 44 Rc5 Re2+ 45 Kg1
45 Kf1 does not help either if Black finds 45 ... Re5 46 Rc8 (46 Rxe5 leads to a lost
pawn endgame) 46 ... Rd5!. After 47 c4 Rd3 48 cxb5 Rxb3, Black has no problems
converting the rook ending.
Exercise: How does Black win most convincingly?
45 ... Rd2??
Réti goes wrong in turn.
Answer: 45 ... b4! was correct, changing two weaknesses into one and enabling ... Kg3
(since Rc3+ is prevented). The variation 46 Kf1 Rh2 47 Rxa5 Rxc2 48 Rb5 Rxb2 49 Rxb4+
Kf3 shows the main point. The white rook is useless on the fourth rank; it belongs either on
the fifth rank where it can pressurize the black pawns, or on a clear third rank to check the
black king back. After the further 50 Ke1 Ke3 51 Kd1 f4, Black wins easily.
46 Rxb5 Rxc2 47 Rxa5 Rxb2 48 Rb5 Rc2
Note the excellent position of the white rook here. 48 ... Kg3? does not work because of
49 Rxf5 Rb1+ 50 Rf1 Rxb3 and White draws even without the h-pawn.
49 b4 Rb2
50 h4??
Kostic slips up again. As mentioned earlier, 50 Ra5 Rxb4 51 Ra3 is the way to draw for
White. Very likely both players were in time trouble at this stage.
50 ... g4 51 h5 g3 52 h6 Kg4 53 Rc5
53 h7 f4 54 h8Q Rb1+ 55 Kg2 f3 mate is another way of losing the game.
53 ... Rb1+ 54 Kg2 f4 55 Rc4 Rb2+ 56 Kg1
56 ... Rh2??
Réti sees ghosts with the white h-pawn and rushes to stop it, allowing his opponent to
escape again.
Answer: The most effective continuation is 56 ... g2! 57 Kh2 g1Q+! 58 Kxg1 Kg3 59 Kf1
f3 60 Re4 Rh2. It is easy to forget about tactics in endgames, but if you keep your eyes open
you will discover many similar neat shots! For instance, 56 ... Kg5 57 h7 (or 57 Rc5+ Kxh6)
57 ... f3! wins as well.
57 b5 Rxh6 58 Rb4 Rd6 59 b6 Rd1+ 60 Kg2 Rd2+ 61 Kg1 Kg5
No better is 61 ... Kh3 62 Rxf4 Rg2+ 63 Kf1 (not 63 Kh1?? Rf2!) 63 ... Rb2 64 Kg1 Rxb6
65 Rf1, as it is well known that passive defence with the rook suffices to draw against the g-
pawn.
62 b7??
The final error. Kostic’s recommedation 62 Rb3 is a draw, for example 62 ... Kg4 63 Rb4
with a simple draw. It is vital not to allow the black pawn to reach f3. To this end the more
study-like 62 Rb5+ is also possible; 62 ... Kg4 63 Rb4 Kh3 64 Rxf4! Rd1+ 65 Rf1 Rxf1 66
Kxf1 Kh2 67 b7 etc.
Game 18
R.Réti-G.Filep
Utrecht (match) 1920
French Defence
1 e4 e6 2 b3
This is known as the Réti Variation of the French Defence, though I have only found two
games that he actually played with 2 b3. It is quite an unusual set-up, but it is fully playable
and leads to interesting positions. It is definitely a good surprise choice against the right
opponent.
2 ... c5
Black changes his opening to the Sicilian Defence. The only downside to this move order
is that it is more difficult to block the bishop on the long dark diagonal with ... d7-d6 and ...
e7-e5, as is often recommended via 1 e4 c5 2 b3 d6 3 Bb2 e5.
The most consequent response is to play 2 ... d5 anyway, when the most common set-up
is 3 Bb2 dxe4 4 Nc3 Nf6 (4 ... f5 is met by 5 f3) 5 Qe2 Be7.
R.Réti-G.Maróczy, Gothenburg 1920, continued 6 0-0-0 (after 6 Nxe4 0-0 7 Nf3 b6,
Black has no problems whatsoever and can place his own bishop on b7, controlling the long
light diagonal, while White’s b2-bishop might soon be neutralized by a timely ... Bf6) 6 ...
Nbd7 7 g4 h6 8 Bg2 c6 9 h4 Qa5 10 Nh3 Nc5 11 g5 hxg5 12 hxg5 Nd5 13 Kb1 Bd7 14
Bxe4? (the natural 14 Nxe4 Nxe4 15 Qxe4 was stronger) 14 ... Nxe4 15 Nxe4 0-0-0?? (15 ...
e5 was correct, threatening the h3-knight) 16 Bxg7 and White had a huge advantage, though
the game nevertheless ended in a draw after 41 moves.
3 Bb2 Nc6 4 Nf3
Here 4 f4 looks logical, but 4 ... d5! is a good counter, when White has to look after the
e4-pawn as well as a possible timely ... d5-d4, blocking the b2-bishop. This is not an easy
problem for White to solve!
4 ... a6
Apparently Black did not like 4 ... d5 because of either 5 Bb5 or 5 exd5 exd5 6 Bb5.
5 Qe2
With Bb5 prevented, Réti plans to fianchetto his light-squared bishop as well, First, he
opts to prevent the liberating ... d7-d5 in a manner inspired by Chigorin’s 2 Qe2. If he reverts
to an Open Sicilian with 5 d4 cxd4 6 Nxd4, Black has the disruptive 6 ... Qf6!? and 7 ... Bc5,
forcing White to close the long diagonal with c2-c3.
5 ... d6 6 g3
Again, playing an Open Sicilian with 6 d4 cxd4 7 Nxd4 would be inconsistent. After 7 ...
Nxd4 8 Bxd4 Nf6, Black has no problems since White’s pieces are not well disposed for a
semi-open game.
6 ... e5
So Black adopts the c5/d6/e5 formation after all. Despite having wasted a tempo on ...
e7-e6, this set-up is still good, since the b2-bishop is blocked out from any action on the
kingside. The only way to activate it is by breaking with either c2-c3/d2-d4 or f2-f4 in the
future.
7 Bg2 Nf6 8 Nc3
White’s plan is to complete his queenside development and initiate control of the
weakened d5-square. An alternative idea is to play 8 c3, perhaps followed by Na3-c2 and 0-
0, in preparation for an eventual d2-d4.
8 ... Be7 9 h3
Ruling out ... Bg4, which might be embarrassing in connection with ... Nd4.
9 ... Bd7
It is more cunning to play 9 ... Be6, increasing his control of d5. Black does not fear 10
Ng5 in the least, since this leaves the d4-square vulnerable. Indeed, after 10 ... Bd7, it is
difficult to find any better reply than to return the knight to f3, reaching the game position with
Black to move. A nice example of how you can fool your opponent with tempi!
10 0-0-0!?
Réti plays in a risky fashion against his weaker opponent. Instead, 10 Nd5 exploits
Black’s previous move, but then the following variations have to be calculated: 10 ... Nxd5
11 exd5 Nd4 (or 11 ... Nb4 12 d3, intending 12 ... Nxd5?! 13 Nxe5) 12 Nxd4 cxd4, as well as
12 ... exd4. From a practical point of view it is understandable that Réti was reluctant to go
for these simplifications, where Black is able to determine the pawn structure in the middle of
the board.
10 ... b5 11 d3 Qb6?
It is not clear why Black refrained from castling short, which looks both natural and
strong. 12 Nd5 could then be ignored in favour of the attacking move 12 ... a5.
Exercise: What is the problem with Black’s move?
Answer: 14 Nxd4
Those of you tactically inclined probably noticed the possibility 14 Bxd4 cxd4 (not 14 ...
exd4? 15 Rde1! Qd8 16 Ng5! with a strong attack) 15 Nxe5 dxe5 16 d6. As it turns out, this
continuation is very risky due to the exchange sacrifice 16 ... Qxd6! (16 ... Bg5+ 17 f4 0-0
leads to complicated play) 17 Bxa8 0-0. After 18 Be4 Qa3+ 19 Kb1 Bb4 20 c4 Bc3 21 Rc1
Be6, Black’s plan is simply to play ... a6-a5-a4 with a dangerous initiative even if White
returns the exchange by taking on c3. This is certainly the wrong direction for White!
14 ... cxd4
It would be kamikaze chess to play 14 ... exd4??, when Black cannot castle for some time
due to the deadly pin on the e-file. 15 Rhe1 Qd8 16 c3 looks very promising.
15 f4 Bf6 16 g4
Sometimes chess is an easy game. If you were concentrating I’m sure you figured out
these moves relatively smoothly when calculating the variations in the exercise above. The
harder part is making the correct evaluations when you reach the “stepping stones” in your
analysis. Stepping stones is an expression from Norwegian GM Jonathan Tisdall, who coined
this phrase in his book Improve Your Chess NOW.
There are two kinds of stepping stones. Firstly, those positions in the tree of variations
when you start to lose track and need to focus on one position specifically; and secondly,
those where you need to make some kind of evaluation so as to be able to move on to the
next variation. A good example was the position after the suicidal 14 ... exd4??, where it was
sufficient to assess that White was clearly better and stop there. In the present situation you
might have concluded that White has a slight advantage because of the initiative arising from
the threat of g4-g5.
16 ... h6?
Comparatively best is 16 ... 0-0, although White still has slightly better prospects after 17
g5 Be7 18 Kb1 Rae8 19 h4 and so forth.
Exercise: How can White profit from tactical weaknesses in Black’s position?
Answer: 18 Rdf1!
White puts pressure on the currently undefended dark-squared bishop as well as the weak
f7-pawn.
18 ... Ra7?
Black tries to defend along the rank, but in so doing leaves his kingside very vulnerable.
Castling away with 18 ... 0-0-0 was no good either in view of the simple 19 fxe5 Bxe5 20
Rxf7 and 19 ... dxe5?? 20 d6! Qxd6 21 Qf3 was even worse. The best try in a clearly worse
position was 18 ... h5 19 gxh5 Rxh5 20 fxe5 Bxe5 21 Be4 (or 21 Bf3 Rhh8 22 h5 0-0-0) 21 ...
Ke7, followed by ... Rah8.
19 fxe5?
Although Réti’s piece assault proves successful, it was better to send the infantry forward
first to undermine the enemy lines.
Answer: Stronger is 19 g5 Bg7 (or 19 ... hxg5 20 hxg5 Rxh1 21 Rxh1 Bg7 22 Rh7 Kf8 23
Rxg7! Kxg7 24 fxe5, threatening both e5-e6 and e5xd6, when the d4-pawn is very weak) 20
h5 and White opens a breach on the kingside; for instance, 20 ... Bf5 21 gxh6 Rxh6 22 Kb1
Re7 23 fxe5 dxe5 (not 23 ... Bxe5? 24 hxg6, or 23 ... Rxe5 24 Qf2) 24 Qe1 and it is difficult
to see how Black can defend against the various ideas of Ba3, Bc1, Qg3 and h5xg6 at an
opportune moment.
19 ... Bxe5 20 Rf6?
The one-move threat of Qxe5+ winning a piece must have been very tempting, but it is not
the best continuation. It is still stronger to play 20 g5! hxg5 (20 ... h5 21 Rf6 Qc5 22 Rxd6!
Qxd6 23 Bxd4 0-0 24 Bxe5 shows one of the points of 20 g5; for the exchange White owns
the dark squares and a strong passed pawn) 21 h5 with a clear advantage. Once again, White
is ready to attack in numerous ways, such as h5xg6, opening the h-file; Kb1 followed by Bc1;
or Qf2 with pressure on the f-file as well as d4.
20 ... Rb7?
The b7-rook is passively placed here. The simplest way to neutralize the threat is 20 ...
Qc5 21 Rhf1 (21 Rxd6 Qxd6 22 Bxd4 is now met by 22 ... Bxg4!, when 23 Qxg4?! f5 24
Qe2? Re7 is just good for Black) 21 ... 0-0 22 Qf2 (or 22 h5 Bf5!) 22 ... Bf5! (not 22 ...
Bxf6?? 23 Qxf6 Rc7 24 Rf2 and 25 Bxd4 wins quickly) 23 Rxd6! Qxd6 24 gxf5 a5 with
mutual chances in a complicated position.
21 Qf2
Alternatively, 21 Rhf1 0-0 22 Qf2 transposes to the game.
21 ... 0-0
The tricky 21 ... Bf5 is met by 22 Re1 Qd8 23 Rxd6! Qxd6 24 Rxe5+ Qxe5 25 Bxd4 Qh2
(or 25 ... Qd6 26 Bc5! Qe5 27 gxf5 Qxf5 28 Qe3+ Kd8 29 d6 with terrible threats) 26 Bxh8
Bxg4 27 Bf6 and White has massive compensation on the dark squares.
22 Rf1
Black resigned, since he realized he would either be mated or lose his queen within a few
moves. The seventh rank is certainly as deadly as Nimzowitsch said it was in My System.
Efim Bogoljubow (1889-1952) was born in Kiev, Russia. He is regarded as one of the
greatest masters in the history of chess, playing two World Championship matches against
Alekhine in 1929 and 1934, and was actually ranked No.1 in the world in early 1927,
according to Chessmetrics. His games are characterized by strong dynamics and by play on
both sides of the board. Combined with an optimistic attitude this made him a very dangerous
opponent indeed. Bogoljubow is famous for saying: “When I am White I win because I am
White. When I am Black I win because I am Bogoljubow!”
In Masters of the Chess Board, Réti mentions that self-confidence is an extremely
important asset, since the psychological element plays a more significant part of the game
today than it did in the past. From a practical point of view it is better to think that the glass
is half full rather than half empty, even if a player’s evaluations from time to time as a
consequence will be slightly biased.
Game 19
E.Bogoljubow-R.Réti
Kiel 1921
French Defence
Answer: This is the McCutcheon Variation of the French Defence, named after the
American amateur John Lindsay McCutcheon (1857-1905) who played it against Steinitz in a
simultaneous display in New York 1885, winning in only 28 moves. His system is still
regarded as reliable, though its complicated nature will not suit everyone. It was used
occasionally by most of the great players of Réti’s day, and was a favourite of Viktor
Korchnoi towards the end of his career. Today, its most consistent practitioners are the
Russian GMs Igor Glek and Sergey Volkov. Réti and Bogoljubow contested this variation six
times from both sides. This was the only game Réti managed to win; he lost all the others.
5 e5 h6
Question (candidate moves): What are White’s options and best move?
Answer: 6 Bd2
This solid retreat is regarded as the main line, though 6 Be3 Ne4 7 Qg4 g6 (or 7 ... Kf8) 8
a3 is a critical alternative, sacrificing a pawn for development. Staying on the h4-d8 diagonal,
on the other hand, is ineffective: 6 Bh4 g5 7 Bg3 Ne4 8 Nge2 c5 9 a3 Bxc3+ 10 Nxc3 Qa5 11
Qd3 Nc6 led to mutual chances in O.Bernstein-R.Swiderski, Coburg 1904.
In the aforementioned simultaneous Steinitz played the harmless 6 Bxf6?! gxf6, which
gave Black the bishop pair as well as additional pressure on the centre. The game continued 7
Nf3 f5?! (one of 7 ... fxe5, 7 ... Nd7 and 7 ... c5 is better) 8 Bd3 c5 9 dxc5 Bxc5 10 0-0 Nc6
11 Qd2 Qe7 12 Qf4 Bd7 13 Nb5 0-0-0 14 c4 Be8 15 Rfc1 Kb8 16 a3 a6 17 Nc3 dxc4 18
Bxc4 Nd4 19 Ne2 Nxf3+ 20 Qxf3 Bc6 21 Qh3 Ka7 22 b4 Bb6 23 Nc3 Rhg8 24 Bf1 Rd2 25
Nd1 Qg5 26 Rxc6 bxc6 27 Qc3 Qf4 28 Qxc6 Rxd1 0-1. It has to be said that this was a
pretty good marketing game for the McCutcheon’s opening!
The sharp variation 6 exf6 hxg5 7 fxg7 Rg8 “leads to nothing”, according to Fischer in My
60 Memorable Games; for example, after 8 h4 gxh4 9 Qg4 Qf6 or 8 a3 Be7! 9 Qh5 Rxg7, the
position is fairly equal. In the latter line, it is also possible to give up the bishop pair and
destroy White’s pawn formation with 8 ... Bxc3+ 9 bxc3 and then continue 9 ... Qf6. Here the
2004 FIDE World Champion, Rustam Kasimdzhanov, recommends 10 Qd3 Qxg7 11 Qg3.
Black’s best response may be 11 ... f6 12 0-0-0 Qe7 13 Kb2 Nd7!, intending 14 Qxc7?! Nb6
15 Qxe7+ Kxe7 with sufficient compensation for the pawn due to White’s weaknesses on the
queenside. Nevertheless, after 14 h4 Nb6 15 hxg5 Bd7 16 gxf6 Na4+ 17 Kb1 Rxg3 18 fxe7
Nxc3+ 19 Kc1 Rg8 20 Re1 Kxe7 21 Nf3, White has a small but clearly visible advantage
since the e5-square is weak.
6 ... Bxc3 7 Bxc3?!
Fischer calls this move “ridiculous”, having lost a famous game with it (see the next
note). The main variation goes 7 bxc3 Ne4 8 Qg4 g6 9 Bd3 Nxd2 10 Kxd2 c5. See, for
example, the hard-fought game R.J.Fischer-N.Rossolimo, US Championship, New York 1965,
which Fischer won after only 32 moves; or indeed E.Bogoljubow-R.Réti, Breslau 1925, which
White won in 29 moves.
7 ... Ne4 8 Bb4
In R.J.Fischer-T.V.Petrosian, Curacao Candidates 1962, White played 8 Ba5?!, which was
a recommendation by the Russian endgame expert Kopaev. Afterwards, Fischer was very
disappointed with the awkward bishop manoeuvre and gave it two question marks in his
book. The lesson is perhaps that you should not trust an endgame expert’s opening analyses!
The idea is to answer 8 ... b6 with 9 Bb4 and 9 ... c5 with 10 Ba3, creating positional
pressure on the a3-f8 diagonal. However, the whole plan backfires if Black postpones any
threat to the bishop until castling has been made. After 8 ... 0-0 9 Bd3 Nc6 10 Bc3 Nxc3 11
bxc3 f6!?, White was already slightly worse and eventually lost in 43 moves.
8 ... c5 9 Bxc5
White has to give up his dark-squared bishop after all, since 9 dxc5?? is a grave mistake
due to 9 ... Nxf2! 10 Kxf2 Qh4+ 11 g3 Qxb4, when White has difficulties defending his
pawns situated on the now unprotected dark squares.
9 ... Nxc5
It is unclear why Réti elected to change his move here in a later game. The inferior
continuation 9 ... Nc6?! 10 Ba3 Qa5+ 11 c3 Nxc3?! 12 Qd2 Na4 13 Qxa5 Nxa5 14 b3 Nb6
15 Nf3 led to an advantage for White in E.Bogoljubow-R.Réti, Baden-Baden 1925.
10 dxc5
10 ... Qa5+
Answer: Black has several good moves here; Réti’s choice is fine, while R.Spielmann-
A.Nimzowitsch, Gothenburg 1920, saw 10 ... Nd7 11 Qd4 Qc7 12 Nf3 Nxc5 with
comfortable play for Black.
However, the most flexible equalizer, according to Kasimdzhanov, is 10 ... Qc7! 11 f4 (or
11 Nf3 Qxc5 with convenient play; note that 12 Qd4?! drops the c2-pawn) 11 ... Nd7,
intending to recapture on c5 with the knight now that White’s f2-f4 has weakened the e4-
square. After 12 Nf3 (or 12 b4?! b6) 12 ... Nxc5 13 Qd4 Bd7 14 0-0-0 Rc8 15 Kb1 0-0,
Black has a harmonious position (and 16 g4 is met by 16 ... f6).
11 c3
The alternative is 11 Qd2 and, if 11 ... Qxc5, Kasimdzhanov recommends 12 f4 0-0 13
Nf3 Nc6 14 0-0-0 Bd7 15 Kb1, followed by h2-h4 and Rh3 with attacking chances on the
kingside. So Black might prefer simply 11 ... Qxd2+ 12 Kxd2 Nd7 13 Bb5 Ke7 14 Bxd7
Bxd7, followed by ... Rhc8 and ... Rxc5 with a decent position.
11 ... Qxc5 12 Qd4
The Russian theoretician Vasily Panov suggested 12 Nf3 and 13 Bd3, but it does not
cause Black any problems.
Game 20
F.Sämisch-R.Réti
Berlin (match) 1922
Queen’s Indian Defence
Playing 3 ... e6 straight away is more flexible, keeping options open for both bishops; for
instance, the c8-bishop sometimes develops at a6, while the f8-bishop can go to b4, taking the
game into the Nimzo- or Bogo-Indian Defences.
4 Nc3 e6 5 g3
More common today is 5 a3, preventing ... Bb4 and preparing d4-d5 as well as Qc2 and
e2-e4; or else 5 Bg5, trying to do without a2-a3 while fighting for the same squares.
8 ... Be7
In a later game Réti tried 8 ... g6 9 f4?! c6 10 0-0 Bg7 11 Ne2 0-0 and equalized in
E.Grünfeld-R.Réti, Breslau 1925. Taking on d5 is critical; for example, 9 Nxd5! Qxd5 10 0-0
c6 11 f4 Qd7 12 Re1 Na6 (not 12 ... Bg7? 13 d5!) 13 Bd2 Nc7 14 Qa4 Nd5 15 Rac1 and
White wins a pawn, although 15 ... Bg7 16 Qxc6 Qxc6 17 Rxc6 Kd7 does offer Black
reasonable drawing chances. Therefore 8 ... c6! is probably necessary, so that Nxd5 can be
answered ... c6xd5, removing a potential weak pawn on the c-file, even if it means Black
giving up on his plan.
9 f4
Again, 9 Nxd5! is the critical test, intending after 9 ... exd5 10 Be3 or 10 Bf4 to organize
pressure on the c-file; while 9 ... Qxd5?! 10 0-0 and f3-f4 gives strong White pressure on the
long light diagonal. Note that 10 ... c6 11 f4 Qd7 fails to 12 f5! exf5 13 d5, and was perhaps
the justification for Réti’s early ... g7-g6 in the previous note.
9 ... c6 10 0-0 0-0 11 Qe2
Another possibility is 11 f5 exf5 12 Qf3 Na6 (12 ... Nxc3 13 bxc3 g6 is met by 14 d5
with a clear advantage) 13 Nxd5 cxd5 14 Qxf5 Nc7 15 Be3, when White is at least slightly
better owing to the bishop pair and more active pieces, while Black’s c7-knight, defending the
d5-pawn, is rather unstable.
11 ... Bf6
The immediate 11 ... g6 is more precise, consolidating the light squares before deciding
upon the arrangement of his pieces.
12 Rd1
Similarly, 12 Be3 might be played first, followed by Rc1 and perhaps doubling on the c-
file, with a more active treatment of the rooks; for example, 12 ... g6 13 Nxd5 cxd5 14 Rfc1.
12 ... g6 13 Be3
13 ... a6?!
Answer: A more reliable set-up is 13 ... Bg7! 14 Rac1 Nd7, with the idea of ... N7f6, ...
Ne7, ... Nfd5 and ... Nf5. The b8-knight would be most happy if placed on the f5 outpost,
and the outlined move order seems to be the best way to achieve this.
The alternative 13 ... a5?, planning ... Na6-c7-e8-d6-f5, does not work because of Black’s
weaknesses on the queenside, particularly b5 and c6, as the following variation illustrates: 14
Nxd5 cxd5 (or 14 ... exd5 15 Rac1 with pressure on the weak c6-pawn) 15 Qb5 Bg7 16 Rac1
Nd7 17 Rc6 and White is in control of the queenside, while the weakness of the b6-pawn
prevents the black knight from moving any further.
14 Rac1 Ra7
So Réti’s plan is to transfer the rook to d7 and leave the queen’s knight on b8 where it
covers the c6- and a6-pawns. Once again we see the typical motif of utilizing the working
power of a piece on its home square (remember the queen’s bishop!), which strictly speaking
is not yet developed. Réti’s idea hints at the fact that the development a piece is equivalent to
giving it an important function, and from that point of view the b8-knight is already
developed! Such a concept belongs to the hypermodern school, since it looks beyond the
classical ideas of Morphy and Tarrasch regarding rapid mobilization.
15 a3
Another option is to change the pawn structure with 15 Nxd5 cxd5 and then continue 16
g4, preparing the break f4-f5, although after 16 ... Qd7 17 Qc2 Be7 18 f5 Bd6, Black seems
only to be slightly worse.
15 ... Ne7
Réti finally avoids the exchange on d5 once and for all. His plan is to continue ... Rd7 and
... Nf5 with strong pressure on the isolated d4-pawn.
16 Ne4 Bg7 17 Ng5
If White prefers to ignore the defence of his d-pawn he can do just that. Given the
weakness of the trio a6/b6/c6 and the black queenside in general, White might consider
launching a minority with his two wing pawns. The continuation 17 b4!? Rd7 18 a4 Nf5 19 a5
Nxd4 20 Qf1 or 20 Qa2 suggests itself, followed by a5xb6 and Nc5, when White’s
tremendous piece activity promises more than enough compensation for the pawn. Note that
20 ... bxa5?? loses to 21 Nc5 Rd6 22 Nb7, so Black must defend passively.
This would be a more active way for White to handle the position, while showing that the
isolated queen’s pawn can often be sacrificed for dynamic opportunities. This is logical as
eventually everything is about having more activity than the opposing army.
17 ... Rd7 18 Nf3 Nf5 19 Ne5
19 ... Bxe5?
After having spent so long building the pressure on the isolated d-pawn, Réti suddenly
releases it with this unnecessary capture and leaves himself in a worse position. The passive
19 ... Rd6?! is no better; White improves his rooks with 20 Rd2 keeping a clear edge.
Answer: The correct and consistent continuation is 19 ... Nxd4! 20 Bxd4 Rxd4 21 Rxd4
Qxd4 22 Rc4 Qd6 23 Nxc6 b5 24 Rc1 Nxc6 25 Rxc6 Qd4 with an equal game, or if 20 Qe1
only then 20 ... Bxe5 21 fxe5 c5, keeping the extra pawn, although White has sufficient
compensation with his bishop pair. The dark-squared bishop in particular might be
troublesome for Black if he does not play actively enough.
20 dxe5!
This is obviously stronger than 20 fxe5, when Black can just take on d4 again with
balanced play.
20 ... c5
Neither 20 ... Rxd1+ 21 Rxd1 Qc7 22 b4, nor 20 ... Nxe3 21 Rxd7 Qxd7 22 Qxe3 Qc7 23
b4 alters the assessment that White is now clearly better. The queenside pawns are a supreme
target for White’s forces.
21 Rxd7 Qxd7
22 Rd1
This rook was already well placed on the c-file. 22 b4 looks critical, concentrating on the
main weaknesses in Black’s position. One plausible variation is 22 ... Nxe3 23 Qxe3 cxb4 24
axb4 a5 (probably best; 24 ... Qb5?! can be met by 25 f5! gxf5 26 Bf1, intending Rc4 with
threats on both flanks) 25 Qxb6 axb4 26 Qxb4 Rc8 27 Rxc8+ Qxc8 28 h4 with a definite
advantage; the position is unpleasant for Black with his remaining knight lacking a reliable
outpost, even if he has reasonable chances to hold with all the pawns on the same side.
22 ... Nd4?!
Sidestepping with 22 ... Qc7 is a more resilient defence.
23 Bxd4
Another way to work on the centralized knight is shown by 23 Qc4 Rd8 24 Rd2 a5 25 b4!,
when Black should play 25 ... axb4 26 axb4 Qa4! 27 Bxd4 Rxd4 (not 27 ... cxd4? 28 Qc7,
winning both the b6- and d4-pawns) 28 Rxd4 cxd4 29 Qxd4 Nc6 30 Qxb6 Qd1+! (30 ...
Nxb4?! 31 Qd4 Qa5 32 h4 gives White a similar advantage to that after 22 b4 above) 31 Bf1
Nd4 with sufficient counterplay against the white king; for example, 32 Qb7 (or 32 h4 Nf3+
33 Kg2 Ne1+ 34 Kh3 Qd5) 32 ... Nf3+ 33 Kg2 Ne1+ 34 Kh1 Nd3 35 Kg1 Qe1 36 Qb6 Nxb4
and Black has much better drawing chances, having managed to activate his pieces.
23 ... Rd8 24 Be4 b5?!
Presumably Réti refrained from 24 ... cxd4 because he did not like 25 Qc4. But the text
move creates new dark square weaknesses in his position, which White can exploit with 25
Qd2! cxd4 26 Qa5, followed by Qb6, when the queen penetrates even deeper into Black’s
position than after Qc4.
25 Rd3?! cxd4 26 Qd2
Exercise: How would you continue as Black?
26 ... Qa7?
Once again Réti delays the development of a minor piece on the queenside, this time in
order to try and hang on to his d-pawn.
Answer: The best and most obvious move is 26 ... Nc6!. Réti probably misjudged the
position after 27 Bxc6 Qxc6 28 Rxd4 Rxd4 29 Qxd4 Qc1+ 30 Kg2, when Black is a pawn
down. As a matter of fact this queen ending is a fairly easy draw: 30 ... Qc6+ 31 f3 (or 31
Kh3 Qh1) 31 ... Qc2+ 32 Qf2 Qd1 and it is not possible for White to improve his position
substantially in view of Black’s active queen; for example, 33 g4 Qc1 34 Kg3 Kg7 and Black
can simply wait until White does something drastic.
27 b4?!
The immediate 27 g4 is better, with ideas of f4-f5, Qh6 and Rh3, exploiting the miserable
state of Black’s pieces located on the other flank.
27 ... Qb6 28 g4 Qc7?
Once again Black should have played 28 ... Nc6, not fearing 29 Bxc6?! (29 h4! keeps the
edge) 29 ... Qxc6 30 Rxd4 Rxd4 31 Qxd4, since either 31 ... Qf3 or 31 ... Qc1+ and ... Qxa3
secures equality.
29 Rxd4?
This does not even win a pawn. 29 Kg2 is the appropriate course, with the following
plausible variation: 29 ... Nc6 30 Qc1 Rc8 31 Rd2 (or 31 Qc5) 31 ... Qb8 32 Rc2 Ne7 33
Rxc8+ Nxc8 34 Qc5 Nb6 35 Qxd4 Nc4 36 a4 and White is clearly better.
29 ... Rxd4 30 Qxd4 Qc1+ 31 Kg2 Qxf4
Réti has managed to win the pawn back and the balance in the game is restored. Indeed, it
it now White who needs to be careful in view of his vulnerable kingside.
32 f3?!
Safer is 32 Qd8+ Kg7 33 f3 (or 33 Bf3) 33 ... Qxe5 34 g5! with a positional draw. Black’s
knight has no squares so his queen cannot leave the b8-h2 diagonal either. Note that 34 ... h6
35 h4! does not help, while 34 ... a5?? 35 bxa5 Na6 even loses after 36 Qf6+! Qxf6 37 exf6+
Kxf7 38 Bb7 Nc7 39 a6 and so on.
Exercise: How does Black exploit the situation?
34 ... Qd2+?!
Not 34 ... Nxg4? 35 Qa8+ Kg7 36 fxg4 Qxg4+ 37 Kf2, when Black has to be content with
perpetual check.
Answer: The best move is 34 ... Kg7!, stepping off the exposed back rank and
maintaining the threat of ... Nxg4; for instance, 35 Qxb5?! Nxg4! 36 fxg4 Qxg4+ 37 Kf2 Qxe4
gives Black all the chances in the queen endgame. Preventing this with 35 h3? runs into 35 ...
Qd2+, while 35 Qd6 is answered by 35 ... g5!, intending 36 ... h5 37 gxh5 g4 or 37 h3 h4.
White can meet that threat by stabilizing the g4-pawn with 36 h3, now that ... Qd2+ is no
longer possible, but then the quiet move 36 ... h6!! puts him in a very unusual zugzwang. For
example, 37 Qd1 allows 37 ... Qe3, entering the heart of White’s position; while if 37 Qd4
then 37 ... f5 38 Qa7+ Kf6 39 gxf5 exf5 40 Qb6+ Kg7 41 Qc7+ Kg6 42 Qd6+ Kh5 43 Bb7
Nc4 44 Qxf4 (not 44 Qd3? due to 44 ... Kh4, introducing the king into the attack) 44 ... gxf4
and the exchange of queens gives Black excellent winning chances due to White’s pawn
weaknesses. Black will win a pawn on the queenside and most probably the f3-pawn as well
by combining an attack with king and knight.
35 Kg3?!
It is better to play 35 Kh3, and if Black attempts to repeat the position with 35 ... Qf4
(intending 36 Kg2 Kg7! again), White can defend with 36 Qc8+ Kg7 37 Qc3, followed by
Bc6.
35 ... Qe1+?!
Answer: 35 ... h5! is the most dangerous move, threatening 36 ... Qe1+ 37 Kg2 Qe2+ 38
Kg3 h4+! and wins; while after 36 gxh5 Qg5+ 37 Kf2 Qxh5 38 Kg3 Qg5+ 39 Kf2 Nc4, Black
has good chances of a successful attack against White’s primary weaknesses: the king, the
a3-pawn and the h2-pawn.
36 Kg2
36 Kh3 is also fine for White: 36 ... Qf1+ 37 Kg3 Qg1+ 38 Kh3 Kg7 39 Qxb5 Nxg4 40
fxg4 Qe3+ 41 Kg2 Qxe4+ 42 Kg3 and so forth, since 42 ... Qe3+ 43 Kg2 Qxa3 44 Qe5+
draws at once.
36 ... Qe2+ 37 Kg3 Kg7
38 a4??
Perhaps in time trouble, Sämisch attempts to create a passed pawn, but it fails trivially.
Much better is 38 Qb6, planning centralization with Qd4, while 38 ... Nxg4 is answered by 39
fxg4 (not 39 Kxg4?? Qg2+ 40 Kf4 Qxh2+ and White gets mated or loses his queen) 39 ...
Qxe4 40 Qxb5 is the same drawn position as in the previous note.
38 ... Qe1+ 39 Kh3
39 Kg2 loses too after 39 ... Nxg4 40 fxg4 Qxe4+ 41 Kg3 Qd3+ 42 Kf2 Qc2+ and 43 ...
bxa4. Even mutual promotion will just leave White two pawns down.
39 ... Qf1+ 40 Kg3 Qe1+ 0-1
Black repeats the position, presumably to reach the time control, after which he can find
the winning line at his leisure: 41 Kh3 (or 41 Kg2 Nxg4 etc) 41 ... Qf1+ 42 Kg3 Qg1+! 43
Kh3 h5 44 g5 Ng4! 45 Qd6 e5 and mate comes swiftly even if White gives up his queen; so
Sämisch resigned.
Not long before his death, Gyula Breyer (who was introduced before Game 11) wrote to
his friend Dr. Zoltan Vecsey, secretary of the Kosice Chess Club, and proposed that a strong
international tournament should be arranged in Bad Pistyan. The local organisers liked
Breyer’s suggestion and, after his death, named the event the Gyula Breyer Memorial in his
honour. The tournament had a very strong entry of 19 competitors, including most of the
leading players of the day; it was won by Bogoljubow who scored 15/18, just ahead of
Alekhine and Spielmann on 14½; Réti was placed 5th with 10½ points.
Réti’s opponent in the following game, David Przepiorka (1880-1940), was a very skilful
and active amateur player from Poland. He came second behind Max Euwe in the World
Amateur Championship of 1928, and was ranked 15th in the world in July 1929, according to
Chessmetrics. Przepiorka was also a composer of chess problems and studies. The actual
date of his death is unknown but is presumed to be some time in 1940, since he was tragically
a victim of one of the Palmiry massacres carried out by the German Nazis during WWII.
Game 21
D.Przepiorka-R.Réti
Bad Pistyan 1922
King’s Indian Defence
14 ... c6!?
It is transparent that Réti wants to avoid direct contact with the enemy pieces. Natural
continuations like 14 ... Nge6 15 Nf3 Ng5, 14 ... Nge4 15 Bf3, and 14 ... Nce4 15 Bd3,
which might well lead to a repeated position, are avoided for the purpose of complicating the
game and raising the stakes a little for both players. Note that Réti is postponing the
development of the c8-bishop again, perhaps reasoning that it is already developed to a
certain extent by controlling the c8-h3 diagonal, though it needs to move fairly soon if only so
that the a8-rook can be mobilized.
15 Rae1?!
It is not clear what White is planning by placing the rooks on f1 and e1. For some moves
to come it is neither easy nor desirable to advance e3-e4 or f2-f4. It is better to play 15 b4
and force the c5-knight to declare itself. Objectively speaking, 15 ... Nce4 ought to be the
best reply, but perhaps Réti would have opted for 15 ... Nd7!?, keeping more tension in the
position, which is a standard strategy in the quest for the full point. On the other hand,
Alekhine once said that it was very difficult to figure out Réti’s moves in advance.
15 ... Qb6
Black puts pressure on the b3-pawn and White reacts accordingly. It would have been
interesting to see Przepiorka’s move after the simple and flexible 15 ... Bd7, improving
Black’s pieces if only a little.
16 Bd1
16 Rb1! was better, admitting his mistake, but those moves are the hardest to make.
16 ... Bd7 17 Nce2
The knight was not doing much on c3 and seeks other squares, such as f4 or g3. It’s not
clear what the knight will be doing on the kingside either, but at least it does not obstruct the
b2-bishop.
Exercise: How can Black improve his slightly superior position?
21 ... h6?
This gives White a chance. Simply 21 ... Ne4 22 Nxe4 Rxe4 23 Qxd6 Nxe1 would keep
the exchange, since 24 Qxd7? fails to 24 ... Rd8.
Answer: But the most convincing line is 21 ... Qc5! (defending d6 and g5 while planning
to exchange queens with ... Qe5; the e1-rook is not going anywhere) 22 h4 Ne4 23 Nxe4
Rxe4, when 24 Bc2 fails to 24 ... R4e6 and ... Nxe1 next move.
22 Nh5??
White could have saved himself with 22 Nf4! Nh7 (or 22 ... Nxf4 23 Qxf4; but not 22 ...
Nxe1?? which leads to a forced mate after 23 Ngh5! gxh5 24 Nxh5 Ne6 25 Qxh6 f5 26 Nf6+
Kf7 27 Bh5 mate) 23 Qxd6 Nxe1 24 Nd5! Re6 25 Qxe6 Qd8 (not 25 ... Bxe6? 26 Nxb6 Nd3
27 Ne2 and White is suddenly a pawn up for nothing) 26 Qd6 Nxg2! 27 Nc7 Rf8 with an
equal position, since the knight is untouchable: 28 Kxg2?? (28 Be2 Bh3 keeps the balance) 28
... Bh3+ and the queen falls.
22 ... gxh5 23 Qxh6
Exercise: How can Black secure the win this time?
23 ... f6??
In order to win, Black had merely to secure the g5-knight, but this is completely the wrong
way to do it.
Answer: The most convincing moves are 23 ... Re5, 23 ... Qc5, or just 23 ... Ne4.
24 Ng3??
A tragicomedy of errors! It is extraordinary that both players missed the simple double
attack 24 Qg6+ Rg7 25 Qxd3. Although 25 ... Nf3+ still wins the exchange, White has fine
compensation after 26 Kh1 Nxe1 27 Rxe1 with one pawn already and at least one more to
follow in view of Black’s numerous weaknesses.
24 ... Nxe1 25 Nxh5 Nh7 26 Rxe1 Qc5
Now everything is defended and Black remains with an extra rook for just two pawns.
27 Bc2 0-1
White resigned without waiting for 27 ... Bf5 or 27 ... f5.
The London International Congress took place at Central Hall in Westminster from July
31st to August 19th, 1922. This was the first tournament Capablanca played as the new world
champion and he won convincingly with 13 points out of 15. The 33-year old Réti came sixth
with 8½ points. For some inexplicable reason Réti was hardly ever in his best form when he
played in England. According to Golombek, Réti “himself was heard to complain that, much
as he liked to visit England, it seemed to be written in the stars that he should never be
successful there.” Perhaps his only success was at the 1st Chess Olympiad in 1927 where he
scored 11½/15.
Even if Réti did not play at his highest level at London 1922, the tournament might still be
regarded as a starting point for hypermodern ideas. In his foreword to the new edition of
Maróczy’s book London 1922, GM Andy Soltis wrote that “the presence of Alekhine, Réti
and 21-year-old Max Euwe helped make this one of the first ‘hypermodern’ tournaments.”
And further that “you can see London 1922 as a transitional event that helped set the scene
for Réti’s introduction of 1 Nf3!.”
Réti’s opponent in the game below, Davide Marotti (1881-1940) was an Italian chess
master, as well as a professor of literature and philosophy. In 1921, Marotti won the first
Italian Championship in Viareggio. In 1928, he played for Italy in the 2nd Chess Olympiad at
The Hague. Chessmetrics estimates his best world ranking to be 72nd on the March 1923 list,
with his highest rating of 2354 coming two months earlier. Marotti probably tried to forget
about his disastrous performance in London, where he finished very much last on 1½ points.
Game 22
D.Marotti-R.Réti
London 1922
Vienna Game
1 e4 e5 2 Nc3
The Vienna Game is a cunning way to prepare a King’s Gambit. It is no coincidence that
one of the great supporters of this opening was Rudolf Spielmann. By playing f2-f4 on move
three, different variations will arise to those in the genuine King’s Gambit. The Falkbeer
Counter-Gambit (1 e4 e5 2 f4 d5), which at one time Spielmann regarded as a refutation, is
thus one of the things that is ruled out, not to mention all the others a King’s Gambit devotee
must master before entering these complex lines.
2 ... Nf6 3 f4
White is not obligated to play this way. We saw 3 Nf3 in Game 15, which led to a Four
Knights Game. Alternatively, 3 Bc4 can lead wild complications after 3 ... Nxe4 (3 ... Nc6 is
acceptable too) 4 Qh5 Nd6 5 Bb3 Nc6!? (5 ... Be7 is safer) 6 Nb5! g6 7 Qf3 f5 8 Qd5 Qe7 9
Nxc7+ Kd8 10 Nxa8 b6, when Black has a huge initiative for the sacrificed material.
Finally, 3 g3 is a more positional treatment of the Vienna. B.Spassky-V.Korchnoi,
Candidates match (14th game), Belgrade 1977, continued 3 ... d5 (opening the long light
diagonal has own risks, so some players prefer 3 ... Bc5; for example, 4 Bg2 Nc6 5 Nge2
Nd4!?, forestalling any plan of Nd5 followed by c2-c3) 4 exd5 Nxd5 5 Bg2 Nxc3 6 bxc3 Bd6
7 Nf3 0-0 8 0-0 c5?! (simple development with 8 ... Nc6 is better) 9 d3 Nc6 10 Nd2 and
White has the slightly more pleasant position; Spassky won in 59 moves.
3 ... d5 4 fxe5 Nxe4 5 Nf3 Be7
This has been regarded as the main line ever since Alekhine suggested that 5 ... Bc5
could be answered by the original 6 Qe2!? (instead of the standard 6 d4 Bb4), although 6 ...
Bf2+ 7 Kd1 Nxc3+ gives Black a comfortable game in any case.
6 Be2?!
The main continuation is 6 Qe2 Nxc3 7 dxc3 c5 8 Bf4 Nc6 9 0-0-0 Be6 with a fairly
equal position, although the statistics are certainly in Black’s favour. For example, M.Adams-
V.Anand, Linares (4th matchgame) 1994, continued 10 h4 h6 11 g3?! Qd7! (preventing Bh3
and keeping his key bishop) 12 Bg2 0-0-0 and Black had the slightly better prospects owing
to the pawn couple d5/c5, as well as good control of the squares d5, e6 and f5, making it
difficult for White to break through in any area of the board, while Black can always play for
... d5-d4.
Exercise: How should Black respond to White’s passive move?
6 ... 0-0
Answer: Of course there is nothing wrong with castling, but it looks worthwhile to throw
in 6 ... Bh4+! 7 g3 Be7, investing a little time in order to gain the useful h3-square for his
queen’s bishop; for example, after 8 0-0 0-0 9 d4 Bh3, Black is already a little better with his
active minor pieces. To put it another way, if offered the moves 0-0 and g2-g3 for free in the
diagram, White would probably turn it down.
7 0-0 Nc6
The downside to this move is that the black c-pawn will not influence the centre for some
time. On the other hand, the immediate 7 ... c5 can be answered by the pseudo-sacrifice 8
Nxd5! Qxd5 9 d3, when White regains the piece having destroyed the opposing centre, even if
9 ... Nd6! 10 exd6 Bxd6 still leaves Black with the slightly more comfortable game.
Alternatively, Black might prepare ... c7-c5 by playing 7 ... h6!?, which avoids that variation
by giving the knight a retreat square at g5.
8 d3 Bc5+
In this way Black maintains the knight on e4.
9 d4
Question: Where should the bishop go?
10 ... Bf5?!
It seems Réti is following Nimzowitsch’s advice that the strongest point ought to be
overprotected, but it looks inappropriate and artificial here.
Answer: 10 ... Bg4, putting pressure on the d4-pawn, is more in line with Black’s strategy.
If White stabilizes the d4-point after 11 Nxb6 axb6 12 c3, Black attacks the e5-pawn instead
with 12 ... f6. Indeed, 10 ... f6 at once was also possible. This scheme of play is in
accordance with the general formula stated by the hypermoderns: “Death to the centre!”
11 Nxb6 axb6 12 Be3 Bg6
A more flexible way of consolidating the bishop is 12 ... Qd7. Depending on White’s
reaction, Black can follow up with the active ... Na5-c4 or the defensive ... Ne7. In each case
Black concentrates on a light-square strategy.
13 Qe1?!
A more active plan would involve the central break c2-c4. Here 13 c4 h6 14 a3 Ne7 15
Bd3 dxc4 16 Bxc4 c6 17 Bd3 f5 leads to interesting play.
13 ... Qe7
This is a good moment for Black to strike in the centre with 13 ... f6 14 Bf4 (or 14 exf6
Rxf6) 14 ... Bh5, when the position is dynamically balanced.
14 c3
Réti perhaps planned to answer 14 c4 with 14 ... Nb4, when White would have to admit
that his queen was better where it was and play the confessional 15 Qd1. Alternatively, he
make use of his previous move by sending his knight after the second bishop with 14 Nh4,
when 14 ... f6 15 Nxg6 hxg6 16 c4! fxe5 17 cxd5 Nxd4 leads to roughly equal chances.
14 ... f6 15 Bb5?!
White seems to be playing without any consistent plan. Here he might try 15 Qh4!?, with
the idea of exchanging queens if Black captures on e5, thus maintaining control of e5 without
relinquishing the bishop pair.
Answer: Exchanging the centralized knight for the bishop seems surprising, but this was
the correct decision. Otherwise Black might rearrange his pieces with ... Nd6 and ... Be4,
after which his own bishop and knight would turn out to be the stronger.
20 dxc5 bxc5 21 Qd3
This one-move threat helps Black to consolidate his centre. 21 Qb5! is more active,
putting pressure on c5 and preparing the march of the a-pawn. Since Black has a very strong
knight, White must utilize the assets in his own position.
21 ... c6 22 a3?!
Unnecessarily passive; White should advance the a-pawn with 22 a4! as suggested in the
previous note.
22 ... Qb7
Another idea is to exert pressure on the half-open b-file via 22 ... c4 23 Qc2 Rb8
(following Nimzowitsch’s rule that an enemy pawn should be restrained before it is attacked;
the immediate 22 ... Rb8 would be answered by 23 b4). If White seeks counterplay with 24
a4, setting his passed pawn in motion, Black has the nice tactic 24 ... Nxc3! 25 Qxc3 Rb3 26
Qc1 Qxe3+ 27 Qxe3 Rxe3 with a clear advantage in the rook ending. The a-pawn is easily
blockaded by Black’s rook, while his king can come across to the queenside, either to win it
or to support his own dangerous pawns in the centre.
23 Qc2 c4 24 Rf1?!
Question: Why is this move wrong in principle?
Answer: White is not taking care of his real asset, the distant passed pawn. White should
keep his rook behind it and advance it immediately with 24 a4. Presumably Marotti thought
the pawn would not get very far, which is certainly true, but the main point is to force the
opponent to expend energy in dealing with it. In that way White can exploit the energy lost in
other areas of the board. The following variation is very illustrative: 24 ... c5 (preventing any
ideas of a4-a5 and Bb6; alternatively, 24 ... Ra5 25 Qe2! Qb3 26 Qg4 leads to similar play)
25 a5 Ra6 26 Qe2! (the white queen is relocated to the kingside) 26 ... Rf6 27 Qg4 and Black
cannot improve his position; if he snaps the b2-pawn with 27 ... Qxb2 then 28 Qc8+ Rf8 29
Qe6+ forces a draw by perpetual check.
It was Philidor who first understood the value of a passed pawn and that the main goal is
to promote it. Emanuel Lasker expanded on Philidor’s idea by realizing that the value of a
passed pawn correlates with the energy it draws from the opponent. Nimzowitsch completed
the picture by hinting at the principle of two weaknesses.
24 ... Rb8 25 Bc1?
This passive move closes the first rank, after which it becomes more and more difficult
for White to admit that the rook belongs behind the passed pawn. He did not need to defend
b2 anyway, since after 25 Qe2! Qxb2?! 26 Qg4, perpetual check cannot be prevented; for
example, 26 ... Re8 27 Qxg6 Re7 28 Bd4 Qb7 (or 28 ... Nxc3 29 Qf5 Ne2+ 30 Kh1) 29 Bxg7
Rxg7 30 Qe8+ and so on. Probably White overlooked the entire possibility of a kingside
counterattack.
25 ... Qb6+ 26 Kh1
Exercise: What is Black’s strongest continuation?
26 ... Rf8?
Réti shows favouritism towards the endgame and misses a more
promising opportunity.
Answer: 26 ... Re8! was stronger, with the threat of ... Nf2+ (where it is untouchable in
view of the back rank mate) followed by ... Nd3, when Black’s knight is too powerful for
White to cope with. White’s only reasonable move is 27 g3, after which the first question to
ask is whether it is possible to exploit White’s light square weaknesses on the kingside. Yes,
it is. Look at 27 ... Qc5!!. The main idea is to answer 28 Kg2 with 28 ... d4! 29 cxd4 Qd5 and
harass the exposed king. After 30 Kg1 Qxd4+ 31 Kg2 Qd5 32 Kg1 Nc5, Black’s knight
settles down on d3, destroying what is left of White’s harmony. Note that 33 Qxg6?? loses at
once to 33 ... Re2.
27 Rxf8+ Kxf8 28 g3 Qf2 29 Qxf2+ Nxf2+ 30 Kg2 Nd3
Exercise: Evaluate the ending!
Answer: One can understand why Réti went for this endgame, but it is not winning. When
evaluating a position all its details must be considered. One can see that Black’s knight is in a
tremendous position and that his king is slightly more active than White’s. Balancing this,
however, is White’s more healthy pawn structure, which still includes the distant passed a-
pawn. This last asset is what should have saved Marotti from losing the game.
31 a4! Ke7
The king gets inside the square of the pawn, stretching from a4-e4-e8-a8, while making ...
Nxc1 a concrete threat. The greedy 31 ... Nxc1?? obviously loses to 32 a5, when the pawn is
faster than both king and knight.
32 a5 Kd7 33 Be3?!
White could play with a draw in hand after the more offensive 33 Bg5!, planning Be7
(exploiting the fact that the bishop cannot be taken), followed by Bf8 and Bxg7, after which he
can create another outside passed pawn on the other flank. For instance:
a) 33 ... Nxb2? is answered by 34 Be3! (of course not 34 Be7?? Kxe7 35 a6 Na4 36 a7
Nb6 and Black’s knight is too fast!) 34 ... Nd3 35 Bd4 g5 36 Kf3! (36 Bxg7 fails to 36 ... g4!
37 h4 gxh3+ 38 Kxh3 Nf2+, followed by ... Ne4, and at best White will be left with the wrong
bishop for the a-pawn) 36 ... g6 37 Bf6 Nc5 38 Bxg5 Ne4 39 Be3 Nxc3 40 h4, followed by
g3-g4 etc and Black is struggling.
b) 33 ... Nc5?, hoping for a fortress with ... Ne6, also runs into difficulties: 34 Be3 Ne6
35 Bb6! g5 36 a6 (tying the black king down) 36 ... Kb8 37 Kf3 g6 38 g4! and although Black
holds the kingside, White can play Ke2-d2-c2 and break through on the other flank with b2-
b3.
c) 33 ... c5 looks like the correct plan, with the aim of eliminating as many pawns as
possible: For example, 34 Be7 d4 35 Bf8 Nxb2 36 Bxg7 Nd1! (not 36 ... dxc3? 37 Bxc3 Na4
38 Bf6 c3 39 h4 c2 40 Bg5 c4 41 a6 Kc6 42 g4 Nc5 43 h5 gxh5 44 gxh5 Ne6 45 Bc1 and
White wins; the bishop is more dangerous than the knight when a pawn race is on the agenda)
37 cxd3 (or 37 a6 Kc7 38 cxd4 cxd4 39 Bxd4 c3 40 Bxc3 Nxc3 41 Kf3 Nb5! 42 Kf4 Nd4 43
Kg5 Nf3+ 44 Kxg6 Nxh2 and draws) 37 ... c3! 38 Kf3 (or 38 dxc5 Ne3+ 39 Kf3 c2 40 Bb2
Nc4 41 Bc1 Nxa5 and 42 ... Nb3) 38 ... c2 39 Bh6 cxd4 40 Ke2 Ne3 41 Kd2 Nf1+ 42 Kxc2
Nxh2, after which Black hunts the g-pawn down with the knight and draws because White has
the wrong bishop for his remaining a-pawn. Fundamental but important stuff!
33 ... c5 34 Kh3
White’s plan of Kg4-g5xg6xg7 looks pretty scary, but note that Black’s d5/c5/c4 pawn
triangle is closer to promotion.
34 ... Kc6 35 a6??
The definite turning point of the game. Marotti plays the right move but at the wrong
moment. The correct continuation is 35 Kg4 Nxb2 and only now 36 a6!, practically forcing 36
... Na4 (here 36 ... Kb6? runs into 37 Bxc5+! since the knight has left d3), when White
achieves a draw with 37 Kf4! Kb6 38 Ke5 Nxc3 39 Bxc5+! Kxa6 40 Bd4 Ne2 41 Kxd5 Nxd4
42 Kxc4! and there is nothing Black’s king or knight can do to prevent the liquidation of his
pawns. The main variation runs 42 ... Nf3 43 h4 Nh2 44 Kd5 Ng4 45 Ke6 Nh6 46 Ke7 Kb6
47 Kf8 Nf5 48 Kf7 with an obvious draw.
35 ... Kb6 36 Kg4 Kxa6 37 Kg5 Kb5 38 Kxg6 Nxb2 39 Kxg7 Nd1 40 Bd2
The Canadian player John Stuart Morrison (1889-1975) was placed equal 14th at London
with a score of 4½. On his home ground, Morrison won the Canadian Championship five
times between 1910 and 1926, and represented his country at the Buenos Aires Olympiad in
1939. He played in two other international tournaments, both in New York (1913, 1918) and
both won by Capablanca. According to Chessmetrics, his best world ranking was 21st in
February 1920, and his highest estimated rating was 2469.
Game 23
J.S.Morrison-R.Réti
London 1922
King’s Indian Defence
1 d4
Incidentally, 1 d4 was considered best by Bogoljubow and is considered best by Komodo
10, too, with an evaluation of +0.23. Obviously, it is a matter of taste how to open the game,
and it also depends on who is on the other side of the board. It is noticeable that Morrison
played 1 d4 at the beginning of the tournament and, in his last two games as White, changed
to 1 e4 against Maróczy and 1 f4 against Vidmar. In those days it was easier to improvise,
whereas today deep preparation is often required.
1 ... Nf6
This move has no name, unless one calls it the Indian Defence.
2 Nf3 g6 3 e3 Bg7 4 Be2
Irregular stuff; to be a true Colle, the bishop should be placed on d3.
4 ... 0-0 5 0-0 b6 6 Nbd2 Bb7
Answer: 11 ... a5
A good move, exploiting the fact that White’s d4-d5 weakened the c5-square. Black
would very much like to place his knight on this excellent outpost where it controls four
squares in enemy territory.
12 h3?!
White seems to be struggling to find a plan. Either 12 e4 or moving one of the rooks to the
c- or d-file would be more logical.
12 ... Nc5
The natural and consistent move, but not necessarily the best.
Answer: Black has two interesting breaks he can carry out: 12 ... c6 13 dxc6 Bxc6, or 12
... b5 13 cxb5 Nxd5, when he has slightly the better of it in either case.
13 Rae1?!
It is not always easy to play perfectly with the rooks, but in this position it is pretty clear
where Black can break: with either ... c7-c6 or ... b6-b5, as just mentioned. From White’s
point of view his rooks should ideally stand on c1 and d1. So 13 Rfd1 or 13 Rac1 comes into
consideration.
13 ... Bc8
In the earlier game with Rubinstein, Réti withdrew the b7-bishop to its original square as
well, albeit after being prompted to do so by White’s c4-c5-c6. Here it was possible to create
activity for the bishop on the long diagonal with 13 ... c6 14 dxc6 Bxc6, when Black has good
control of the central light squares. If White reinforces his centre with 14 e4, playing to
restrict the opposing bishops, he weakens the f4-square and encourages 14 ... Nh5; and if he
prevents ... Nf4 with 15 g3, then Black has a new target on h3 after 15 ... cxd5 16 cxd5 Bc8,
while preparing the thematic ... f7-f5 break.
14 Nh2?
Answer: Simply that it puts another piece on the wrong square. If White was free to pick
a square for the f3-knight, then c3 is a good one. This can actually be achieved after 14 Rc1,
intending Nb1, Nc3 and Nfd2; while if 14 ... Bf5 then 15 Qd1.
14 ... Bf5 15 Qc3
The only move; otherwise 15 ... Nb3 wins material straight away.
15 ... Nfe4?
Answer: Réti seems to have been too concerned with the centre and missed the moment
for the flank thrust 15 ... b5!, threatening 16 ... b4 followed by 17 ... Nd3 again. Since 16
cxb5? Nxd5 17 Qc4 Nb4 sends another knight towards d3, White needs to make room for the
f1-rook. But after 16 f3 b4 17 Qc1 Bd3 or 16 Ra1 b4 17 Qc1 Nd3 18 Bxd3 Bxd3 19 Re1
Nd7 and ... Nc5, Black has a clear positional advantage with far more active pieces as well
as the superior pawn structure.
16 Nxe4 Nxe4 17 Qc1 g5?
Réti wants to keep his bishop on the b1-h7 diagonal, but by compromising his kingside
structure he gives White the chance to justify his previously dubious piece placement.
Instead, 17 ... a4 is stronger, creating targets on the queenside. If White avoids the
opening of the a-file with 18 b4, Black replies 18 ... a3! 19 Ba1 (19 Bxa3? is met by 19 ...
Nd2! 20 Qxd2 Rxa3 and ... Rfa8, breaking in on the queenside) 19 ... Bd7 20 Nf3 c6 with
comfortable play.
Another possibility consists of regrouping the minor pieces with 17 ... Nc5 and 18 ... Bd7,
clearing the way for ... f7-f5.
18 f4?!
It is better to deal with the centralized black knight before weakening the g3-square. Here
18 Bd3 suggests itself, and if 18 ... Bg6 then 19 Bxe4 Bxe4 20 f3 Bg6 21 f4 with balanced
play.
18 ... gxf4?
Answer: Black should maintain the tension and exploit the weak points in White’s
position with 18 ... Ng3. A plausible continuation is 19 Rf2 (19 Rf3?! exf4 20 Bxg7 Kxg7
wins a pawn, since 21 Qb2+? fails to 21 ... Qe5) 19 ... Bg6 20 fxe5 (20 fxg5 is met by 20 ...
Ne4, or if 20 Bf3 then 20 ... f5) 20 ... Bxe5 21 Bxe5 dxe5 22 Rf3 (or 22 Bf3 e4 23 Bd1 h5
and 24 ... h4) 22 ... Nxe2+ 23 Rxe2 f5 with a good game.
19 exf4?!
Again White should play 19 Bd3!, when 19 ... Bg6 20 Bxe4 Bxe4 21 exf4 f5 22 fxe5
Bxe5 (22 ... dxe5? 23 Ba3 wins the exchange) 23 Bxe5 dxe5 24 Rf2, followed by Nf1-g3,
now gives him the better prospects, since the strong-looking e4-bishop is actually a target.
19 ... Ng3 20 Rf3 Qh4?
This adventurous move only places the black queen in danger. Correct is 20 ... Nxe2+ 21
Rxe2 f6 with only a slight advantage to White.
21 Nf1?
The critical variation is 21 fxe5! Rae8! 22 Bd1!, threatening to win a piece with Qe3 or
Ree3, while after 22 ... Bg6 23 Rf4 Qe7 24 Rg4 Nf5 25 Bc2 Nh6 26 Rg3 dxe5 27 Nf3, White
is clearly better with his more active pieces (not 27 Ba3? Qh4).
Presumably both players missed that 21 ... Bh6? 22 Qd1 Be4 is refuted by the positional
exchange sacrifice 23 Bd3! Bxf3 24 Nxf3 Qh5 25 Qc2, when White dominates the whole
position. Black is helpless against the numerous threats, especially e5-e6, opening up the long
dark diagonal.
Exercise: Should Black take the knight or the bishop?
28 ... Raf8?
Answer: He had to play 28 ... Rf3, although White has excellent winning chances after 29
Bxg6 Rxc3 30 Bxh7+ Kxh7 31 Bxc3.
29 Qc2!
This is the point. White is in no hurry to collect the rook and simply increases the
pressure on the b1-f5 diagonal.
29 ... Be3+ 30 Kh1??
An extraordinary oversight. The bishops should win pretty easily after 30 Rxe3 Qh6 (or
30 ... Rf1+ 31 Kg2) 31 Bxf5 Qxe3+ 32 Kg2.
Exercise (combination alert): Black to play and win.
The third Hastings Christmas Chess Festival (1922/23) was held, as customary, at the turn
of the year. Rubinstein unsurprisingly came first with 6½/9, while Réti recovered from a poor
start (2/5), winning his final four games to finish joint second on 6 points with Bruno Siegheim
(1875-1952).
Réti’s opponent in the next game, John Arthur James Drewitt (1873-1931) finished ninth
(despite taking a full point off Rubinstein). He was born in Patching, Sussex. According to
Chessmetrics, his highest ranking was 63rd in the world in February 1925; his peak rating of
2462 came later, in 1929. He was London champion in 1927, 1928, and 1929/30. By career,
Drewitt was a professor of philosophy. He died tragically in 1931 after falling from a train.
Game 24
J.Drewitt-R.Réti
Hastings 1922/23
Caro-Kann Defence
Answer: The reason for the exchange has to do with the central squares, particularly e5.
The main move here is 10 ... Bd6, after which 11 Ne5? is premature due to 11 ... Qc7 with
strong pressure against the knight which cannot be supported by its colleague, nor is there a
bishop on g4 for it to take; furthermore, White has the threat of ... Nh5 to deal with. Instead,
White generally opts for 11 Bxd6 Qxd6 12 0-0 (again 12 Qxb7 Rb8 13 Qa6 0-0 gives Black
good play for the pawn) 12 ... 0-0 13 Rae1 (or 13 Rfe1) and only then perhaps Ne5. Z.Lanka-
G.Kasparov, Leningrad 1977, is a model game in this variation.
10 ... a6?!
Pioneering this particular position (at least according to MegaBase), it is perhaps
understandable that Réti was not confident about sacrificing his b-pawn after 10 ... Bd6, and
instead sought to secure his position by preventing Bb5. On the plus side, 10 ... a6 does
support a future queenside minority attack with ... b7-b5-b4, which is a standard plan for
Black.
Instead, in an exhibition game in Philadelphia (1924) against three consulting players,
Capablanca reached an equal position after 10 ... Nh5 11 Bd2 Bd6 12 0-0 0-0 13 Rfe1 Nf4
14 Bxf4? Bxf4; but taking the knight was wrong. The team should have retreated their e2-
bishop to either b1 or f1, when the bishop pair still offers White a slight advantage.
11 0-0 Be7 12 Rfe1 0-0 13 Ne5 Qc8
Despite playing the “modern” 7 ... Qd7, Réti has nevertheless ended up in a passive
position due to his inaccuracy at move 10.
14 Re2
White plans to double rooks, overprotecting the important e5-square. Other reasonable
moves are 14 a4, working against ... b7-b5, and 14 Qc2, provoking a weakness on the
kingside.
14 ... Rd8
The f7-square does not need to be protected twice in this position, so Black vacates the
f8-square for another piece.
15 Rae1 Nxe5 16 Bxe5
Taking with the pawn is inconsistent. 16 dxe5 blocks White’s useful e5-outpost with a
pawn, drives the black knight where it wants to go anyway, and gives it immediate access to
the c5-square. After 16 ... Nd7 17 Qc2, Black can even afford to weaken himself with 17 ...
g6 and exploit his chances on the queenside.
16 ... Nd7 17 Bb1?
Curiously, the positional mistake made by Capablanca’s consulting opponents game
above is made again in this game. White should hang on to the bishop pair with 17 Bf4, and
not let Black gain complete control of the dark squares.
17 ... Nxe5 18 Rxe5 Bd6 19 R5e3 Qc7 20 g3
Drewitt follows Capablanca’s rule that you should put the pawns on the same colour
squares as the first bishop you have exchanged.
Answer: 20 ... b5
Black plans the minority attack on the c3-pawn with a timely ... b5-b4.
21 Qc2?!
This is slightly clumsy; first of all White’s bishop is obstructed and, secondly, it forces
Black to put his last pawn on a light square, in accordance with Capablanca’s rule. The
placing of all the pawns on light squares not only honours the dark-squared bishop, they are
also in a sense a mysterious homage to the absent bishop! The correct move, naturally, is 21
a3, placing all the white pawns on dark squares and forcing Black to spend time preparing the
further advance of his b-pawn with ... Rab8 and ... a6-a5.
21 ... g6 22 Rd1 Rdc8 23 Qe2 b4!
Now White has to answer the eternal question: whether he should exchange pawns on b4
or let Black take on c3.
24 cxb4
A consolidating move such as 24 Kg2 can be answered by 24 ... bxc3. Then 25 bxc3
leaves White with weaknesses on a2 and c3; here we can see that it is in White’s interest to
get rid of the a-pawns, which would have been possible if he had played a2-a3 before ... b5-
b4. Otherwise, 25 Rxc3 leads to the same pawn structure as in the game. Its fundamental
drawbacks are the weak isolated d4-pawn, located on a dark square, and the tactically weak
pawns on the a- and b-files.
24 ... Bxb4 25 Rb3
It is not clear whether White has any plan in mind. This one-move threat only helps Black
to take care of his loose piece. It is better to improve the king slightly by 25 Kg2 or set up the
‘wave formation’ on the kingside with 25 h4.
25 ... a5?!
Answer: The most logical move is 25 ... Bf8, followed by ... Bg7, according to Steinitz’s
principle that the weakest point in the opponent’s position should be attacked, which here is
d4.
26 a3?!
White perhaps considers that the a-pawn belongs on a3 because the two tactical
weaknesses now become one and the pawn takes a square away from Black’s bishop. But if
so, his reasoning is faulty, not least because it drives the bishop towards its optimum
placement on the long diagonal. A better method of defence is 26 Bd3 with the idea of a2-a4
and Bb5, utilizing the square ceded by Black’s previous move and setting up a blockade on
the b-file.
26 ... Bf8 27 Rc3?!
The waiting move 27 Kg2 is better. There is no reason to keep helping Black’s pieces find
good squares.
Question: Where does the black queen belong?
Question: Is this pawn vulnerable being placed on the same colour as the
opponent’s bishop?
Answer: No, because in this position the pawn can hardly be attacked. White’s bishop
cannot manoeuvre to c2 or d1 without losing one of his own pawns.
33 Kg2 Bf6 34 f4?!
This move weakens White’s second rank unnecessarily, since Black was not threatening to
play ... e6-e5 any time soon.
Exercise: How should Black continue after White’s slightly careless move?
37 ... axb3?!
This automatic capture improves White’s defensive line since the bishop is let back into
the game.
Answer: It was simpler to continue the dark square strategy with either 37 ... Qc6! 38
bxa4 Qc1 39 Bb1 Rc3 40 Rc2 Rxd3 41 Rxc1 Rxa3, or 37 ... Rc1! 38 bxa4 Qa5 39 Rc2 Ra1,
threatening both ... Qxa4 and ... Qe1. In either case White’s position is falling apart.
38 Bxb3 Qa5
Apart from attacking the a-pawn, Black threatens the decisive ... Rc3 which White cannot
possibly allow.
39 Rc2
Exercise: Decision time. Should Black keep or exchange the rooks?
39 ... Rxc2+?
Answer: In view of the opposite-coloured bishops, it is much better for Black to leave the
rooks on the board with 39 ... Rb7. Then 40 Ra2 Qa7 picks up either the d-pawn or a-pawn,
while 40 Ba2? Ra7 41 Rc3 Qb6 42 Rb3 Qxd4 will get both pawns.
40 Bxc2 Qb6 41 a4 Qxd4
Swapping the queens off as well increases the likelihood of draw even more; but 41 ...
Bxd4 42 a5 Qc5 43 a6 leaves White with a strong passed pawn. In this situation it is not easy
for Black to activate his own pawns with ... f7-f6, ... e6-e5 and so forth without exposing his
own king. For instance, 43 ... f6 might be answered by 44 Qe2 e5 45 fxe5 fxe5 46 Bb3 e4 47
Qg4 with counterplay on the light squares.
42 Qxd4 Bxd4
Answer: In this pure opposite-coloured bishop ending, White has very concrete drawing
chances. The outside passed pawn will be an extremely useful decoy on a6, restricting the
black bishop to the a7-b8 and a7-g1 diagonals. Once White exchanges off as many pawns as
he can, the game should end in a draw.
43 a5 Kf8 44 a6 Ke7 45 Kf3 Kd6 46 g4 f6 47 h4 e5
Exercise (calculation): Here White in fact has a forced draw. What should he play?
48 fxe5+?!
This capture is inaccurate since it is no longer possible for White to exchange all the
kingside pawns, which means his task is made more complicated.
Answer: The draw can be achieved by 48 g5! e4+ (or 48 ... fxg5 49 fxe5+ Kxe5 50 hxg5
with a clear draw since the black pawns can now all be attacked by White’s bishop) 49 Bxe4!
dxe4+ (49 ... fxg5 50 Bd3 gxh4 51 Kg4 Bf2 52 Kf3 is also a draw: the black bishop cannot
hold on to the h-pawn while controlling the a-pawn) 50 Kxe4 Ba7 51 gxf6 Ke6 52 f7! Kxf7 53
f5 Kf6 54 fxg6 Kxg6 (or 54 ... hxg6 55 Kf4, followed by Kg4 and h4-h5 etc) 55 Kf3, followed
by Kg1-h1, and White draws even without his two pawns since his king cannot be driven out
of the corner.
48 ... fxe5 49 h5 e4+ 50 Kf4 Ba7 51 hxg6
Note that 51 h6?, playing for future tactical tricks with Bxg6, does not work after 51 ...
Kc5 52 Ke3 Kc4+ 53 Kd2 Kd4 (heading for the remaining kingside pawns via the centre) 54
Ba4 Ke5 55 Be8 Kf6 (just in time) 56 Bc6 e3+ 57 Ke2 d4 58 Bd5 Kg5 59 Bg8 Kxh6 60 g5+
Kxg5 61 Bxh7 Kf6 62 Bg8 Ke5 and Black wins by marching the g-pawn.
51 ... hxg6 52 g5 Ke6 53 Ba4 Bb8+
Exercise (calculation): White has two legal moves. Which one loses and
which one draws?
54 Ke3??
The critical moment in this fascinating endgame.
Answer: There is still a draw to be had with 54 Kg4! Ke5 (54 ... d4 is met by 55 a7!
Bxa7 56 Kf4 e3 57 Bb5 Kd5 58 Kf3 Ke5 59 Bd3, followed by 60 Bxg6 with an elementary
draw) 55 Be8 d4 56 Bxg6 d3 57 Kg3 Kd4+ 58 Kg2 e3 59 Bxd3! (this is the tactical point) 59
... Kxd3 60 g6 e2 61 g7 e1Q 62 g8Q and there are no winning chances any more.
54 ... Ke5 55 Bc6
Otherwise, 55 Be8 leads to a position similar to the 51 h6? note above. After 55 ... d4+
56 Kd2 Kf5 57 Bc6 e3+ 58 Kd3 Ba7, Black picks up the remaining white pawn and wins by
pushing his own g-pawn.
55 ... d4+ 56 Ke2?!
White is losing but might have put up more resistance: 56 Kd2 d3 57 Kc3 (the only move
to prevent ... Kd4, so Black must find another winning plan) 57 ... Kf4 58 Kd2 (now
preventing ... Ke3) 58 ... Ba7 59 Bd5 Bc5! 60 Kc3 (if White passes with 60 Bc6 then 60 ...
Bb4+ and 61 ... e3 forces mate; e.g. 61 Kc1 e3 62 a7 e2 63 a1Q e1Q+ 64 Kb2 Qc3+ 65 Ka2
Qc2+ 66 Ka1 Bc3 mate) 60 ... Ke3 (threatening ... d3-d2) 61 Bb3 Kf2 62 Bc4 e3! 63 Bxd3 e2
64 Bxe2 Kxe2 and Black wins.
56 ... d3+ 57 Kd2 Kd4
When the pawns reach the sixth rank the win is certain.
58 Be8 e3+ 0-1
The 1st Carl Schlechter Memorial in Vienna 1923 had twelve participants. Tartakower
was undefeated and won the tournament with 9 points out of 11. To honour the former world
champion challenger, he employed Schlechter’s favourite 1 e4 in all his games as White. Réti
came second with 8½ points, ahead of Spielmann in third on 7½.
Réti’s opponent in the following game, Felix Fischer, came joint ninth with 3 points.
Nothing much seems to be known about him, apart from the fact that he was Austrian and
probably lived in Vienna. Chessmetrics estimates his highest world ranking as 77th in August
1924.
Game 25
R.Réti-F.Fischer
Vienna 1923
Réti’s Opening
Question: How did Réti solve the problem with his queen?
Answer: 10 Rc1
If you are not familiar with the strategic weapon “Réti’s rifle” it is not easy to figure out
that White is planning to put his queen on a1 after a preliminary Rc2. Other viable
alternatives are the natural 10 Qc2, the classical 10 e4, or the more restrained 10 e3, the last
two clearing the e2-square for the queen and creating space for the rooks.
10 ... Rc8
If Black had any idea what Réti intended he would most certainly have activated the a8-
rook by 10 ... a5, which is, incidentally, the one and only way of developing the rook without
moving it. By using the a-pawn and continuing with ... a5-a4, Black simultaneously frustrates
his opponent’s intended set-up with the major pieces by making it less appealing to carry out.
11 Rc2
So, here we go. Réti’s rifle is starting to taking shape.
11 ... c5 12 Qa1?!
Réti’s queen manoeuvre is one of the revolutionary hypermodern ideas, emphasizing
pressure on the centre by controlling it with pieces from afar. In this precise situation, and in
view of the next note, it might have been better to play 12 cxd5 first, but Réti probably
wanted to avoid 12 ... Nxd5 13 Qa1 Bf6, which neutralizes his rifle at once. The alternative
12 e3 has its downside too in that it creates a weakness on the d-file, in particular at d3.
12 ... Bd6?!
The critical response is 12 ... d4! and if 13 e3 then 13 ... dxe3! (or just 13 ... e5 since the
weak f5-square cannot really be exploited) 14 fxe3 Qc7 and it is White who is fighting for
equality.
13 cxd5
Now Black cannot play ... Nxd5 since the g7-pawn is en prise behind it.
13 ... exd5
Answer: 14 Nh4
This is a tempting move. The f5-square must be regarded as the weakest point in Black’s
central area; what is more natural than to control it and eventually occupy it?
Another way of improving White’s position is the subtle 14 Rd1, preparing the e2-e4
break. For instance, after 14 ... Re8 15 e4, White has the initiative. Note that 14 ... d4 now
leaves holes on the light squares, when 15 Nc4 Bc7 16 b4! Re8 17 bxc5 bxc5 18 e3 dxe3 19
Nxe3 gives White the slightly better prospects. This possibility is perhaps not so easy to
discover since it is more natural to look to the activation of the minor pieces before paying
attention to the f1-rook.
In this connection 14 Re1 comes to mind as well. It is certainly more difficult to play
accurately with the major pieces, especially the rooks, than with the minor ones.
14 ... Re8
Keeping the knight out with 14 ... g6 looks unappetizing considering White’s battery on
the long dark diagonal.
15 Nf5 Bf8
Answer: 16 Nc4!?
Another point of moving the f3-knight is revealed since it allows White to exploit the
undefended state of the b7-bishop. Quite often this bishop is not as well protected as the
king’s bishop, which is something Réti probably understood very well since he handled the
queen’s bishop with especial skill himself; so he must have been curious how his opponent
would handle this far from easy task.
16 ... Qc7
As it happens, Black could have solved his problems with the beautiful rook manoeuvre
16 ... Rc6! 17 Nce3 Rce6, emphasizing that correct play with major pieces is an art form in
itself and difficult to fully master. The only way to learn this is by studying games of the
great masters, paying attention to their subtle and mysterious rook moves.
17 Nce3 Qb8?
Having forced the white knight to retreat by defending the b7-bishop, Black moves his
queen again from its slightly uncomfortable position facing the white rook on the c-file. But it
was better to return the queen to d8, asking White what he intends to do next, while avoiding
what it going to happen.
Exercise: What is the drawback to this retreat?
Answer: 29 bxa4
This is the most pragmatic choice. A more complicated line is 29 b4!? c4 30 b5! Ra5! (30
... Qxb5? fails to 31 Qg4+ Kh8 32 Nxh6 or 31 ... Rg6 32 Ne7+, winning the exchange) 31
Rxc4 Rxc4 32 Rxc4 (32 dxc4 gives Black two passed pawns) 32 ... a3. Réti understandably
preferred to avoid such a situation over the board, since the a-pawn looks pretty dangerous.
Nevertheless, it seems that White can keep a clear edge by continuing 33 Rxd4! (after 33
Qg4+? Kh8 34 Rxd4 Qe8 35 Qd1 Kg8!, Black is alright; this is better than 35 ... a2?! 36 Ra4
Qxb5 37 Qa1+ Kg8 38 Rxa2 Rxa2 39 Qxa2 Qxd3 40 Qa4, when Black has a more difficult
task) 33 ... Qe6 (33 ... Qe8? is answered by 34 Qc7 Rxb5 35 Rd8 and White wins; e.g. 35 ...
Qxd8 36 Qxd8 a2 37 Ne7+ Kg7 38 Qd4+ f6 39 Nf5+ Kg6 40 Qd7! a1Q+ 41 Kg2 and
Komodo declares mate in seven) 34 Rd8 a2 35 Nxh6+ Qxh6 (35 ... Kg7? also leads to mate:
36 Qg5+ Qg6 37 Nf5+ Kg8 38 Rxf8+ Kxf8 39 Qd8 mate) 36 Qxh6 a1Q+ 37 Kg2 Qg7 38
Qc6 Ra2 39 Qd6!, when White has three pawns for the bishop and an active position with
very good winning chances. Black cannot really do anything but watch how White improves
his position by advancing his pawns, the d-pawn, the e-pawn, the h-pawn and so forth.
29 ... Rxa4?!
Here 29 ... Qc7 would avoid what happens in the game, though Black is losing anyway.
30 Rxc5! Rxc5 31 Qg4+!
Presumably Black overlooked this intermezzo. 31 Rxc5? Bxc5 leads to perpetual check
after 32 Qb8+ Bf8 33 Nxh6+ Kg7 34 Nf5+ Kg8 or 32 Qg4+ Kf8 33 Qg7+ Ke8 34 Qg8+ Bf8
35 Ng7+ Ke7 36 Nf5+ Ke8 etc.
31 ... Kh8 32 Rxc5
White has a completely won position – and without even sacrificing the exchange – since
Black cannot cover all his weaknesses.
32 ... Rb4 33 Rd5 Qc8 34 Qh4 Qc1+? 35 Kg2 Rb1
Black’s attempted counterplay merely allows White win more swiftly.
Exercise: How to conclude the game?
Siegfried Reginald Wolf (1867-1951) was an Austrian chess master who participated in
strong European tournaments for forty years. He represented his country in the three
Olympiads from 1927-30. His highest ranking, according to Chessmetrics, was 64th in the
world on the January 1900 list. Surprisingly, his highest estimated rating of 2487 came some
thirty years later when he was nearly 63 years old. What an incredible achievement! In the
Vienna tournament, he tied ninth place with Felix Fischer, who we met in the previous game.
Game 26
S.R.Wolf-R.Réti
Vienna 1923
Ruy Lopez
The position in the centre has been clarified and the queens
swapped off after only a few moves. White’s idea is to utilize his
more effective pawn majority on the kingside and neutralize the
opposing bishop pair in the process. This line went out of fashion
when it was realized that keeping the black bishops restrained is
not actually so easy. Balck can often break with ... c5-c4
(exchanging a pawn on b3) or ... f7-f5 (exchanging the pawn on
e4).
7 ... Bd7
The first game to study, if you play this variation from either side, is Em.Lasker-
J.R.Capablanca, St Petersburg 1914, where Capablanca preferred to place the king on the
kingside after the moves 7 ... Bd6 8 Nc3 Ne7 9 0-0 0-0 (see the notes to Game 10). Instead,
Em.Lasker-S.Tarrasch, World Championship (1st matchgame), Düsseldorf 1908, saw 7 ... c5
8 Ne2 Bd7 9 b3!? Bc6?! (the bishop is not doing much here; 9 ... 0-0-0 is more logical, while
Alekhine once tried 9 ... c4!?) 10 f3 Be7 11 Bb2 Bf6?! (now Black very helpfully
relinquishes his bishop pair) 12 Bxf6 Nxf6 13 Nd2 0-0-0 14 0-0-0 Rd7 15 Nf4 Re8 16 Nc4,
when White has everything he could hope for from the opening and eventually won in a long
endgame. After 8 Ne2 Black should play 8 ... Bd7 followed by castling queenside rather than
8 ... Bd6 which allows the exchange of one of Black's bishops with 9 Bf4!. Black’s c7 pawn
will be undoubled when placed on d6 but it runs the risk of becoming backward.
8 Be3 0-0-0
Question: You are Black in this game, but pause for a moment and consider
where White should develop his b1-knight.
9 Nd2
Answer: The knight looks slightly passive on the second rank, but it is playing against the
dark-squared bishop which has more difficulties finding a secure square; for example, 9 ...
Bd6 might expose it to attack by Nc4, even at once, and Black generally needs to keep the
bishop pair if he is to have any winning chances.
The alternative 9 Nc3 does not seem so active either, considering the c6-pawn, but bear in
mind that whenever Black plays ... c6-c5, the d5-square may become available for the
“clever” knight.
9 ... Ne7
Réti deviates from his earlier game against Walter John, where he played 9 ... c5 10 Ne2
b6 11 f3 Ne7 12 0-0-0 Nc6 (see Game 10).
10 0-0-0
Answer: 10 ... c5
The mobilization of the c6-pawn, harassing the centralized knight and forcing it to declare
its intentions, is the most natural continuation.
Another idea is 10 ... f5, eliminating the e4-pawn while opening things up for the two
bishops. The slight problem there is that White is ahead in development and does not mind an
early opening of the game after 11 Rhe1. The general rule in this type of position is to save
the important ... f5-break for later, say when Black has completed development and a pair of
rooks have been exchanged. Chess is about timing after all.
11 N4f3?!
White, too, has ambitious aspirations with his knight. The standard retreat is 11 Ne2,
which has the advantage that, in the spirit of Philidor, White’s pawn majority instantly
becomes mobile. After 11 ... Nc6, the position would resemble Réti’s earlier game.
11 ... Nc6 12 Ng5 Be8 13 Nb3?!
The knight is not doing much on this square, since c5 is easily protected. 13 Nc4 is better;
while Philidor would no doubt have chosen 13 f4, activating the pawn majority, when the g5-
knight can retreat again to f3 (after Black plays ... h7-h6) or else leave the square for the
queen’s knight.
13 ... h6 14 Rxd8+ Nxd8
Two rooks have been exchanged, as is typical for this variation given the open d-file. The
other pair will remain alive for a much longer time.
15 Nh3 b6
The b3-knight is literally a statue after this simple pawn move.
16 f3
Answer: 16 ... g6
Réti remembers his earlier game and plans to develop his f8-bishop on the long diagonal.
An active alternative is to extend the fianchetto with 16 ... g5!?, hindering the h3-knight
from being transferred to the central d5-square via f4. Presumably Réti preferred not to make
a target of his kingside pawns for a possible h2-h4 after 17 Nf2, even if 17 ... Be7 would
prevent that for the immediate future. In any case, White could have played Nf4 on his
previous move if he had really wanted.
17 Nf2?!
If White wants to reinforce the e4-pawn, it is better to play 17 Nd2 again, keeping options
open for the other knight. Instead, 17 Nf4 might be answered by 17 ... f5!? with an active
game despite the fact that Black’s pieces are all on the back rank! While this break did not
prevent the h3-knight’s activation, it lessens its effectiveness as can be seen in the variation
18 Nd5 Bf7 19 Bf4 Bg7!, when the c7-pawn is defended tactically. After the further 20 Re1
(not 20 Bxc7? Bxd5 or 20 Nxc7? g5) 20 ... fxe4 21 fxe4 Ne6 22 Bg3 Re8, Black has caught
up in development and certainly does not stand worse with his two bishops.
17 ... Bg7 18 g4?!
If White wants to advance his majority, it is better to play 18 h4 first. However, more to
the point is to limit the most active minor piece in Black’s camp, the g7-bishop, with 18 c3,
followed by compact moves such as Kc2, Nd2 and Nd3. Even 18 Bd2!?, followed by Bc3,
comes into consideration, exchanging one of Black’s bishops; although White’s pawns are
doubled in the process, he still has his healthy majority on the other side to play with.
18 ... Nc6 19 Rd1?!
The rook does not do anything useful on the d-file, so Black practically gets a move for
free. Either 19 c3 or 19 Nd2 is more compatible with the position.
Exercise: Can you find the decisive continuation, winning the a4-pawn?
34 ... Bf4?!
Answer: Its best location is on the long dark diagonal, keeping up the pressure on the
weak c3-pawn. Therefore 34 ... Bg7 makes most sense, after which the most direct and
devastating plan is to shift the a4-bishop and follow up with ... b6-b5-b4. One illustrative
variation runs 35 Nh4 Be8 36 Nh3 Kc6 (activating the king first is the most convincing; 36 ...
b5?! 37 Nf4 b4 38 Nd5 bxc3+ probably wins as well, but the Irish pawn formation is not
really what Black wants) 37 Nf4 Be5 38 Nhxg6 Bxg6 (a typical exchange of one of the
bishops!) 39 Nxg6 Bxh2 40 Nh4 Be5 41 Nf3 Kd6 42 g6 Bg7 43 Nh4 Ke6 and Black wins
easily.
35 Nh3 Be3
Another option is to try and reroute the bishop to g7 via 35 ... Bd6 36 e5 Bf8. White can
prevent this with 37 Nf4 Be8 38 Ne6, but is nonetheless clearly worse after 38 ... Be7.
36 Ne5
White wins one of the pawns back.
36 ... b5
There are two alternatives worth investigation:
a) 36 ... Bc6 37 Nxg6 (37 Nxc4? Bc5 38 e5 Bd5 39 Nd2 Kc6 shows White to have taken
the wrong pawn) 37 ... Bxe4 38 Ngf4 appears to give White counterchances on the kingside,
although Black should win with the same plan as in the game.
b) 36 ... Be8!? is perhaps the steadiest move, playing for long-term pressure rather than a
forced win. After 37 Nxc4 Bc5 38 Kc2 b5 39 Nd2 Bd6 40 Nf3 c5, Black can aim to create a
passed pawn on the queenside at an appropriate time.
37 Nxg6
Exercise: How does Black proceed?
The third Carlsbad international took place at Helenenhof Imperial Hotel, in April/May
1923. It was an exciting tournament where Alexander Alekhine was point a clear with two
rounds to go, but then lost to the tail-ender Rudolf Spielmann and drew with Réti. The
consequence was that Efim Bogoljubow and Géza Maróczy caught up with him, and all three
players finished with 11½ points out of 17. Réti shared fourth place together with Ernst
Grünfeld on 10½.
The Polish grandmaster, Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein (1882-1961), belongs to the same
category of player as David Bronstein, Paul Keres, Leonid Stein and Viktor Korchnoi, in that
they might all have won the World Championship but never did. Rubinstein even has a year
linked to his name: 1912, in which he managed to win five international tournaments, and
Chessmetrics consequently ranks him as No.1 in the world from August 1912 to April 1914,
with a peak rating of 2789 in June 1913. In fact Rubinstein was ranked in the top four for
fifteen years (1907-22) and was considered to be Lasker’s chief rival before WWI.
According to Réti: “The experts thought more highly of Rubinstein, because of the depth
of his style, but the general public favoured Capablanca on the whole.” Rubinstein was strong
in all phases of the game: openings, middlegames, as well as endgames. “Rubinstein was the
keystone of [his] generation, and his games are the most perfect demonstrations of Steinitz’s
teachings.” He has his name attached to several opening variations and was regarded as the
greatest expert in rook endings. Curiously, a rook endgame arises in the following game, but
this time it is Réti who shows his skill, while for a change Rubinstein has to sit and watch. It
should be mentioned that Carlsbad 1923 was one of the worst tournaments of Rubinstein’s
life, and he was placed 12th with 7½ points.
Game 27
R.Réti-A.Rubinstein
Carlsbad 1923
Réti’s Opening
Exercise: How does White prepare the attack on the d4-pawn most effectively?
Answer: 6 b4!
This is the most principled move; its main purpose is to remove the d4-pawn of its most
natural defender, the c7-pawn. The logical follow-up will be to play the bishop to b2 and the
b1-knight to b3 via d2, increasing the pressure on the shaky target. 6 0-0 is fully playable, but
it loses one move in the attack. It is understandable that Réti preferred to play according to
his hypermodern ideas, which stated that a concrete plan is more important than simple
development.
6 ... 0-0
Rubinstein continues in the classical tradition. Black has an interesting alternative here in
6 ... a5!? 7 b5 c5, attempting to secure the d4-pawn after all. The problem is that White can
either take the pawn en passant with 8 bxc6 and try and exploit the weaknesses on the b-file;
or leave the pawn on b5 where it prevents Black from placing his knight on c6, increases
White’s space on the queenside, and reinforces the g2-bishop’s control of the long diagonal. It
is understandable that Rubinstein, who preferred simple play rather than complicated, opted
instead to castle.
7 Nbd2
Knights are normally developed before bishops, except in this case where most players
post-Réti have opted for 7 Bb2. As we have observed before, Réti indeed had a special
relationship with the queen’s bishop, and the reason he refrains from putting it on b2 at once
is probably because 7 ... c5, followed by ... Nc6, becomes a serious option. E.Geller-
A.Novopashin, Kiev 1962 (which actually began 1 Nf3 d5 2 c4 d4 and so on), continued 8
bxc5 Nc6 9 Nbd2 Nd7 10 Nb3 Nxc5 11 Nxc5 Qa5+ 12 Nd2 Qxc5 13 0-0 Qh5 14 Re1 Bh3
15 Bh1 Rad8 with mutual chances. Compare this with what happened in our actual game!
7 ... c5 8 Nb3!
The strongest move. Obviously 8 bxc5 is a viable alternative, exchanging the more
valuable c-pawn for the b-pawn and opening the b-file in the process. Black’s best is
probably 8 ... Nfd7, whereupon White might throw in 9 h4! with an edge.
8 ... cxb4
9 Bb2
This is certainly better than taking the d4-pawn – 9 Nbxd4? runs into 9 ... e5!, while 9
Nfxd4?! is strongly met by 9 ... a5 – but it is not the strongest move.
Answer: The best way to proceed is 9 a3! in the spirit of the Benko Gambit (1 d4 Nf6 2
c4 c5 3 d5 b5) with reversed colours. Nowadays, this is a standard pawn sacrifice, though we
could not expect Réti to be familiar with the concept of b2-b4 and a2-a3 since it had not yet
been seen. Here, after 9 ... bxa3 10 Nfxd4!, White can take the a3-pawn with either bishop or
rook. Note that capturing on d4 is an important intermezzo, since 10 Bxa3 Nc6 sees the d-
pawn conveniently defended.
Incidentally, the Benko plan of ... b7-b5 and if c4xb5 then ... a7-a6 in fact originates with
the three Swedish musketeers Erik Lundin, Gideon Stahlberg and Gosta Stoltz; and it was
mainly Lundin who introduced it at the highest level. The most famous games, historically
speaking, are D.Bronstein-E.Lundin and L.Szabo-E.Lundin (both at Saltsjöbaden Interzonal
1948) and M.Taimanov-D.Bronstein, Zürich Candidates 1953; and the earliest of these was
played some 25 years after Réti’s game.
9 ... Nc6?!
A unimaginative routine move of the type representatives of the classical school were
sometimes prone to play. It is a little surprising that Rubinstein missed a good classical plan
like 9 ... Re8!, preparing ... e7-e5 (and possibly ... e5-e4), seizing space in the centre. After
10 Nfxd4 (both 10 Nbxd4?! e5 11 Nc2 Nc6 and 10 Bxd4?! Nc6 11 Bb2 e5 are worse for
White) 10 ... e5 11 Nc2 Nc6, Black is fine.
10 Nbxd4
Réti wants to be able to recapture with the bishop and therefore needs to capture the
centre pawn with the b3-knight. Instead, 10 Nfxd4 Nxd4 11 Bxd4?! a5! is irritating for the
white army with this particular set-up, since both bishop and knight become targets, and
White must act according to Black’s initiative; while if White takes twice with the knights
with 10 Nfxd4 (or 10 Nbxd4) 10 ... Nxd4 11 Nxd4, the pin on the long dark diagonal is
annoying after 11 ... Ng4.
10 ... Nxd4 11 Bxd4
Now the bishop is strongly centralized and the a3-pawn is on White’s agenda.
11 ... b6?!
It is logical to oppose light-squared bishops with ... Bb7, but it is much better to combine
this with 11 ... b5! 12 cxb5 Bb7, which is a more aggressive antidote to White’s plans. Black
threatens ... Bxf3 while also planning ... Qa5 and ... Qxb5. What a move! White should
probably try 13 e4!, though it is unclear whether he has any significant advantage after, for
example, 13 ... Qa5 14 0-0 Qxb5 and now 15 a3 a5 (or 15 ... Rfd8!? 16 axb4 Nxe4) 16 axb4
axb4 17 Qb3 Rfd8, or 15 a4 Qa5 (15 ... Qd7 16 a5 isolates the b4-pawn) 16 Qb3 Rab8.
12 a3
Réti finally demonstrates the correct idea. Its true forerunner is the game A.Nimzowitsch-
J.R.Capablanca, St Petersburg 1914, where, in an entirely different opening (a Spanish Four
Knights), Capablanca fianchettoed his king’s bishop and sacrificed the a-pawn for two open
files on the queenside. As Kasparov writes: “Today, in the era of the Benko Gambit, everyone
knows that in such instances the pressure of the rooks on the a- and b-files, supported by the
powerful bishop on g7, together with pressure on the centre, promises Black long-term
counterplay. But at that time this was a revelation ... ”
12 ... Bb7 13 Bb2
The centralizing 13 Be5 leads to the same type of position, since Black can hardly avoid
the exchange of dark-squared bishops in the long term. Meanwhile, it prevents Black from
placing his queen on c7 as in the game.
13 ... bxa3 14 Rxa3
White has a very comfortable position and is controlling all four squares in the middle of
the board. Add to this White’s pressure on the a-file and long dark diagonal, which can be
intensified by Qa1, with an even stronger version of “Réti’s rifle”. Note that Réti has not even
had to sacrifice a pawn; he got all this for free by using hypermodern principles.
14 ... Qc7
Komodo 9 suggests the unconventional and inhuman move 14 ... Bh6!?, which hints at the
fact that Black should avoid the exchange of bishops. Nevertheless, the questions remains:
What is the bishop doing on h6? If this is the best the computer can come up with, it proves
that Black has serious positional problems.
15 Qa1!
15 ... Ne8 16 Bxg7 Nxg7 17 0-0
Of course not 17 Rxa7?? Bxf3 and Black wins at least a rook. Incidentally, this game
shows that it is often useful to delay castling when there is no immediate danger in the centre,
since it allows an extra move in another sector of the board.
17 ... Ne6 18 Rb1
Now 19 Rxa7 is really a threat.
18 ... Bc6
Advancing the a-pawn would create a weakness on b6 which is accentuated by the strong
queen centralization 19 Qe5.
Answer: 19 d4!
The hypermodern paradox! The essence of this concept is that White first controlled the
smaller centre with his pieces (moves 1-18) and then (paradoxically) conquered the whole
centre with his own pawns – in other words, by starting off in hypermodern style he
eventually gained a classical advantage.
The computer actually has the text move as its second choice behind 19 Bh3!?. It seems
to like these bishop moves to the rim, though here there is a defined target (the knight). Its
main variations go 19 ... Bxf3 20 exf3 Nd8 21 f4 Nc6 22 d4!, and 19 ... Nc5 20 Qe5 Qd8 21
Nd4 (21 d4 is good too) 21 ... Bb7 22 Nb5 a5 23 d4, when the hypermodern paradox is
displayed once more!
19 ... Be4
Not 19 ... Bxf3? 20 Bxf3 Rad8 21 Rxa7 Qxc4 22 e3, when both the e7- and b6-pawns are
hanging.
20 Rd1 a5
And not 20 ... Qxc4? 21 Nd2, winning a piece.
21 d5!
The paradox shows its sharp teeth!
21 ... Nc5
After this, the white knight heads for the strong c6-square. 21 ... Nd8 would cover that,
but then there is the neat idea of exploiting Black’s passive pieces by 22 Nh4 (or 22 Ne1) 22
... Bxg2 23 d6!! (a beautiful intermezzo, weakening the f6-square as well as clearing d5 for
the knight) 23 ... exd6 24 Nxg2 Qxc4 25 Nf4 (with the deadly threat of 26 Nd5) 25 ... Re8
(the best move, intending 26 Nd5 Rxe2) and now 26 h4! gives White excellent winning
chances.
22 Nd4 Bxg2 23 Kxg2 Rfd8?!
The only justification for this manoeuvre is to sacrifice the exchange on c6, which
Rubinstein does not carry out. A better defensive move is 23 ... Na6!, intending ... Nb4, when
24 Nc6 can be challenged by 24 ... Nb8 25 Ne5 Nd7 and White has only a slight edge.
24 Nc6 Rd6 25 Re3 Re8
Here 25 ... Rxc6 26 dxc6 Qxc6+ 27 f3 gives White a stable advantage but was still
Black’s best chance to stay alive in the game. The funny move 25 ... Re6?! merely leads to
an inferior version after 26 dxe6 Qxc6+ 27 f3 Nxe6 28 Qa3!.
Exercise: How does White increase his advantage?
26 Qe5?!
Answer: The immediate 26 Qb2!, intending 27 Rb1, is more accurate and would sooner
or later force the exchange sacrifice on c6. Réti’s idea with the queen centralization is to
provoke the weakening ... f7-f6, but this is actually a useful move since it gives Black a
decent square on f7 for his king, whereas after 26 ... Rxc6? 27 Qb5! Rc8 28 dxc6, Black
cannot defend e7 in a convenient way. Presumably, Réti wished to avoid the possibility of 26
... e6, but here something like 27 Rb1 Rxc6 28 dxc6 Qxc6+ 29 f3 Rb8 30 h4, and if 30 ... h5
then 31 g4! hxg4 32 h5, would offer White more chances than the second note below.
26 ... f6! 27 Qb2
27 Nxe7+?? Kf7 is the way to commit suicide.
27 ... e5?
This is a good moment for 27 ... Rxc6, since 28 Qb5 (or 28 dxc6 Qxc6+ 29 f3 Kf7) 28 ...
Rc8 29 dxc6 Kf7!, followed by ... Qxc6, leads to a position with good defensive resources for
Black.
28 Qb5
White makes the capture on c6 far less appetizing. If Black tries to prepare it with 28 ...
Rc8, then 29 f4! blows the centre open. Instead, Rubinstein places his pieces in a more
compact position so they are in close touch with each other.
28 ... Kf7 29 Rb1 Nd7
30 f3
A good move, which aims to prevent Black from answering Rd3 with ... e5-e4.
Answer: Even stronger, though, was the immediate contact with the enemy by playing 30
f4!, followed by Rf1, attacking the black centre and exploiting White’s superior activity. For
example, 30 ... Qc8 (or 30 ... exf4 31 Rxe8 Kxe8 32 gxf4, threatening e2-e4-e5 – the
hypermodern paradox again! – and if 32 ... f5 then 33 Rb3 and 34 Re3) 31 fxe5 (not now 31
Rf1? exf4) 31 ... Nxe5 32 Nxe5+ Rxe5 (or 32 ... fxe5 33 Rf3+ Kg8 34 Rbf1) 33 Rxe5 fxe5 34
Rf1+ Kg8 35 e4 and Black faces threats against e5, as well as c4-c5 and h2-h4-h5.
30 ... Rc8
Black would very much like to get rid of the knight on c6. Unfortunately, 30 ... Nb8? runs
into 31 c5! Rxd5 32 Nxb8 Rxb8 (or 32 ... Rxc5 33 Qxb6) 33 Qb3 with a decisive pin on the
rook.
31 Rd3 e4!?
A desperate attempt to disturb his opponent’s plans. If White is allowed to achieve e2-e4,
he will be able to improve his position at leisure. Let’s see what might happen if Black makes
‘passing’ moves: 31 ... Ra8 32 e4 Rc8 33 Rd2 Ra8 34 Ra2 Kg7 (if now 34 ... Rc8 then 35 c5!
Nxc5 36 Qxb6 or 35 ... bxa5 36 Rxa5 and White breaks through) 35 g4 (switching to the other
wing) 35 ... Kf7 36 h4 Kg7 37 Kg3 Kf7 38 h5 Kg7 (or 38 ... gxh5 39 Rh2) 39 Rh2 Rh8 30
Rbh1 g5 31 Ne7! and White wins.
32 fxe4?
It was better to insert 32 Re3!, when 32 ... Re8 (not 32 ... exf3+? 33 exf3 and White
penetrates on the e-file) 33 Rxe4 Rxe4 34 fxe4 reaches a similar position but with one set of
rooks exchanged. This makes White’s task easier since he can defend the e4-pawn with his
king; for instance, 34 ... Kg7 35 Kf3! Kf7 (or 35 ... Ne5+ 36 Nxe5 dxe5 37 Ke3 Rf6 38 Kd3
Qd6 39 c5!) 36 Ke3 Kg7 37 c5! Nxc5 (or 37 ... bxc5 38 Qb7 Qxb7 39 Rxb7 Kf7 40 Nxa5) 38
Qxb6 Qxb6 39 Rxb6 f5 40 Rb5 Nxe4 41 Rxa5 with a winning endgame.
32 ... Ne5?
Now the game goes only in one direction: downhill. If Black plays a waiting game here
with 32 ... Re8 33 Re3 Kg7 and so forth, it is not so easy for White to make progress. The
trouble is that c4-c5 fails because the e4-pawn is left en prise (e.g. 34 c5 Nxc5! 35 Qxb6
Qxb6 36 Rxb6 Rxe4), and it is not clear how White improves his position; for example, 34
Kf3 is easily met by 34 ... Ne5+, while 34 Nd4 Re5! 35 Ne6+?? even loses to 35 ... Rdxe6.
Answer: 33 Qxb6!
Taking the knight should win, either at once or after 33 c5, but Réti’s exchange sacrifice is
by far the best, simplest, and most aesthetic solution.
33 ... Nxc6
33 ... Nxd3 34 exd3 Qxb6 35 Rxb6 leads to a very unusual structure, where Black has no
defence against the advance of the central pawns supported by rook and knight.
34 c5!
This intermediary move is the point. 34 ... Qxb6 35 Rxb6 Rd7 36 dxc6 Rdc7 37 Rd6 Ke7
38 Ra6 is hopeless for Black.
34 ... Rd7 35 dxc6 Rxd3
Forced, since 35 ... Qxc6? 36 Qxc6 Rxc6 37 Rxd7+ wins a rook.
36 Qxc7+ Rxc7 37 exd3 Rxc6 38 Rb7+ Ke8 39 d4
I hope the reader will not forget the important notion of “the hypermodern paradox”! The
placement of one or two centre pawns on the fourth rank much later in the game is
symptomatic of the hypermodern movement, since the main idea is to crush the enemy centre
and then take it over and win the game. Here it is possible to see this idea carried out in its
purest form.
39 ... Ra6
Answer: 40 Rb6!
The most effective move, once you have calculated that the pawn ending wins for White.
Pushing the pawns first wins too but is considerably slower: 40 d5 a4 41 c6 Kd8 42 Rf7 a3
43 Rxf6 Kc8 (not 43 ... a2? 44 c7+ Kxc7 45 Rxa6) 44 Rf1 a2 45 Ra1 Kc7 46 Kf3 Ra3+ 47
Kf4 Kd6 and although the three advanced pawns are obviously too much for Black, they are
at the moment blockaded and White has no immediate entry with his king.
40 ... Ra8
40 ... Rxb6 leads to a pretty mate: 41 cxb6 Kd8 42 e5 fxe5 43 dxe5 a4 44 e6 a3 45 b7
Kc7 46 e7 a2 47 e8Q a1Q 48 b8Q mate.
41 Rxf6 a4 42 Rf2 a3 43 Ra2 Kd7 44 d5 g5 45 Kf3 Ra4 46 Ke3 h5 47 h4!
Clearing a path for the king, after which the game ends rapidly.
47 ... gxh4 48 gxh4 Ke7 49 Kf4 Kd7 50 Kf5 1-0
“A great win against a great opponent”, as Golombek wrote in his annotations. In my
opinion this is one of Réti’s best games. It demonstrated a pure clash between the new
hypermodern school versus the old classical school. It has also influenced modern chess: in
my second book for Everyman, Stein: Move by Move, I annotated the game L.Stein-
J.Rodriguez Gonzales, Havana 1968, according to this presumption.
By the way, it was Reuben Fine (1914-93) who coined the concept “the hypermodern
paradox”. In his book The World’s Great Chess Games, he defined it as follows: “If you
occupy the center immediately, the pawns soon become weakened, and the opponent will then
be able to occupy it. This means though that it is not occupation that is bad, it is many cases
immediate occupation.” Fine called this game “One of the earliest triumphs of the
hypermodernism”.
Frederick Dewhurst Yates (1884-1932) was a professional chess player from England. He
won the British Championship six times (in 1913, 1914, 1921, 1926, 1928 and 1931) and
represented his country three times (at the 1927, 1930 and 1931 Olympiads). Yates was
regarded as a tenacious, impulsive and dangerous opponent, who liked combinative play. He
beat most of the great masters of his day (including Réti) on more than one occasion;
unfortunately, he also lost or drew against lesser mortals, spoiling his overall results. At the
Carlsbad tournament, Yates beat both Alekhine (in a game that won the brilliancy prize) and
Tarrasch, and yet finished in eighth place on 9½/17.
If it were not for Yates’ health problems, with constant coughing badly influencing his
stamina, his contemporaries believed that his talent could have made him a world
championship contender. If that was not enough, he also had to supplement his income by
working as a journalist, reporting on tournaments in which he himself was playing. This was
due to his difficult economic situation in a period when being a professional player was a
questionable occupation.
Yates is most famous for his “immortal” game against Vidmar at San Remo 1930,
considered by Alekhine to be “the best game since the war”. The variation of the Queen’s
Indian Defence arising after 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 g3 Bb7 5 Bg2 Bb4+ 6 Bd2 a5 bears
his name and was later popularized in the 1960s. He co-authored three books with William
Winter (1898-1955), the last one, One-hundred-and-one of My Best Games, published
posthumously in 1934.
Yates’ fate was another tragic one. He died at the age of 48, being overpowered by
poisonous coal gas from a defect fitting in a London boarding-house while asleep in his bed.
According to P.W.Sergeant “There had been an escape from what a gas company’s official
described as an obsolete type of fitting attached to the meter in the room. The meter, it
appears, was on the floor, and the fitting must have been accidentally dislodged.”
Game 28
R.Réti-F.Yates
Carlsbad 1923
Queen’s Gambit Declined
The idea of this rook move is to make the ... c7-c5 push less appealing.
7 ... c6
Answer: Generally, the plan is to play ... d5xc4, followed by either ... b7-b5 or
Capablanca’s liberating manoeuvre ... Nd5.
8 Qc2
White makes a useful development move and simultaneously ensures that no tempo is
lost with the f1-bishop if Black plays ... d5xc4. The main variation continues 8 Bd3 dxc4 9
Bxc4 Nd5 10 Bxe7 Qxe7 11 0-0 (or Alekhine’s 11 Ne4) 11 ... Nxc3 12 Rxc3 e5 and has been
contested by many great players, but is relatively rare today.
8 ... c5?!
Yates tried this rather questionable move several times. It is not even mentioned in the
fourth edition of the Encyclopaedia.
Capablanca played the more useful 8 ... a6 four times against Alekhine in their 1927
World Championship match in Buenos Aires; although he only scored 1½/4 (three draws), the
opening is perfectly fine for Black. The match was unique in that 32 of the 34 games opened
with the Queen’s Gambit Declined, so Réti’s hypermodern influence was not felt in this clash;
instead, Alekhine managed to beat Capablanca by purely positional and technical means.
Another option is 8 ... Ne4, in the spirit of Lasker’s Defence. The point is that 9 Bxe7
Qxe7 10 Nxe4?! (developing with 10 Bd3 is correct) 10 ... dxe4 11 Qxe4 can be met by 11 ...
Qb4+ 12 Nd2 Qxb2 with an even game.
Question: What is the problem with Yates’ move?
Answer: First of all, Black has only just played ... c7-c6, and the very slightly changed
circumstances hardly justify the wasted tempo. Moreover, it seems illogical to open the c-file
when White has two major pieces already doubled on it, while Black’s queenside is
undeveloped. This is also confirmed when looking at specific variations.
9 cxd5 exd5
Exchanging with 9 ... cxd4 10 Nxd4 is much the same:
a) 10 ... exd5 gives White a strong knight on d4, ready to jump to f5 at any time. For
instance, if after 11 Be2 Black tries to eliminate the d4-knight with 11 ... Ne5 12 0-0 Nc6, this
is the signal to play 13 Nf5, when White gains the bishop pair, as well as good development
and a superior pawn structure.
b) 10 ... Nxd5 11 Bxe7 (not 11 Nxd5 Bxg5) 11 ... Nxe7! avoids the isolated pawn, but
White certainly has the more active position after 12 Be2 Nf6 13 0-0 and so forth.
10 Bxf6?!
The small justification for Black’s wasted tempo is that 10 dxc5?! can now be met by 10
... Nxc5!, since the d5-pawn is not hanging. Taking on f6 first is no better. White should just
develop with 10 Be2 b6 11 0-0 Bb7 and then 12 dxc5, followed by 13 Rfd1, gives him good
play against either the isolated pawn or hanging pawns, depending on how Black recaptures.
10 ... Nxf6 11 dxc5
11 ... Qa5?!
It is more precise to wait with the queen’s deployment, especially when there are several
alternatives with the minor pieces. Here it is perfectly alright to place the c8-bishop on any
reasonable square and perhaps accelerate development with a further ... Rc8 and ... Rxc5.
The natural 11 ... Bxc5 is good too; Black does not need to fear 12 Nxd5 Qxd5 13 Qxc5,
since 13 ... Qxa2 is absolutely fine.
12 Bd3
Six years later, E.Grünfeld-F.Yates, Carlsbad 1929, saw 12 Nd4 Qxc5 13 Bd3 Bd7 14 0-0
Rfe8 (14 ... Rfc8 transposes to our main game) 15 Bf5 (a thematic idea when playing against
the isolani, even if it seems paradoxical to allow the exchange of Black’s ‘bad’ bishop) 15 ...
Rad8 16 Rfd1 Qb6 17 Bxd7 Rxd7 18 Qb3 and White is slightly better. As as result of the
exchange, Black has one fewer piece capable of protecting the isolated pawn and can only
muster four defenders to White’s potential five attackers. Winning the pawn remains no easy
matter, and in fact Grünfeld never managed it, but it’s still a very important method to
remember.
Another option is 12 Be2, enabling White to put pressure on the d-pawn with a future
Rfd1, followed by Bf3. Black then has to figure out how to deal with Ne2-f4, as well as a
doubling on the d-file.
12 ... Qxc5 13 0-0 Bd7
It makes more sense either to stop White’s Bf5 altogether with 13 ... g6 or play a useful
waiting move such as 13 ... a6. If you remember, Capablanca’s rule states the pawns should
be placed on the same colour squares as the bishop that has left the board – and it is possible
to widen this rule by stating that the pawns should be placed on the same colour as the bishop
that will eventually leave the board. Of course, a flexible and useful move like 13 ... Rd8 is
also fully playable.
Exercise (candidate moves): What candidates would you consider and which
move would you choose?
Answer: 14 Nd4
The most straightforward move is 14 Bf5, exploiting the fact that the light-squared bishop
is now on d7 rather than c8; i.e. Black has wasted time if he then swaps bishops. Other
candidates, such 14 Qb3 or Réti’s move in the game, can be answered by 14 ... g6 again,
preventing the trade once more. As Philidor once remarked, bad bishops are often good in
defence, so by swapping them off weak points or pawns will be easier to exploit.
This is the so-called idea of transformation. Great players such as Capablanca and
Fischer understood this concept of exchanging one advantage (good bishop) for another (entry
points or weak pawns) very deeply, so it is rewarding to study their games from that
perspective and then implement it in your own. Perhaps the most famous example is
R.J.Fischer-T.V.Petrosian, Candidates final (7th matchgame), Buenos Aires 1971, where
Fischer traded a strong knight for a bad bishop in order to penetrate on the c-file.
14 ... Rfc8!? 15 Bf5 Rc7 16 Bxd7 Rxd7
Black’s bishop pair is eliminated and his d5-pawn is consequently weaker, having fewer
defenders.
17 Qa4
Réti plays a tactical move, which threatens the deadly Ne4 and Nxf6+, removing the
defender of the d7-rook. A more positional approach is 17 Qb3 or simply 17 Rfd1.
17 ... Qc4
The queen is safe here for the moment since 18 Qxc4?! dxc4 would rid Black of his
isolani. All the same, opposing queens prompts White to try and arrange a favourable queen
swap, as every reduction in forces increases the weakness of the d5-pawn. 17 ... Qb6 might
therefore have been better, removing the queen from danger, while forcing White to defend his
b-pawn.
18 Rfd1 Bf8
Pre-empting a possible Nf5, but it would be simpler just to play 18 ... g6 again, limiting
the action of the versatile d4-knight. It is not clear why Yates was averse to advancing his g-
pawn, since his bishop protects him from any danger on the dark squares.
Answer: 19 Nde2
The knight heads for the f4-square to increase the pressure on the d5-pawn, while clearing
the d-file for the rook, in particular with his next move in mind.
Alternatively, White might consider whether it is possible first to improve his pawns and
king. To this end he could play 19 g3 and 20 Kg2, which improves the pawn position as well
as the kingside (elevation), if only slightly. Such as quiet build-up is according to the
principles of proportion and co-operation, as described by Emanuel Lasker in his classic
Manual of Chess. The former means that “the aim of an attack must be proportionate to the
advantage upon which the plan for the attack is based.” The current position is perhaps a
borderline case, since it is not entirely clear whether White should go for an attack on the d5-
pawn or be content to improve his position by small means. Probably both methods are
applicable here. Réti opts for the more direct plan.
19 ... a6
Black secures his a-pawn from attack in order to be able to develop his rook. Otherwise,
19 ... g6 was still a reasonable option.
20 Rd4!
Forcing Black to exchange queens on a4. He cannot avoid this with 20 ... Qc6?, since the
d5-pawn will quickly be lost: 21 Qb3 (threatening Nxd5; the impatient 21 Nxd5?! Qxa4 22
Nxf6+ gxf6 23 Rxa4 Rd2 gives Black unnecessary counterplay) 21 ... Qd6 22 Nf4 and the
isolani falls.
20 ... Qxa4 21 Nxa4 Rad8 22 Nf4 b5
Question: What is the correct destination for the threatened knight?
23 Nc5?
In My System, Nimzowitsch wrote that “[Black] will suffer not only under the want of
protection felt by his isolani, but also from the fact that [dark] squares such as [c5, d4 and
e5] can easily become weak.” While that may be true in general, in this instance White is
unable to consolidate control of the dark squares, so it is better to concentrate on the weak
pawn.
Answer: Correct therefore is 23 Nb6! Rd6 24 Nc8 R6d7
Question (analysis): Is the c8-knight good or bad? How ought White to continue?
Answer: Such a knight raid deep into the enemy territory brings to mind Anand’s knight
raids to e7 and h6 against Nakamura and Topalov at the 2016 Sinquefield Cup in St Louis.
Have a look at these games if you missed them. The main point is that Anand, belonging to
the so-called Informator generation, has learned from strong computers that sometimes a
knight belongs on a “strange” square, even if it seems it will be unable to get out again, at
least not alive. As it happens, Anand managed in both games to exchange the oddly-placed
knight for the light-squared bishop.
In this position the knight will not survive either, but it will win the d5-pawn by force.
After 25 h4! (the immediate 25 Rc6? is met by 25 ... g5! 26 Nb6 Rd6 27 Rxd6 Rxd6 28
Nfxd5 Nxd5 29 Nxd5 Rc6 30 g4 Rc2 with counterplay), there is nothing Black can do to
prevent Rc6 and Nb6, forcing the exchange of a pair of rooks, when the d-pawn cannot be
defended. Black can try 25 ... g6 26 Rc6 Bg7 27 Nb6 Rd6 28 Rxd6 Rxd6 29 Nbxd5 Nxd5 30
Rxd5 Rxd5 31 Nxd5 Bxb2 32 Nc7 Be5 33 Nxa6 Bd6, trapping the knight, but the white king
is in time to protect it: 34 Kf1 Kf8 35 Ke2 Ke7 36 Kd3 Kd7 37 Kc3 Be5+ 38 Kb3 and there
is no way for Black to exploit the undefended kingside pawns situated on dark squares, since
the knight quickly manoeuvres to d3, protecting the base of the chain at f2. Having said that,
White would still have a lot of work to do to convert his extra pawn into a win.
23 ... Rc7 24 b4?!
It is better to admit the mistake and play 24 Nb3 or 24 Nfd3 a5 25 Nb3 with a balanced
game.
24 ... a5! 25 a3 axb4 26 axb4
26 ... Bxc5?
Yates makes the right move but at the wrong moment. He should first play 26 ... g5 27
Ne2 (or 27 Nfd3 Bg7, embarrassing the d4-rook; after 28 Ne1 Ne4 29 Rdd1 Nc3 30 Rd2
Ra7, Black has an active game going in his favour) and only then 27 ... Bxc5! 28 Rxc5 (or 28
bxc5 Rdc8) 28 ... Rxc5 29 bxc5 Rc8, when it is Black who wins a pawn. All the same, White
should be able to hold after 30 h4! gxh4 31 Rxh4 Rxc5 32 Rb4 Ne4 33 Rb2 Nd6 34 Nd4,
followed by g2-g3 and Kg2, since Black has no obvious way to improve his position. There
are no pawn breaks available, and if his king goes to b6 to support the the b-pawn, White’s
king goes to f4, keeping the balance.
27 bxc5 Kf8 28 f3 Ke8
By defending the d8-rook, Black prevents e3-e4. Presumably he preferred e8 to e7 in
order to stay away from possible knight checks.
Another option is to activate one of the rooks with 28 ... Ra7 29 e4 Ra4, but after 30
Rdd1 Rc4 31 Rxc4! (not 31 Nxd5? Rxc1 32 Rxc1 Nxd5 33 Rd1 b4 34 exd5 Ke7 35 Kf2 Rc8!
36 Rc1 b3 and the rook ending is a draw, illustrating that a distant passed pawn can be just as
good as two connected passed pawns if the king is not participating) 31 ... bxc4 32 Nxd5 Rc8
33 Ne3 Rxc5 34 Rc1 c3 35 Nd1, White has good winning chances. Note that Black is forced
to avoid the exchange of rooks here; he can draw a pure rook ending with this pawn
formation, but a knight ending would be far more difficult. As Ragozin and Botvinnik once
said, knight endings resemble pawn endings.
29 Kf2 Rc6?
Black plays too passively with his rooks. It is well known that a rook is badly suited for
the role of blockader. It was better to play for activity and sacrifice the d5-pawn to reach a
rook ending. For example, 29 ... Ra7! 30 Rd2 Rda8 and if 31 Nxd5 then 31 ... Nxd5 32 Rxd5
b4 with good drawing chances. If the b- and c- pawns are swapped off, together with a pair of
rooks, Black should manage to draw with four vs. three on the same side.
Answer: 30 Nd3!
The right moment to reposition the knight. Black’s reply is forced. He cannot allow the
white knight to reach b4, where it will attack the d5-pawn, blockade the b4-pawn, and break
Black’s own blockade of the c6-pawn.
30 ... Rdc8 31 Rb4 Rb8 32 Rcb1 Ra6?!
This allows a pair of rooks to be exchanged; 32 ... Ra8 33 Rxb5 Nd7 offers more
resistance. This seems logical since we have learned to trade pieces (not pawns) when
material up and, conversely, to trade pawns (not pieces) when material down. So it seems that
Black should try to keep as many pieces on the board as possible; though as we will see
below, matters are not quite as simple as that.
33 Rxb5 Ra2+
Question: What is the correct reply to the check?
34 R5b2?
Surprisingly, this natural and human move, which follows all the principles and rules
outlined above, is not the best. The problem with applying general hints is that they are
representative of one-dimensional thinking, when multi-faceted thinking is often required. In
other words, general rules on exchanging pieces do not always apply in specific instances,
where it is necessary to work out which pieces to exchange (or save) and when.
For instance, in the variation with 28 ... Ra7 above, we saw that Black needed to keep the
single rook and avoid a pure knight endgame. Similarly, following 29 ... Ra7, Black played to
trade the knights in order to reach a rook (or double rook) endgame. At move 32, it was
correct for Black to keep all the pieces on the board. And in the diagrammed position, Black
is happy for all the rooks to be swapped off, since the knight endgame is defensible in view
of his more active king. From White’s perspective, he needed either to keep one of his rooks
or first improve his own king and only exchange the rooks in more favourable circumstances.
Answer: The correct continuation was 34 Kf1! (as suggested by Komodo 10, after
calculating sixteen moves ahead) 34 ... Rxb5 35 Rxb5 Ra3 36 Ke2, intending 36 ... Kd7 37
Nb4 (the knight now reaches its ideal post) 37 ... Kc7 38 c6 Ra4 39 Rb7+ Kd6 40 f4,
followed by 41 Kf3 and a general advance of the kingside pawns; or if 36 ... Ra2+ then 37
Rb2 Rxb2+ 38 Nxb2 Kd7 39 Nd3 Kc6 40 Ne5+ Kxc5 41 Kd3 and White should win. The
difference between the latter line and the game continuation is shown in the next diagram.
34 ... Rbxb2+ 35 Rxb2 Rxb2+ 36 Nxb2 Kd7 37 Nd3 Kc6 38 Ne5+ Kxc5
The astute reader will realize that had White played 34 Kf1! and so on, he could have
solved all his problems with 39 Kd3!, but of course that move is impossible here.
Answer: 39 Ke2!?
Réti probably did not like the sight of an active king standing on c3 and prevents this idea
before catching the f7-pawn. One possible line is 39 Nxf7 d4 (the most active defence seems
the most reliable in this particular ending) 40 e4 Kc4 41 Ke2 Kc3 42 Ne5 g5! 43 Nd3 h5! and
it is not clear whether White actually can win; so maybe Réti had this position in mind when
he played the text.
39 ... d4 40 e4 Nh5 41 g3 f5
Not 41 ... f6?? 42 Nd3+, followed by 43 g4 and Black loses his knight.
42 Nd3+
Avoiding 42 exf5 Nf6 43 Nd3+ Kd6 44 Nf4 Ke5 45 Ne6 g6 46 Kd3 Kxf5 47 Nxd4+ Ke5,
which is a theoretical draw.
42 ... Kc4 43 exf5 Kc3 44 g4 Nf6 45 Nf4
45 ... Kc2
The safer option is 45 ... h6, preventing g4-g5. If White insists with 46 h4 Kc2 47 g5!?,
then after 47 ... hxg5 48 hxg5 Nh5!, he is the one who has to play precisely: 49 Nxh5 (not 49
Nd3? Ng3+ 50 Ke1 Nxf5! 51 Nb4+ Kc3 52 Nd5+ Kd3 and Black is winning) 49 ... d3+ 50
Ke3 d2 51 Nxg7 d1Q 52 Ne6! with a draw, as verified by the tablebases.
46 g5 Ne8
Here the active approach 46 ... Nh5?? fails to 47 Nd3 Kc3 48 f4! (planning to win the
trapped knight with Kf3-g4) 48 ... Kc4 (or 48 ... Kc2 49 Nf2! Nxf4+ 50 Kf3 Nd5 51 Ke4 Ne7
52 f6 gxf6 53 gxf6 Ng6 54 Kxd4 and wins) 49 Ne5+ Kc3 50 Kf3 d3 51 Ng4! d2 52 Nf2 Kd4
and now 53 h3! with zugzwang is the simplest win.
47 h4 Nd6 48 g6
48 f6 gxf6 49 gxf6 h5 50 Nd3 Nf7 is a draw as well.
48 ... hxg6 49 fxg6 Nf5 50 h5 Ng3+ 51 Kf2 Nxh5??
At the last Yates thinks he spots a win but makes a fatal miscalculation. Simply 51 ... Nf5
is a draw; Black is far too active for White to be able to exploit his extra pawn.
Exercise: Why was Yates’ move a serious blunder?
There is not much information to be found about Réti’s opponent in the next game, Luis
Belgrano Rawson, except that he was Argentinian and died in 1926. The historical chess
website, edochess, estimates his rating at 2122 in 1921, which gave him a ranking of 228th in
the world. For a comparison, Capablanca was No.1 at 2812, ahead of Emanuel Lasker
(2707), while Réti was ranked 20th (2446). It always interesting to study old Elo lists and find
out the approximate strength of famous as well as forgotten players!
Game 29
R.Réti-L.Belgrano Rawson
Buenos Aires 1924
Caro-Kann Defence
1 d4 c6
This slightly unusual move can be played if one has the Slav as well as the Caro-Kann in
one’s repertoire. A small drawback is seen if White is an advocate of openings like the Colle,
Zukertort, or London System. In these cases ... c7-c5 is the most principled move, according
to the concept that if White avoids c2-c4 Black should play ... c7-c5, but it’s not a major
concern. For instance, Black might meet 2 Nf3 d5 3 Bf4 with 3 ... Qb6, and 3 e3 with 3 ...
Bf5.
2 e4 d5 3 Nc3 dxe4 4 Nxe4
So, we have a regular Caro-Kann.
4 ... Nf6 5 Ng3
The best move is 5 Nxf6+, damaging Black’s pawn structure, although it leads to a very
concrete game after either 5 ... exf6 and 5 ... gxf6, which is not to everyone’s taste. It is
interesting that Réti had a very high opinion of the latter move. In Masters of the Chess
Board, he wrote: “it is obvious that White will have no advantage but only difficulties.” This
categorical statement is of course erroneous, given what we know today about opening theory.
Réti most famous game with this variation was against Tartakower at Vienna 1910, which
continued 5 Qd3!? e5? (this premature opening up of the game is only in White’s interest; 5 ...
Nbd7 is better) 6 dxe5 Qa5+ 7 Bd2 Qxe5 8 0-0-0 Nxe4?? (nor 8 ... Qxe4?? which loses to 9
Re1, pinning the queen; 8 ... Be7 followed by ... 0-0 is the correct continuation)
Answer: 9 Qd8+! Kxd8 10 Bg5+ Kc7 (10 ... Ke8 11 Rd8 is an Opera mate) 11 Bd8 with
a rare and lovely mate. The beautiful queen sacrifice, followed by double check and mate in
two different ways has made this one of the most famous Caro-Kann games, and the
combination even has a name attached to it: “Réti’s mate”.
5 ... e5
Now that White has manoeuvred the knight all the way from b1 to g3, the situation is
more favourable for this “violent” central pawn thrust.
The Danish GM Bent Larsen twice preferred 5 ... g6 at Tilburg 1979, both games
continuing 6 Nf3 Bg7 7 Be2 0-0 8 0-0 Qb6 9 b3. Against Karpov in round five, Larsen played
9 ... Bg4 10 Bb2 a5 11 a4 Nbd7 and lost; so two rounds later he deviated with 9 ... a5 10 a4
Na6 against Sax and won. A logical alternative in the latter variation is 10 ... Nd5, targeting
the weak squares b4, c3 and f4. After the plausible moves 11 Bb2 Qc7 12 Re1, the b8-knight
might be developed to d7 and the bishop to b7 (after ... b7-b6) with a sound position.
It should be noted, though, that both Réti and Larsen recommended 5 ... c5. Réti’s
persuading and convincing argument runs: “As White has brought over his QKt to the K-side
with the loss of a tempo, Black should assume the initiative on the Q-side. Therefore the
proper continuation, which the author of this book [Masters of the Chess Board] first played
against Tarrasch in Kissingen 1928, is P-QB4; which gives Black a good, comfortable game.”
A valuable comment, showing how modern players can learn from the great masters of the
past.
Question: How should White react to the tension created by this aggressive
pawn move?
Answer: 6 Nf3!
A general rule states that it is better to let the opponent release the tension, because you
can then develop the pieces more quickly than if you release the tension yourself. Look at the
variation 6 dxe5 Qxd1+ 7 Kxd1 Ng4 8 Nh3 Nxe5, which leads to a convenient game for
Black. White can harass the hard-working knight by 9 f4 Ng6 10 f5, but after 10 ... Ne7!, it
continues putting pressure on the white position. It is certainly Black who is dictating the play
rather than White.
6 ... exd4 7 Qxd4
According to Alekhine it is not wrong to seek simplification here, since it will be easier to
exploit the d6-square in an endgame than in a middlegame.
Instead, A.Alekhine-S.Tartakower, Kecskemet 1927, continued 7 Nxd4 Bc5 (7 ... g6!?,
controlling the f5-square, makes it more difficult for White to reach d6) 8 Qe2+ Be7 9 Be3
(Tartakower perhaps imagined the variation 9 Ndf5?? Bxf5 10 Nxf5 Qa5+, winning a piece) 9
... c5?! (this is risky; Black should have played 9 ... 0-0 10 0-0-0 Qa5, according to Alekhine,
when 11 Kb1 Re8! leads to an equal game) 10 Ndf5 0-0 11 Qc4 Re8 12 Bd3 b6? (Black
should try and secure the kingside with 12 ... Bf8, followed by ... Be6 and ... Nbd7) 13 0-0-0
Ba6? 14 Nh6+! gxh6 15 Bxh7+ Nxh7 16 Qg4+ Kh8 17 Rxd8 Rxd8 18 Qe4 and wins, since
Black will not have enough for the queen.
7 ... Qxd4 8 Nxd4 Bc5
Question: How does White meet the threat to the centralized knight?
Answer: 9 Be3
Alekhine did not like this move. Against Capablanca at New York 1927, he tried 9 Ndf5
0-0 10 Be3, but it “did not give any serious chances of favourable complications” and a
peaceful game ended in a draw after only 28 moves. The more restrained 9 Nb3 also leads to
a completely equal position after 9 ... Bb6 10 Bc4 0-0 11 0-0 Re8 12 Bf4 Be6. It is
understandable Réti seeks more dynamic play against his inexperienced opponent.
9 ... Nd5
This attack on the bishop (or similarly 9 ... Ng4) is the reason Alekhine did not enter this
variation against Capablanca. However, 9 ... 0-0 might be the most precise move, falling into
the “trap” 10 Nxc6!, since Black has the strong and forcing reply 10 ... Re8! (rather than 10 ...
Bxe3? 11 Ne7+ Kh8 12 fxe3, winning a pawn) 11 Nxb8 Bxe3 12 fxe3 Rxe3+ 13 Kd2 (or 13
Be2 Rxb8 14 0-0-0 Be6 15 Bf3 Kf8) 13 ... Re7 14 Na6 bxa6 with a probable draw, since
Black’s activity balances the weakness of his queenside pawns. The game we have at hand is
far more exciting than that!
10 Ne4!
Réti immediately exploits the drawback of Black’s last move. Often in the Caro-Kann one
of the main purposes of the f6-knight is to control a white knight on g3, but here the black
knight has gone for other missions, so the g3-knight is liberated – and that is dangerous!
10 ... Nxe3?!
Black needs his dark-squared bishop. 10 ... Bb6 is correct, not fearing 11 Nd6+ due to 11
... Ke7 12 Nxc8+ Rxc8 13 Nf5+ Kf6 and Black is perfectly fine.
11 Nxc5 Nxf1 12 Rxf1 b6 13 Ne4
White’s knights are tremendously active situated in the centre and eyeballing, in
particular, the weak d6-square.
13 ... 0-0
The one-move threat 13 ... Ba6?! is of no issue, unless White spends time trying to decide
which of g1 or h1 is better for the rook. Philosophical and unpractical players tend to think
too long on such moves. Here it has no significance whatsoever, considering the open
situation in the centre, which demands that the rooks be placed on the central files. Whether it
goes to g1 or h1, it will soon be placed on e1 all the same.
14 0-0-0 c5
Now 14 ... Ba6?! is answered by 15 Rfe1 at once, when it is not at all clear what the
bishop is doing on the a6-f1 diagonal. White’s development is beautiful and correct, while
only the contrary can be said about Black’s.
15 Nb5
Now three of White’s pieces are eyeing d6, and with this square under his control White
thereby secures a slight advantage.
15 ... Na6?
This time 15 ... Ba6 was in fact the right move. Pinning the knight is the only way of
disturbing White’s plans of efficiently exploiting the hole on d6. A likely continuation is 16
a4 Nc6 17 c3 Rad8 18 Rfe1 Bc8 19 b3, followed by Kb2, with no more than a microscopic
advantage to White. The text move, on the other hand, needlessly sidelines the black knight.
16 Ned6
Question: Why is the d6-knight such a strong piece?
Answer: If Black still has two rooks on the back rank, it is much more difficult to deploy
them effectively since the knight controls two of their possible squares. The e8-square is
particularly important, since it means Black cannot challenge for the open file.
16 ... Be6?!
As we will see, the bishop is not entirely secure here. The simple 16 ... Bd7 was better,
striving to exchange the bishop for one of the knights. An instructive variation is 17 Rfe1
Bxb5 18 Nxb5 Nb4 19 a4! Nc6 20 Rd6 Rac8 21 Rd7 a6 22 Nc3, when White keeps a small
but nagging advantage.
Answer: 17 f4
Réti targets the e6-bishop straight away. Another option was 17 a3, aiming to keep the a6-
knight out of play for a long time. At this moment the moves are about equally good.
17 ... g6
If Black seeks to liberate his knight at once with 17 ... Nb4, the practically forced
continuation 18 f5 Bc8 (after 18 ... Bd7, the bishop is a tactical weakness) 19 Nc7 Rb8 20 c3
Nc6 21 f6! gxf6 22 Rxf6 Ne5 23 Rd5 is convincing, when the white rooks and knights
dominate the whole board.
18 h3?!
Réti continues to focus on the bishop for the next few moves, but this plan is rather slow
so it would certainly be worth taking time to restrict the black knight with 18 a3!.
18 ... h5?!
Having been given a “free” move, Black might use it to activate the knight with 18 ... Nb4
19 a3! (19 g4 Nxa2+ 20 Kb1 Nb4 21 f5 Bd7 is safe enough) 19 ... Nd5! (threatening ... Ne3;
after 19 ... Nc6 20 g4 a6 21 Nc7 Ra7 22 Nde8!, the white knights are really quite annoying)
20 f5! gxf5 21 Nxf5 Rfd8! (better than 21 ... Bxf5?! 22 Rxf5 Ne3 23 Rg5+ Kh8 24 Rd3 Rae8
25 Nd6! c4 26 Rd4 h6 27 Rb5, when the c4-pawn will fall like ripe fruit) 22 Rd3 Rd7 and
while White has a definite positional grip with his more active pieces, it is not clear whether
he can improve his position substantially; for example, after 23 Nbd6 Ne7 or 23 c4 Nf6.
19 Rf2?!
Again 19 a3! is better; and now Black should certainly have played 19 ... Nb4!.
19 ... Kg7?!
Question: How does White make use of his more active pieces?
Answer: 24 g4
It must have been tempting to play 24 Nc6, which takes a lot of squares from the black
rooks and threatens the a7-pawn at the same time. Black should reply 24 ... Rd7 (the passive
24 ... Ra8 is answered by 25 a3! again, when Black’s pieces have even fewer squares) 25
Ne5 Re7. Of course White is extremely well placed. He can improve his position move by
move, say with 26 Rd3 h4 27 a3 Nc7 28 b3!, keeping a clear edge. The text move seeks to
improve White’s situation on the kingside and is also good.
24 ... hxg4?
Although Black is happy to get rid of his weak h5-pawn, the drawback to this is the
opening of the h-file which his opponent will be able to use with devastating effect.
It was better to play 24 ... Rd7 25 Nef5+ Kh7, forcing White to find 26 Rg1! with the twin
threats of Ne4-f6+ and g4xh5. Black’s best defence then is probably to exchange all the minor
pieces, beginning with 26 ... Bxf5 (26 ... Rg8? 27 Ne4 Rg6 is out of the question due to 28
Nh4 – an instructive variation showing how the active centralized knights are able to control
the rooks as well as winning one of them!) 27 Nxf5 Nb4 28 a3 Nd5 29 gxh5 Ne7.
Unfortunately, White’s winning chances remain excellent in the double rook ending arising
after 30 Rg7+ Kh8 31 h6 Nxf5 32 Rxf5 since Black is completely passive, while White can
improve his situation on the queenside by advancing his king and pawns.
25 hxg4 Nc7
Now 25 ... Rd7 is met by 26 Nef5+ Kg6 27 Rh1! (threatening mate with 28 Rh6+ Kg5 29
Ne4+ Kxg4 30 Ne3) 27 ... Bd5 (or 27 ... Bxf5 28 gxf5+ Kf6 29 Re2! and the deadly threat of
30 Ne4+ wins material) 28 Rh5! (threatening a discovered attack on the bishop) 28 ... Nc7 29
Nh4+ Kg7 30 Ndf5+ Kf6 (or 30 ... Kg8 31 Rg5+ Kh8 32 Rg7! followed by Ng6+ and mates)
31 g5+ Ke5 32 g6 and it is all over.
Exercise: What is the most efficient win?
26 Rfd2?!
The move chosen by Réti is not the strongest since the threat of 27 Ndf5+ is easily
defended.
Answer: The most efficient win is to surround the black king with 26 g5! and 27 Rf6,
after which 28 Ndf5+ will almost certainly be decisive. The key line goes 26 ... b5 (26 ...
Bg4 is well met by 27 Rf4!, since 27 ... Bxd1?? 28 Ndf5+ and 29 Rh4+ leads to mate) 27 Rf6
Rxd6 28 Rxd6 Ne8 29 Rd8 Nxf6 30 gxf6+ Kxf6 31 Rxf8 Kxe7 32 Ra8 and White wins the
a7-pawn as well as the ending.
26 ... Kf6?
The king is not well placed here. A better defence is 26 ... Ra8, forcing White to find a
more convincing plan of exploiting his active pieces. Presumably he would have to return to
the f-file; for example, 27 Rf1! Rh8 28 Ndf5+ Bxf5 (or 28 ... Kf8 29 g5!) 29 Nxf5+ Kg6 30
Nd6 Rhd8 (note that it is not possible to hold on to the pawn with 30 ... f6 since 31 g5! fxg5?
loses to 32 Nf7 Ne6 33 Rd6! Rhe8 34 Ne5+ Kg7 35 Rd7+ Kg8 36 Ng4 Rf8 37 Nf6+ Rxf6 38
Rxf6 Re8 39 Rxa7 and so forth) 31 Nxf7 Rxd2 32 Ne5+! (a good intermediary move; 32
Kxd2?! Re8 complicates matters) 32 ... Kg5 33 Kxd2 and White should win eventually.
27 Nc6 Ra8 28 Rf1+ Kg7 29 Nf5+ Kg6
Not 29 ... Bxf5? 30 gxf5! and the pawn keeps Black’s knight at bay while threatening the
decisive 31 f6+.
30 Ne5+ Kg5 31 Nd6 f6
After 31 ... Kh6, White wins smoothly with 32 Rh2+ Kg7 33 Nf5+ Kf6 34 Re2 Kg5 35
Ng3 Rh8 36 Ref2!, threatening 37 Rf6, 38 Ne4+ and mate on the h-file, or more directly 37
Ne4+ Kh6 38 g5+ Kg7 39 Rxf7+ Bxf7 40 Rxf7+ Kg8 41 Nf6 mate. Black has no good
defence: after 36 ... Raf8 37 Rf6 Bd5 38 c4, the bishop cannot hold on to both f7 and e4,
while 36 ... Ne8 37 Ne4+ Kh6 38 Nxf7+ Bxf7 39 Rxf7 also wins easily.
32 Ne4+ Kh6 33 Nxf6
The computer prefers 33 Rxf6+ Rxf6 34 g5+ Kh7 35 gxf6 with further material gains to
come after 36 Rh2+ and 37 Rg2+.
33 ... Kg7 34 Nd5
35 Rh2!
The database gives 35 Rh1 Rh8 36 Nh5+ Kg8 37 Rdh2 as the continuation here, but I’m
assuming that is merely an input error, since 35 Rh1?? obviously allows Black to take on f6;
i.e. 35 ... Nxf6 36 gxf6+ Kxf6 (not 36 ... Rxf6?? 37 Rg2+ Kf8 38 Rh8+, winning a whole
rook), when 37 Re1 Rg8 38 Rf2+ Ke7 39 Nd3 Kd7 40 Rd2 Bf5 41 Nxc5+ wins a pawn, but it
is probably not enough for White to score the full point.
35 ... Rh8 36 Nh5+ Kg8 37 Rfh1
Now Black cannot avoid the loss of the exchange after 38 Nf6+ and commits suicide. Of
course 37 ... Rh7 is answered by 38 c4.
37 ... Kh7 38 Nf6+ 1-0
Black resigned, owing to the forced mate in three moves after 38 ... Kg7 39 Rh7+! Rxh7
40 Rxh7+ Kf8 41 Ng6.
The white knights have dominated the game ever since the eleventh move, so it is not
surprising the final position looks like it does!
The super-tournament New York 1924 was held at the Alamac Hotel, from March 6th to
April 18th 1924, and must be regarded as one of the most important in chess history. In this
tournament many hypermodern ideas were displayed, as we will see in the next few games. It
was organized by the Manhattan Chess Club and played as a double round robin with eleven
competitors. Along with the world champion José Raúl Capablanca and his predecessor
Emanuel Lasker, and Réti himself, the participants comprised (in alphabetic order) Alexander
Alekhine, Dawid Janowski, Edward Lasker, Efim Bogoljubow, Frank Marshall, Frederick
Yates, Géza Maróczy, Savielly Tartakower. The eventual result was that Em.Lasker won with
a magnificent 16 points out of 20 – an 80% percent score in this type of company is an
astonishing feat indeed! Capablanca came second with 14½ points, followed by Alekhine on
12, Marshall on 11, with Réti fifth on 10½.
José Raúl Capablanca (1888-1942) was the third official world champion. He beat Lasker
at Havana in 1921, but succumbed to Alekhine at Buenos Aires in 1927. He is regarded as
one of the most striking geniuses of all time. From 1914 to 1927, he lost only five serious
games and this achievement earned him the nickname of the “chess machine”. When
Capablanca died, Alekhine, despite the fact that they had a poor personal relationship, paid
him the tribute: “With his death we lose the most brilliant chess genius whose equal we shall
never see again.”
Capablanca is one of the most appropriate players to study if you want to improve your
technique and positional skill. Even his simultaneous games are useful in this respect. He
also wrote two classics the reader should study from cover to cover. My Chess Career
(1920) relates his chess life up to 1919, while Chess Fundamentals (1921) explains strategic
principles in a rare thought-out and progressive way. In the preface from 1934, he seemed
slightly worried that hypermodern ideas were distorting the basics of chess, as can be seen
from the following extract:
“The fact is that the Hypermodern Theory is merely the application, during the openings
stages generally, of the same old principles through the medium of somewhat new tactics.
There has been no change in the fundamentals. The change has been only a change of form,
and not always for the best of that. In chess the tactics may change but the strategic
fundamental principles are always the same, so that Chess Fundamentals is as good now as it
was thirteen years ago. It will be as good a hundred years from now; as long in fact as the
laws and rules of the game remain what they are at present.”
Capablanca is regarded as the pinnacle of the classical school, but he is also a precursor
of hypermodern development since he realized the importance of a concrete approach to the
position, as explained by Réti in his ground-breaking works. Later in his career, Capablanca
adopted hypermodern ideas as well, and this is very well described by Nimzowitsch in his
book, Carlsbad International Chess Tournament 1929.
The following game was Réti’s only win against Capablanca. What makes this game
especially interesting, from a historical point of view, is that it was Capablanca’s first loss in
eight years, his previous defeat coming against Oscar Chajes in 1916, also in New York.
Before their 1924 game, the score was 2-0 to Capablanca. Réti had lost an exhibition game in
1914, as well as their encounter at the famous 1922 tournament in London.
Game 30
R.Réti-J.R.Capablanca
New York (round 5) 1924
Réti’s Opening
1 Nf3 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 b4
This aggressive pawn thrust on the queenside is most probably inspired by Réti’s game
with the black pieces against Nimzowitsch in Carlsbad 1923. Réti later came to the
conclusion that an early b2-b4 makes the queenside more vulnerable to a possible counter-
attack and abandoned it in favour of the safer b2-b3.
3 ... Bg7
In the above-mentioned game, Réti played the immediate counter-attack 3 ... a5 4 b5 and
then continued 4 ... Bg7 5 Bb2 0-0 6 e3 d6 7 d4 Nbd7 8 Be2 e5 9 0-0 (9 dxe5 is met by 9 ...
dxe5! when 10 Nxe5?? is a grave mistake due to 10 ... Ne4 11 Nd3 Bxb2 12 Nxb2 Qf6 and
Black wins material) 9 ... exd4 10 exd4 Re8 11 Re1 Nf8 12 Nbd2 Ne6 13 g3 h6 14 Bf1 Ng5
15 Nxg5 hxg5 16 Bg2 d5 17 Rxe8+ Qxe8 18 cxd5 Qxb5, reaching a level position. The game
ended in a draw after 50 moves.
4 Bb2 0-0 5 g3 b6
This is the simplest set-up according to Grünfeld, who mentions that it was also good to
play 5 ... d6, followed by ... e7-e5, ... Nbd7 and ... Re8; or 5 ... c6, followed by ... d7-d5.
6 Bg2 Bb7 7 0-0 d6 8 d3 Nbd7 9 Nbd2 e5 10 Qc2 Re8 11 Rfd1 a5 12 a3 h6
Exercise: Is there a tactical operation available for White?
Answer: 13 Nf1
No, not really. It is a mistake to play 13 Nxe5? on account of 13 ... Bxg2 14 Nxd7 Qxd7
15 Kxg2 Rxe2, when Black controls the e-file as well as the long light diagonal after the
further ... Qc6+.
13 ... c5?
Alekhine called this move “a clever positional trap, quite in the champion’s style”.
Actually, it is better simply to play 13 ... e4 14 dxe4 Nxe4 (or 14 ... Bxe4) 15 Bxg7 Kxg7 16
N3d2 Qe7 with an even game.
17 Qc3?!
Réti again opts for an ambitious move, putting pressure on the centre and along the dark
diagonal, but the queen is awkwardly placed in front of the bishop. As we already know
(from Games 25 and 27), Réti was famous for placing the queen on a1 behind the bishop.
Doing it the other way round, as here, is far less effective and looks more like-pseudo
activity than true activity.
Answer: Alekhine recommended simply 17 Qc1, while Komodo prefers the inhuman 17
Qe2!, leaving the c1-square for the queen’s rook. Although it looks risky to place the queen
opposite the black rook on the e-file, the computer is serenely confident that Black has no
real way to exploit it. Note that 17 Qd2? is no good here, since after 17 ... cxd4 18 exd4
Qxc4, White has insufficient compensation for the pawn.
17 ... exd4 18 exd4 N6d7?
It is a true mystery why Capablanca did not play the obvious 18 ... Ne6, fighting more
directly for control of the centre. Then 19 dxc5 can be answered either by 19 ... dxc5
(Alekhine) or perhaps 19 ... Nxc5, threatening ... Na4, when 20 a4 Qb7 is strong, exploiting
the fact that 21 Rxd6?? loses to 21 ... Nh5 and the queen becomes overloaded.
Perhaps Capablanca was confused by White’s awkward play and wanted to punish him
directly by targeting the queen as well as the c4-pawn. Kasparov hits the nail on the head
when he writes that Réti’s “revolutionary approach had a devastating effect on many strong
players who regularly missed the turning point of the game in such unusual environment.”
19 Qd2
Réti now puts his queen on its best square. There is no need to defend the c4-pawn with
19 Qc1!? here, even if that would be playable too.
19 ... cxd4?!
It is better to reinforce his position with 19 ... Rad8, or else admit the mistake and return
the knight to f6, although this is psychologically one of the hardest thing to do.
20 Bxd4 Qxc4?!
Having a materialistic attitude, à la Karpov or Seirawan, is a valid part of chess, but it is
definitely the wrong path in this position. Grabbing a pawn here is very risky. Again, 20 ...
Nf6 is a better defence, when Black does not stand so badly.
21 Bxg7 Kxg7 22 Qb2+ Kg8
23 Rxd6?!
Réti opts to regain his pawn at once, which reduces his initiative slightly.
Answer: He rejected 23 N3d2 because of 23 ... Qc2, but then 24 Qxc2 Bxc2 25 Bxa8
Bxd1 26 Rxd1 Rxa8 27 Ne3!, followed by 28 Ndc4, gives White a clear positional advantage,
and his pawn minus is only temporary. Note that 27 Nc4 is less precise due to 27 ... d5! 28
Rxd5 Re8 intending 29 Rd6 Re6. It is more harmonious for White to capture the d-pawn with
a knight.
23 ... Qc5?
Black’s idea is to conduct an active defence and prevent the dangerous manoeuvre Nf1-
g4 with ... Qh5, but it backfires against Réti’s accurate play. The passive 23 ... Qc7 was
correct. It is understandable that Capablanca did not like the look of 24 Rad1 Nc5 25 Ne3,
threatening Ng4, or 24 ... Rad8 25 Qd4 with an annoying pin on the d-file, but Black has more
resources than it might appear.
It is true that 24 ... Nc5 is unsatisfactory. After 25 Ne3, it is hard to parry Ng4 without
weakening the position further. If Black tries 25 ... Na4, White has 26 Qb3! (not 26 Qa1
Qc3!) 26 ... Nc3 (or 26 ... Nc5 27 Qc3, followed by Ng4 and wins, while 27 ... h5 28 Ng5
and 27 ... f5 28 Ne5 are no better) 27 Rc6! Ne2+ 28 Kf1 Bxc6 29 bxc6, gaining two pieces
for a rook; e.g. 29 ... Rad8 (not 29 ... Qxc6? 30 Ne5!) 30 Rxd8 Rxd8 31 Kxf1 Qxc6 32
Qxf7+! Kxf6 33 Ne5+ and 34 Nxc6 with a clear advantage in the endgame.
However, after 24 ... Rad8 25 Qd4, Black can lift the pin by the tactical operation 25 ...
Bxf3 26 Bxf3 Ne5! with a tenable position, since the threat of ... Nxf3+ gives him time to
trade his passive major pieces for White’s active ones. After 27 Bg2 Rxd6 28 Qxd6 Qxd6 29
Rxd6, Black can actually choose between 29 ... Re6 or the enterprising 29 ... Nc4 30 Rc6
Nxa3 31 Rxb6 Re5 32 Bc6 Nc4 33 Ra6 Rc5 34 b6 Rxc6 35 b7 Rxa6 36 b8Q Rc6. Both
continuations probably hold the game.
24 Rad1 Ra7?!
This looks disharmonious since the rooks lose contact with each other. If Black is going
to defend the d7-knight from the side, it is better to try 24 ... Re7 25 Ne3 Rae8, when 26 Ng4
can be met by 26 ... h5. The problem is that White then has the strong 26 R6d4!, threatening
27 Rc4 (or 27 Rc1) 27 ... Qh5 28 g4 and the queen is trapped, so Black has to retreat
anyway; for instance, 26 ... Qc7 27 Ng4 Bxf3 28 Bxf3 h5 29 Ne3 Ne5 and Black is still
fighting. Note that exchanging on f3 is necessary since 27 ... h5? runs into 28 Nh6+ Kh7 29
Nxf7! Bxf3 (or 29 ... Rxf7 30 Ng5+ Kg8 31 Bxe4) 30 Ng5+! and Black is busted; the
difference between 26 Ng4 h5 and 27 Ng4 h5 and is that in the latter variation the black
queen does not control the g5-square.
25 Ne3 Qh5?
The attempt to shut down the long diagonal with 25 ... Rc7? 26 Ng4 Qc3 fails if White
finds 27 Qxc3 (not 27 Nxh6+? Kg7 and both white knights are hanging) 27 ... Rxc3 28 Nfe5!
Bxg2 29 Nxd7 Nxd7 30 Kxg2 (not 30 Rxd7? due to 30 ... Bf3! or 30 ... Bh3! and Black is
back in the game) 30 ... h5 31 Ne3!, winning the exchange, when Black loses nevertheless.
At this point the only defence is 25 ... h5, crudely preventing Ng4. Then White can
choose between 26 h4, seeking to exploit the weakened g5-square, when Black probably has
to play 26 ... Re6 27 R6d4 Bxf3 28 Bxe3 Ne5 29 Bd5 Rd7 30 Kg2 Re8; or else 26 R6d4 Nf6
27 Rc1 Qe7 28 Nc4 with pressure on the queenside. In either case White’s advantage is clear,
but at least there is no forced win
Exercise: Black’s queen move is a mistake. How can White profit from it?
26 Nd4?
Answer: Alekhine points out that the surprising continuation 26 R1d5! (an interference
sacrifice) 26 ... Bxd5 27 g4 Bxf3 28 gxh5 Bxh5 29 Bc6 etc “would have won the queen for a
rook, knight and pawn, but the final tussle in that case would have been much more difficult
and tedious than after the best defence possible against the move in the text.” Maybe he was
too impressed by Réti’s play, because the computer rates White’s advantage, consisting of a
tremendous activity, at +4, which is equivalent to four extra pawns!
26 ... Bxg2 27 Kxg2 Qe5?
Capablanca is really doing his upmost on the fourth rank with his strongest piece, but the
queen is no match for White’s heavily centralized knights and rooks.
If instead 27 ... Ne5, then 28 Nc6! Rb7 (not 28 ... Nxc6? 29 Nd5! and wins) 29 Qd4 is
very strong, since Black’s checks do not get him anywhere; for example, 29 ... Qf3+ (or 29 ...
Nf3 30 Qg4!) 30 Kg1 Qh5 31 Qf4! Nf3+ 32 Kg2 Ng5 33 Nd5 Qh3+ 34 Kh1! and so forth.
At this point, Black has to try an exchange sacrifice in the spirit of Ulf Andersson and
play 27 ... Rxe3! 28 fxe3 Ne5 (threatening ... Ng4 and ... Nc4; beware the elementary trap 28
... Qxd1?? 29 Nf5! or 29 Ne6! and White wins the queen or mates on g7). White’s best
response is to trade queens with 29 Qe2! Qxe2+ 30 Nxe2 and then meet 30 ... Nc4 by
returning the exchange with 31 Kf3! Nxd6 32 Rxd6, trusting that his much greater activity will
tell in the end.
28 Nc4 Qc5
Exercise: How does White win?
Answer: 29 Nc6!
Alternatively, 29 Rc6 Qd5+ (or 29 ... Qh5 30 Nf3 with complete domination) 30 f3!,
threatening 31 Ne6 is also quite convincing.
29 ... Rc7 30 Ne3 Ne5
A desperate attempt like 30 ... Rxe3 31 fxe3 Qxe3 32 Qd2 Qe4+ 33 Kg1 Ne5 34 Nxe5
Qxe5 35 Rxb6 Qc5+ 36 Qf2 Qxa3 37 Rc6 prolongs the game but does not change the result.
31 R1d5 1-0
Capablanca resigned without resuming play (31 R1d5 was the sealed move); it was at the
right moment since the final position is completely lost as well as giving the most aesthetic
pleasure. A likely continuation, if in the mood to continue, is 31 ... Nc4 32 Rxc5 Nxb2 33
Nd5! with the point that after 33 ... bxc5 34 Nxc7 Re2 (the rook has no squares on the back
rank) 35 Nxa5, the advancing b-pawn will cost Black a knight for starters.
Réti never managed to beat Capablanca again. He scored two draws, in Moscow 1925
and Bad Kissingen 1928, but lost the three other games, including their second round game in
New York.
Edward Lasker (1885-1981) was a German-American chess player, ranked 18th in the
world in mid-1923, according to Chessmetrics, with a peak rating of 2583. Lasker was an
engineer by profession; in the early 1920s he invented an ingenious mechanical breast pump
which caused his friends to refer to him as “the chest player”.He was also an author and
wrote several interesting books on both chess and Go. Probably the most rewarding for the
aspiring student is his delightful Chess Secrets I Learned from the Masters (1952), where his
pedagogical approach transmits the essence of the secrets stronger players had taught him.
Lasker was retrospectively awarded the IM title by FIDE in 1963. He was also distantly
related to Emanuel Lasker. Their first game together at New York 1924 is famous in chess
circles for the fact that the latter managed to draw with a knight versus a rook and a knight’s
pawn; the game lasted for 103 moves and was significant for endgame theory.
Game 31
R.Réti-Ed.Lasker
New York (round 7) 1924
Réti’s Opening
1 Nf3 d5 2 c4 e6
It is not to everyone’s taste to lock in the c8-bishop. A popular alternative is 2 ... c6,
leaving the bishop’s diagonal open. In the 16th round Em.Lasker indeed played this way
against Réti. The continuation was 3 b3 Bf5 (3 ... Bg4 is another option) 4 g3 Nf6 5 Bg2
Nbd7 (completing the defensive c6/d5/e6 wall at once with 5 ... e6 is more precise, since
White might now play 6 cxd5! cxd5 7 Bb2 and the queen’s knight is unable to go to c6) 6 Bb2
e6 7 0-0 Bd6 8 d3 0-0 9 Nbd2 e5?! (slightly premature; the normal move is 9 ... Qe7 with an
equal game) 10 cxd5 cxd5 11 Rc1 (Réti prefers to build up slowly, planning his favourite
Rc2, Qa1, Rfc1 set-up; 11 e4! was more energetic with good chances of an advantage) 11 ...
Qe7 12 Rc2 (12 e4! is still the strongest, and on the next move too) 12 ... a5 13 a4 h6 14 Qa1
Rfe8 15 Rfc1 Bh7 16 Nf1 Nc5. Having let the e-pawn stand too long on its original square,
White’s opening has more-or-less failed; Black is already a little better and can play for ...
e5-e4 or ... d5-d4, claiming more space in the centre – or might have done had Réti not now
sacrificed the exchange with 17 Rxc5!? Bxc5 18 Nxe5. What is truly amazing about this game
is that Réti went so far as to switch his “rifle” to the other flank by placing the queen on h1!
Alekhine wrote that “even for Réti himself this is almost too ‘original’.” Lasker won in 45
moves; but it is worth studying the game since it is one of the earliest attempts to investigate
the potential of the queen.
3 g3 c6 4 b3
Now White does not need to worry about the possibility of ... d5xc4, followed perhaps by
... b7-b5, turning it into a gambit.
4 ... Nf6 5 Bg2 Ne4!?
Answer: This move looks odd, considering White’s d-pawn is still on d2 and can advance
to d3 with gain of tempo, especially after he has castled kingside, which is exactly what
happened in the game. Normally Black waits with ... Ne4 until the d-pawn has gone to d4, so
perhaps Lasker’s move is a way to force White to think about where it really belongs. On the
other hand, Réti’s set-up already indicates that he wants to play in hypermodern fashion, so he
might well have put the pawn on d3 anyway.
The normal continuation is to develop the f8-bishop, castle short, and play ... Nbd7, as we
saw Felix Fischer do earlier (Game 25) and will see Bogoljubow do again in the very next
game!
6 Qc2
A sensible alternative is to try and exploit the open long diagonal, caused by Black’s
premature knight operation, and play 6 Bb2 with pressure on g7. A possible continuation is 6
... Nd6 (6 ... dxc4 is met by 7 Qc2!, rather than 7 bxc4 Qb6 8 Bd4 c5, which leads to a
messier type of game) 7 Qc2 f6 8 d4 with a comfortable position.
6 ... Be7 7 Bb2 0-0 8 0-0 Nd7 9 d3 Ng5
9 ... Nd6 is answered by 10 e4, gaining space in the centre and preventing ... Nf6 or ...
Bf6 in view of the e4-e5 pawn fork.
Answer: 10 Nbd2
This move is perfectly fine and accelerates White’s development. Alternatively, the most
energetic continuation is 10 Nxg5 Bxg5 11 cxd5 exd5 12 e4 with a slight advantage; while 10
Nd4!? looks the most dynamic, keeping all the pieces on the board and at the same time
embarrassing the g5-knight, which now has to find a bolt hole on h7 after 10 ... h6. Maybe
Alekhine would have chosen to play Nd4!?, keeping more tension in the position.
10 ... Nxf3+ 11 Nxf3 Bf6
Black’s idea behind trading knights is now clearly visible, as he is able to challenge for
control of the long dark diagonal. The obvious drawback is that he has spent four tempi
arranging ... Nf6-e4-g5-f3, whereas White has used only two (Nbd2-f3). In addition, although
exchanges help relieve Black’s slightly cramped position, he is still stuck with his passive c8-
bishop and d7-knight. Meanwhile White has already connected his rooks and can plan the
opening up of the game to exploit his superior activity.
12 d4
This move is far from necessary, but it’s a natural response. By avoiding the exchange of
bishops and controlling the e5-square, he leaves Black with problem of his queenside pieces.
The simple 12 Rac1 is good too, not fearing 12 ... Bxb2 13 Qxb2, since White’s lead in
development is significant and he can prepare play on the queenside with b2-b4, or build up
further in the centre with d3-d4 or Rfe1 and e2-e4.
12 ... Re8
Instead, 12 ... b6 suggests itself, with the possible continuation 13 e4 Bb7 14 e5 Be7 15
Rfd1 c5, when Black has at least taken care of his minor pieces, even if White keeps the more
active position.
13 e4
The immediate 13 Ne5 is a good alternative. If Black swaps knights with 13 ... Nxe5 14
dxe5 Be7, White develops a strong initiative after 15 Rfd1, preparing e2-e4.
13 ... Nb6?!
Here 13 ... b6 is definitely better, allowing the c8-bishop to develop at b7 or possibly a6.
Exchanging on e4 with 13 ... dxe4 14 Qxe4 would be convenient for White, as it gives him a
serious space advantage to work with.
14 Ne5
Decentralization is normally best met by centralization!
14 ... Bd7
This bishop is a sorry-looking piece and remains so until it finally emerges on h5 much
later in the game. Black might try and activate it sooner with 14 ... dxc4 15 bxc4 Bxe5 16
dxe5 c5 17 f4 Bd7, aiming for c6 or a4, but he was probably worried about being wiped out
on the other side after 18 f5 and 19 f6.
Answer: 15 Ng4
In positions with an enemy knight placed on b6 (or the equivalent squares b3, g3 and g6),
a typical idea is to chase it away with the rook’s pawn. Here 15 a4 and 16 a5 would gain a
significant amount of space on the queenside, while making Black’s position even more
disorganized. Black should therefore halt the pawn by playing 15 ... a5 himself, but then the
question is: who benefits the most? Presumably White, since the a5-pawn looks more shaky
than the a4-pawn.
The text move is good too, since White would be pleased to exchange off the best enemy
minor piece or else increase his space advantage further.
15 ... Rc8?
Black has to make the hard decision whether to allow 16 Nxf6 or keep the bishop on the
board with 15 ... Be7. In the latter case, White’s advantage in space is considerable after 16
c5 Nc8, and he might seek to exploit this by 17 f4!?, when 17 ... dxe4 18 Bxe4! f5 19 Bd3
fxg4 20 Bxh7+ Kf8 (or 20 ... Kh8 21 Qg6 Bf6 22 Qh5 Ne7 23 h3!) 21 f5 Bf6 22 fxe6 Bxe6
23 d5! gives him a strong attack for the piece. Black can curl up with 17 ... Bf8 18 Ne5! Ne7,
intending 19 f5 exf5 20 exf5 Bxf5 21 Rxf5 Nxf5 22 Qxf5, when he gets rid of his two bad
minors, but his position is still difficult after 19 Rae1.
Nevertheless, this looks more hopeful than the text move, after which Black gains a little
more manoeuvring space for his pieces but loses the important dark-squared bishop.
16 Nxf6+ Qxf6 17 a4 Red8?
It is better to evacuate the c8-square for the knight with the preparatory 17 ... Rcd8. The
knight has no future on c7, whereas from c8 it could have been transferred to one of the
central files. Note that 17 ... a5? just loses the pawn after 18 c5 Na8 19 Bc3.
18 a5 Na8 19 e5 Qg6
Question: Should White keep the queens on the board or trade them?
Answer: 20 Qe2
White has a clear advantage after 20 Qxg6 hxg6 as well, but it is more principled to keep
the queens on the board, since the value of a space advantage is somewhat reduced in a
queenless middlegame.
20 ... Nc7 21 Ba3
The bishop heads for d6 where it stands superbly, cutting the black position in two. Note
that Black cannot prevent this with 21 ... Ne8 on account of 22 Be7, winning the exchange.
21 ... Na6 22 Rfd1
We’re following the tournament book here. The databases give the erroneous move 22
Rfe1?!, which has no point to it. It is far more appropriate to place it on the d-file to work
against Black’s liberating move ... c6-c5. For instance, 22 ... c5? now just loses to 23 cxd5
exd5 24 Bxd5 Bg4 25 Bf3, whereas with the rook on e1, Black has 25 ... Rxd4!.
22 ... Be8 23 Bd6 f5
Opening a path for his bad bishop.
24 f4 Qh6
Making way for ... Bh5 as well as the active ... g7-g5, but Black has no right to attack in
such a passive position. More in accordance with the principle of proportion is 24 ... Qf7,
planning ... Qd7, ... Bf7 and perhaps ... Nc7-e8, waiting to see how White intends to make
progress.
25 Bf3
White promptly stops ... Bh5.
25 ... g5?
The patient move is 25 ... Qg6, returning to the plan of ... Qf7-d7 etc.
Exercise: How can White exploit the premature activity of the black pieces?
26 Ra2?!
Aiming to swing across to the g-file at some point, or else double rooks on the queenside
if Black opts to close the kingside with 26 ... g4.
Answer: However, it was much stronger to break the position open with 26 g4!, when 26
... gxf4? 27 gxf5 and 26 ... fxg4? 27 Bxg4 gxf4 28 Qg2 are both terrible for Black. If he tries
to reinforce the pawn phalanx with 26 ... Bg6, White replies 27 Qg2! (threatening simply 38
gxf5 Bxf5 29 fxg5) 27 ... Rd7 28 cxd5 (now 28 gxf5?! Bxf5 29 fxg5 is less clear after 29 ...
Qh4!, intending ... Rg7) 28 ... exd5 (or 28 ... cxd5 29 Rac1, seizing the open file) 29 gxf5
Bxf5 30 Bg4 Qe6 31 Bxf5 Qxf5 32 fxg5 Rg7 (or 32 ... Qf4 33 Rd3) 33 h4 h6 34 Rf1 Qe4 35
Qxe4 dxe4 36 e6! and White wins; e.g. 36 ... hxg5 37 e7 gxh4+ 38 Kh2 (threatening Rf8+) 38
... Rf7 39 Rg1+ Kh7 40 Rg4 and so on.
26 ... gxf4 27 gxf4!
Offering a pawn is the best way of maintaining the initiative. He could save it with 27
Qd2, but this wastes valuable time after 27 ... Bh5 28 Rf1 Bxf3 29 Rxf3, even if White
remains clearly better.
27 ... Rd7
Accepting the offer with 27 ... Qxf4!? actually means giving up the exchange after 28
Be7! Bg6, since 28 ... Rd7?? runs into 29 Qg2+ Bg7 30 Bg5, winning the queen. Alekhine’s
recommendation of 28 Qg2+ in the tournament book is met by 28 ... Bg6!, when White has
sufficient compensation but no more than that; (29 Be7 is now met by 29 ... Qe3+!).
28 Qe3 Rg7+ 29 Rg2 Rxg2+?
It was better to allow White to exchange rooks. After 29 ... Bh5 30 Rxg7+ Qxg7+ 31 Kf2
Bxf3 32 Qxf3 Kh8 33 Rg1 Qf7, Black’s king position is more secure than in the game.
30 Kxg2
30 Bxg2 is also good, avoiding the exchange of light-squared bishops for the moment.
30 ... Bh5
31 Bxh5?
This time White makes a premature exchange. It is better to allow Black to take on f3,
which improves the white queen, rather than effect the reverse as in the game.
Answer: Clearing the g-file with 31 Kh1! is strategically decisive. Then 31 ... Bxf3 32
Qxf3 Kf7 (32 ... Kh8? loses to 33 Be7!) 33 Rg1 Rg8 34 Rxg8 Kxg8 35 cxd5 cxd5 36 b4!
shuts the a6-knight out of the game and White wins by Qg3-g5; for example, 36 ... Kh8 37
Qg3 Qh5 38 Qg5! Qf3+ 39 Kg1 Qe3+ 40 Kg2 Qe2+ 41 Kh3 Qf1+ 42 Kh4 Qf2+ 43 Qg3 and
the checks run out.
If Black tries to activate the knight first with 31 ... Nc7, a plausible variation runs 32
Rg1+ Kh8 33 Be7 Ne8 34 Rg5 Bf7 35 Qg1 (threatening Bh5!) 35 ... Rc7 36 Bc5 Qh3 37 Qg2!
(not now 37 Bh5? h6! 38 Bxf7 hxg5 39 Bxe8 gxf4 with the deadly threat of ... Rg7, or if 40
Bf8 then 40 ... Qf3+ 41 Qg2 Qxb3 and Black wins) 37 ... Qh4 38 Qg3! (forcing the queen off)
38 ... Qxg3 39 Rxg3 a6 40 Kg1 and White wins due to the permanent black weaknesses on
the queenside, especially c5 and b6.
31 ... Qxh5 32 Rg1 Kf7 33 Kh1 Rg8 34 Rxg8 Kxg8 35 cxd5 cxd5 36 b4 Kf7??
As strange as it may seem, Black has good drawing chances with 36 ... Kh8!!. Here we
can see the difference between this position and the one after 31 Kh1! Bxf3 etc above.
Because White initiated the bishop trade himself, the black queen is already on h5 and ready
to harass the exposed white king. For example, 37 Qg3 Qd1+ 38 Kg2 Qe2+ 39 Kh3 Qh5+ is
an immediate draw, while 37 Qd3 is met by 37 ... Qe8 38 b5 Nb8 39 Qc3 Qd8 and Black can
hold.
Answer: 37 Qd3!
This is a necessary preparation for b4-b5, winning the stranded and abandoned knight.
The immediate 37 b5?? fails to 37 ... Qd1+ 38 Kg2 Nc7! 39 Bxc7 Qc2+ with a draw.
37 ... Qh4 38 Qf1!
Still not 38 b5?? due to 38 ... Qe1+ 39 Kg2 Nb4 and Black is alright. But 38 Qg3! Qh5
39 Qg5! (as in the 31 Kh1 line) wins as well.
38 ... Qd8 39 Qh3 Kg6
Here the databases give 39 ... Kg8, but as Alekhine says, 39 ... Kg6 is “manifestly
forced”.
40 Qg3+ Kf7 41 Qg5 Qc8 42 b5 Qc1+
Both 42 ... Nc7 43 Qe7+ and 42 ... Nb8 43 Bxb8! Qxb8 44 Qf6+ Kg8 45 Qxe6+ are
quickly decisive.
Exercise: Can you work out White’s winning plan?
Answer: 43 Kg2!
The king is heading for h6. Of course not 43 Qg1?? Qxf4 and Black draws, since 44 bxa6
Qf3+ is perpetual check again.
43 ... Qd2+ 44 Kh3 Qe3+ 45 Kh4 Qe1+ 46 Kh5 Qe2+ 47 Kh6
This is the point. White now threatens mate in two, so Black has nothing better than to
exchange queens, after which his knight drops off.
47 ... Qxh2+ 48 Qh5+ Qxh5+ 49 Kxh5
Alekhine wrote the amusing comment: “And now at last the game is at an end.”
49 ... Kg7 50 bxa6 bxa6 51 Bc5 Kf7 52 Kh6 Kg8 53 Bxa7 Kh8 54 Bb6 Kg8 55 Bd8
Kh8 56 Bh4 1-0
The three players Réti faced most often over the board were Tartakower (51 games),
Spielmann (42 games) and Bogoljubow (29 games). Of these Bogoljubow had by far the best
record against Réti (beating him 17 times). Perhaps because of that, Réti’s wins are all the
more precious and there are three of them in this book: from Kiel 1921 (Game 19), Moscow
1925 (Game 38), and the second cycle in New York 1924, which we will look at now.
Game 32
R.Réti-E.Bogoljubow
New York (round 12) 1924
Réti’s Opening
17 ... e4 18 Ne5 Bxe5 19 dxe5 Nh7 20 f4 exf3 21 exf3 Ng5?! 22 f4 with a big advantage
for White, which Réti converted in just nine more moves.
However, in the eleventh round, Alekhine had tried the same set-up against Bogoljubow
and had been made to suffer in a long endgame. Rather than chance his arm by repeating it
again, Réti decided this time to enter classical waters.
8 ... c6
Bogoljubow shows his own preferences for a Triangle formation. Instead, 8 ... b6 and 9 ...
Bb7 pays attention to the c8-bishop, whereas after 8 ... c6 its fate postponed.
Intriguingly, we have now reached a position very similar to that after 12 ... Re8 in the
previous game; the only differences being the placement of White’s queen (d1, rather than c2)
and Black’s dark-squared bishop (d6, rather than f6), and the fact that two more knights (b1
and f6) are on the board.
9 Nbd2 Ne4
In the tournament book, Alekhine mentions that Rubinstein’s recommendation of 9 ... e5 is
met simply by 10 cxd5 cxd5 11 dxe5 Nxe5 12 Nxe5 Bxe5 13 Bxe5 Rxe5 14 Nc4 Re8 15 Ne3
Be6 16 Qd4 and White has all the play against the isolated pawn, whereas Black does not
have the usual associated counterchances.
Question: Black is planning a Stonewall set-up with ... f7-f5. How can White
deal with it?
Answer: 13 Bxf3
Congratulations if you understood that it is important to take back with a piece. Capturing
with the pawn is the worst option, since after 13 exf3 Nxe5 14 dxe5 Bc5+ 15 Kh1 b5!, the c8-
bishop is liberated with a timely ... Ba6. Note that 16 cxb5 cxb5 17 f4 Ba6 18 Bxa8?? Qxa8+
would be suicidal.
Otherwise, all moves have their pros and cons: 13 Bxf3, as played, keeps the long light
diagonal open and makes it easier to arrange the e2-e4 break. 13 Nxf3 avoids another piece
exchange which is a good strategy when in possession of more space. Finally, 13 Rxf3
prepares the transfer of the rook to d3 which is useful in this position, and 13 ... Nxe5 14
dxe5 Bc5+ 15 Kh1 transposes to the 12 ... Nxe5 line above.
13 ... Qc7?!
The natural continuation 13 ... Nxe5 14 dxe5 Bc5+ 15 Kg2 Bd7 was stronger. White has
more space and can swing the battering-ram 16 e4, but Black’s castle gate does not look like
collapsing any time soon after 16 ... Qe7, followed by ... Rf8, ... Rad8 and so on; note that 17
exf5 exf5 (now or later) will just see the e5-pawn blockaded by 18 ... Be6 next move.
Answer: 14 Nxd7
This allows White to accelerate his e2-e4 break, whereas 14 Nd3 would delay it after 14
... Nf6. On the plus side, retreating the knight maintains White’s space advantage (14 ... e5?!
is met strongly by 15 e4!). Probably it is a matter of taste which way White wants to play the
position.
14 ... Bxd7
The alternative is 14 ... Qxd7 15 e4 b6, developing the c8-bishop to b7 or a6, but it risks
finding itself out of the game on the queenside if things progress rapidly on the other flank.
15 e4 e5?!
It is really not necessary to do anything in the centre at this moment. Either 15 ... Rad8, or
15 ... Rf8 followed by ... Rae8, completes Black’s development in a harmonious way.
Exercise: How does White react to the increased tension in the centre?
Answer: 16 c5!
Stronger than 16 exf5 exd4! (16 ... Bxf5? 17 Bxc6! wins a pawn for nothing) 17 f6 gxf6 18
Bxd4, or 16 Bh5 g6 17 exf5! Bxf5 (not 17 ... gxh5? 18 Qxh5 and White wins) 18 Rxf5 gxf5 19
Bxe8 Rxe8 20 Qf3 with only a slight advantage to White in either case.
16 ... Bf8 17 Qc2
A simple developing move, threatening both e- and f-pawns simultaneously while
maintaining the tension.
The alternative is to to play in the spirit of Philidor and build a pawn chain on the
queenside with 17 b4!, at the same time planning to expand in the centre with d4-d5. Black is
practically forced to continue 17 ... fxe4 18 Bxe4 Be6 19 dxe5, when White has a clean extra
pawn. Nevertheless, if Black continues 19 ... g6, followed by ... Bg7, ... Rad8 and so forth,
perhaps throwing in ... a7-a5 as well, when it is not so easy for White to make progress. It is
perhaps unsurprising that Réti prefers a dynamic approach to a materialistic one, and his
decision quickly pays off.
17 ... exd4??
It is a horrible mistake to open up the position, since White’s pieces are far more active
on the files and diagonals.
Black should have tried 17 ... f4!, intending to meet 18 dxe5?! fxg3 19 hxg3 with a classic
exchange sacrifice 19 ... Rxe5! 20 Bxe5 Qxe5 21 Kg2 Bxc5, which gives him good play on
the dark squares, reminiscent of the famous game L.Polugaevsky-T.V.Petrosian, USSR
Championship, Moscow 1983. GM Ivan Sokolov tells an amusing anecdote on this theme in
his new book Ivan’s Chess Journey Games and Stories. Playing White against Rafael
Vaganian at Sarajevo 1987, Sokolov was lured into accepting an exchange sacrifice for the
cost of the dark squares. After the game Polugaevsky explained to him that he was a
“miserable patzer” who did not understand anything about chess, “not having the slightest clue
about positional exchange sacrifices”.
Naturally, White should decline this one as well in favour of simply 18 gxf4 exf4 19 Kh1,
aiming to build up behind his strong centre – an “absolute centre” as Euwe would have called
it – and advance it at an appropriate moment. All the same, now that White’s king has been
slightly exposed, Black would have better chances than in the game.
18 exf5 Rad8
18 ... Re5, hoping for 19 Bxd4 Bxf5!, is answered by 19 Qc4+! Kh8 20 Bxd4! (Alekhine’s
20 f6 is less convincing after 20 ... Be6!) 20 ... Rxf5 21 Be4 Rxf1+ 22 Rxf1 and a very
picturesque position arises. Every one of White’s pieces is more active than its black
counterpart, and almost every spot on the black kingside (such as h7, g7, f7 and f8) can be
regarded as a serious weakness.
19 Bh5
The simple 19 Bxd4 wins as well, since 19 ... Bxf5 20 Qxf5 Rxd4 fails to 21 Bh5! Rd5
(or 21 ... g6 22 Bxg6) 22 Qf7+! and White wins a whole rook.
19 ... Re5 20 Bxd4 Rxf5?
Capitulation. Black had to to try 20 ... Rd5 21 Qc4 Kh8 22 Bf3! Rxd4 (after 22 ... Rxf5
23 Be4 Rg5 24 Rf7, Black position is completely paralysed) 23 Qxd4 Bxf5 with a pawn for
the exchange, but it would not be enough; for example, after 24 Qe3 b6 25 cxb6 axb6 26
Rac1! Bc5 27 Rxc5 bxc5 28 Qxc5, White is winning easily.
Exercise: Do you see the forced win? Actually, there are two key variations
each involving a clever bishop move.
Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine (1892-1946) was the fourth official world champion,
and was the only man to die while in possession of the title, which he won by defeating
Capablanca at Buenos Aires in 1927 by the score of 6-3 (discounting the 25 draws). He was
also a great writer on chess; his best books are My Best Games Of Chess 1908-1937, New
York 1924, and New York 1927, which every student, aspiring of mastership, should read
from first cover to last.
Réti described Alekhine’s character as follows: “He is even for the hustling times of
today, an incredibly nervous man, always restless, even when playing chess. The dry
methodical process, of which the chess technique then consisted, did not suit him.” To a
certain degree Alekhine played anti-positional chess, giving priority to the dynamic element in
order to make room for more complicated and combinative play; but he could never have won
the title in 1927 if he had not learned how to adapt to and play like Capablanca as well.
Prior to the game below Réti had faced Alekhine six times in tournaments from 1922-24,
scoring five draws and one loss (in the first cycle in New York).
Game 33
R.Réti-A.Alekhine
New York (round 13) 1924
London System
1 Nf3 g6
It seems a heavyweight hypermodern battle is in store as both players begin by controlling
the centre with pieces, or preparing to do so – until, with his next move, Réti switches again to
a classical approach.
2 d4
In the tournament book Alekhine recommends 2 e4, with the argument that it practically
forces Black to play 2 ... c5. This comment reveals that, even while classical axioms were
undergoing severe scrutiny, openings such as the Modern Defence (2 ... Bg7 3 d4 d6) were
still considered too radical to be sound.
2 ... Nf6 3 Bf4
The London System seems less suitable when Black is not yet committed to ... d7-d5,
since the h2-b8 diagonal can be shut down with ... d7-d6 at any time, after which the London
bishop’s future does not look bright. It even risks becoming a slight liability, since ... e7-e5
with gain of tempo may come later as well.
3 ... Bg7 4 h3
Although this is a non-developing move, it is an important part of White’s set-up, since it
secures the bishop from an unfavourable exchange by a timely ... Nh5.
4 ... c5
Alekhine plays the most logical move, striving to enhance the strength of the fianchettoed
bishop. It also opens a path for the queen to try and exploit dark square weaknesses in
White’s position, such as the undefended b2-pawn.
5 e3 b6
Alekhine rejects the queen excursion, blocking its path, and prepares a queenside
fianchetto as well. This is a sensible decision, giving priority to the development of the minor
pieces, while controlling the centre. Notice that he is essentially adopting Réti’s own
formation as White from the previous two games with reversed colours, and in fact Réti had
played the same way himself against Dawid Janowski a few rounds earlier.
Nevertheless, 5 ... Qb6 is fully playable and is best met by 6 Nc3!, defending the b2-
pawn indirectly since 6 ... Qxb2?! 7 Nb5 is in White’s favour. The main point of the
aggressive queen move is not to grab the pawn necessarily but to provoke a concession:
either prompting White to defend it clumsily with 6 b3 or 6 Qc1, or block the path of the c-
pawn with the knight, when it is no longer possible to set up the solid pawn c3/d4/e3 triangle,
limiting the scope of the g7-bishop.
6 Nbd2
Réti continues with standard London development. A more aggressive option is the space-
gaining 6 d5, opening the path for Black’s g7-bishop but blocking the long light diagonal and
making ... b7-b6 a wasted move. White might continue c2-c4, Nc3, Bd3, e3-e4 and so forth.
Instead, the earlier Réti-Janowski game (in round nine) saw 6 c4 cxd4 7 exd4 0-0 8 Nc3
d5! 9 Be2 Bb7 10 b3 Ne4 11 Rc1 Nxc3 12 Rxc3 dxc4 13 bxc4 Nc6 (White is already worse
since his ‘hanging’ pawns at c4 and d4 are anything but strong) 15 c5 Qd5 16 0-0 Qxa2 17
Re1 Qd5 18 Bf1?! Ba6! 19 Rc3 Bxf1 20 Kxf1 Nc6 21 Be3 Rfd8 22 Qc1? (he cannot allow
Black’s next move) 22 ... b5! (now the connected passed pawns are decisive) 23 Rd1 b4 24
Rc2 a5 25 Ng1 a4 26 Ne2 b3 27 Rcd2 a3 28 Nf4 b2 29 Qc3 Qf5 30 Nd3 Bxd4 31 Bxd4
Rxd4 32 Kg1
Answer: With the double sacrifice 32 ... Rxd3! (32 ... Qxd3! is even more dramatic) 33
Rxd3 Qxd3! 34 Qxd3 a2 and the game did not last much longer.
6 ... Bb7 7 Bd3
Alekhine suggested 7 c3 as more precise, keeping the option of Bc4.
7 ... 0-0 8 0-0 d6 9 c3 Nbd7
Both players have developed all their minor pieces towards the centre, and for the
moment the pawn structure is dynamic and flexible.
Question: How should White continue?
Answer: 10 Qe2
This move is associated with the exchange of bishops by Ba6, which is in White’s interest
since Black’s queenside light squares will be weakened as a result. Other good moves are:
the prophylactic 10 Bh2 (ahead of a possible ... e7-e5); the formation of a classical centre
with 10 e4; and the sensible-looking 10 Qc2, connecting the rooks.
10 ... Rc8?!
Alekhine ‘develops’ his rook, without revealing his plans in the centre. The question is
what the rook is actually doing on c8 while the white c-pawn remains at c3.
Objectively, the critical line is 10 ... cxd4 11 exd4 (presumably Alekhine did not like the
symmetrical 11 cxd4, even if 11 ... e5! does equalize) 11 ... e5! 12 dxe5 dxe5 13 Bg5 (not 13
Nxe5?? Nh5 or 13 Bxe5?? Re8 and White loses material, while 13 Bh2? e4 leads to the
forcing variation 14 Nxe4 Nxe4 15 Bxe4 Re8 16 Nd2 Nc5 17 f3 Ba6 18 Nc4 Qe7 19 b3
Bxc3 20 Rac1 Nxe4 21 fxe4 Bd4+ 22 Kh1 Qxe4, when Black emerges a pawn ahead and with
two strong bishops) 13 ... h6 14 Bxf6 (and not 14 Bh4? g5 15 Bg3 e4! etc) 14 ... Nxf6 15 Ba6
Bxa6 16 Qxa6 Nd5! and Black is very comfortable, possessing a strong e5-pawn which
creates an outpost on f4 for his knight.
11 a4?!
White plans to open the a-file for his rook with a4-a5xb6, while creating weaknesses on
the black queenside. It is an understandable reaction to Alekhine’s last move. The drawback
is that it ignores the situation in the centre which is still dynamic. According to Steinitz’s
principles, the centre needs to be stable before entering such flank attacks, so the careful 11
Bh2! looks like the correct move here.
11 ... Re8?!
This is definitely a good moment for 11 ... cxd4 12 exd4 (12 cxd4 e5! would justify the
rook’s placement on c8) 12 ... e5! 13 dxe5 dxe5 14 Bg5 h6 15 Bxf6 Nxf6 16 Ba6 Bxa6 17
Qxa6 Qc7, followed by ... Nd5, with much the same assessment as before; since the inclusion
of a2-a4 and ... Rc8 has not really altered anything.
12 Ba6
12 ... Qc7
The alternative is 12 ... Bxa6 13 Qxa6 e5 14 Bh2, when Black can choose between a
blocked position after 14 ... e4 15 Ne1, or an open one with 14 ... exd4 15 exd4 cxd4 16
cxd4 (or 16 Nxd4 Nc5) 16 ... Rc6, followed by ... Qc8 (note that 17 Qxa7?? Qc8 and 18 ...
Rc7 traps the queen). In either case Black has a reasonable game, but Alekhine probably did
not like the fact that the London bishop has to a certain extent been released.
13 a5 cxd4
Another option is simply to take the pawn with 13 ... bxa5, opening the b-file for the
heavy pieces. For instance, if White seeks to regain the pawn at once with 14 Qb5?! then 14
... Rb8 15 Qxa5 Qxa5 16 Rxa5 Bxa6 17 Rxa6 Rxb2 18 Rxa7 Rc2 19 Nb1 Nb6 gives Black
the advantage due to his more active pieces. Once again, White should resort to 14 Bh2, when
14 ... cxd4 15 exd4 Bxa6 16 Qxa6 Qb6 17 Qxa5 Qxb2 18 Rfc1 Qb6 19 Qxa7 is pretty much
equal.
14 exd4 e5 15 dxe5 dxe5
Question: Where should White place the London bishop?
16 Be3?!
The bishop should stay on its ‘own’ diagonal; whereas on e3 it is exposed an attack from
the f6-knight.
Answer: 16 Bh2 is correct, keeping the pressure on the central pawn. After 16 ... Bxa6 17
Qxa6 Nc5 18 axb6 axb6 19 Qb5, the position again is about equal.
16 ... Nd5
Decentralizing the white queen first with 16 ... Bxa6 17 Qxa6 before 17 ... Nd5 might be
even stronger.
17 axb6 axb6 18 Bxb7 Qxb7 19 Rfd1 e4 20 Nd4 f5??
An incredible mistake from a player of Alekhine’s calibre. The correct move is 20 ...
Nxe3 21 Qxe3 (or 21 fxe3 Ne5) and only then 21 ... f5, or indeed something else such as 21
... Nc5 or 21 ... Qd5.
Exercise: What is the problem with Alekhine’s move?
Answer: 21 Nb5!
Suddenly White threatens a family fork with Nd6, while the positional threats of Ra7 and
Nc4 also have to be taken into consideration. Black is actually already lost. If he had
exchanged on e3 first, he could have answered Nb5 with ... Qd5, but here the knight is still in
the way.
21 ... f4?!
Trying to save the exchange only leads to other material losses. For example:
a) 21 ... Bf8? 22 Ra7 Qc6 23 Nd4 Qd6 24 Nc4 Qe7 25 Nxf5 wins an important pawn
with more material to come.
b) 21 ... Be5? 22 Nc4 Qc6 23 Nxe5 Rxe5 24 Bh6! (24 Na7 Qc4 is less precise) and
White completely dominates the position. The immediate threat is 25 c4 Qxc4? 26 Qxc4
Rxc4 27 Ra8+ Kf7 28 Nd6+ and wins.
c) 21 ... Rc6? 22 Ra7 Qc8 23 Nc4! Rxc4 24 Nd6 and Black is busted.
d) 21 ... Re6? 22 Ra7 Qc6 23 Nb3! Re7 24. Bg5 Rf7 25 N3d4 Bxd4 (Black cannot
suspend this anymore) 26 Rxd4 and something will drop off soon.
e) 21 ... Qb8? 22 Nxe4! again wins in view of Black’s two undefended knights on the d-
file; if 22 ... Nxe3 then 23 Rxd7 Nc4 (or 23 ... Rxe4 24 Nd6) 24 Qd1! Rxe4 25 Raa7 wins.
f) 21 ... Nxe3! 22 fxe3 Ne5 23 Nd6 Qc6 24 Nxe8 Rxe8 is relatively best, when Black’s
strong centralized position offers some compensation for the exchange. However, the white
rooks also have plenty of play on the a-file, so the material deficit should tell in the end.
22 Nd6 Qc6 23 Nxe8 Rxe8
Taking the bishop leads by mass exchanges to a winning rook endgame for White: 23 ...
fxe3 24 Nxg7 exd2 25 Qxd2 N5f6 26 Ra7 (26 Qh6!? is possible too) 26 ... Kxg7 27 Rxd7+
Qxd7 28 Qxd7+ Nxd7 29 Rxd7+ Kf6. Here White has the very pleasant choice of how he
wants to pick up a second pawn. He can play 30 Kf1, concentrating on the e4-pawn; or 30
Rd6+ Ke5 31 Rxb6 with two passed pawns on the queenside; or lastly 30 Rxh7 Rd8 31 Rb7,
keeping the pressure on the black position.
Exercise: What is the most efficient way to convert White’s advantage?
Answer: 24 Qc4!
Ahead in material, Réti follows the model of Morphy and plays for the exchange of
queens, in order to remove all the tactical chances from his opponent. Perhaps Alekhine
hoped for 24 Bd4?! Bxd4 25 cxd4 N7f6 with a slightly more resistant position, since 26
Qc4?! can now be met by 26 ... Qd7.
24 ... Ne5
Once again the vulnerable black knights on the d-file show the tactical point: 24 ... Qxc4
25 Nxc4 fxe3 26 Rxd5 and wins.
25 Qxc6 Nxc6 26 Nc4
Unprotected minor pieces are desirable objects for hungry rooks on open files.
26 ... Nxc3 27 bxc3 fxe3 28 Nxe3 Bxc3
Question: Can you see how White wins by force?
Baden-Baden 1925 was the first international in Germany after WWI. It was a very strong
21-man event and, together with St Petersburg 1914, Carlsbad 1923 and New York 1924, is
considered one of the finest chess tournaments ever held. Alekhine came clear first,
undefeated, with 16 points out of 20. Rubinstein was second on 14½, while Réti finished mid-
table, scoring 50 percent. It was here that Alekhine played his extraordinary masterpiece
against Réti, mentioned above, for which you might check Steve Giddins’ book, Alekhine:
Move By Move.
Réti’s opponent in the second round was the Viennese master, Ernst Grünfeld (1893-
1962), who was ranked 5th in the world at that time, according to Chessmetrics, with an
estimated rating of 2698. After WWI, Grünfeld was consistently regarded as one of the ten
best players in the world. He was awarded the grandmaster title in 1950, and represented his
country four times in Olympiads from 1927 to 1935.
As one of the leading exponents of the hypermodern movement, Grünfeld is important for
the development of opening theory, especially the invention of his eponymous defence (1 d4
Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 d5). It is not clear why he is not included in the books by Réti. Perhaps it
is because, in slightly contradictory fashion, Grünfeld generally avoided complications and
preferred sound play. He also wrote a book about the Queen’s Gambit, so from that point of
view, he might seem to represent classical theories rather than hypermodern ones. At Baden-
Baden, Grünfeld was placed 8th with 11½ points.
Game 34
R.Réti-E.Grünfeld
Baden-Baden (round 2) 1925
English Opening (by transposition)
1 g3
This opening move is slightly unusual and gives Black more options than 1 Nf3, not least
the move he plays in the game. One possibility White keeps open is that of f2-f4. The Danish
GM Bent Larsen and Swedish GM Lars Karlsson played the Leningrad Dutch (1 d4 f5,
followed by ... g7-g6 and ... Bg7) with a move in hand, from time to time.
1 ... e5
Perhaps the most principled move, seizing space in the centre. It also effectively stops
any ideas of f2-f4 at an early stage. (2 f4? exf4 3 gxf4?? Qh4 mate would be embarrassing.)
2 Bg2
A good alternative is 2 c4, transposing to an English set-up recommended by the
Romanian GM Mihail Marin.
In the first round, Réti played 2 Nf3!? against Alekhine, who curiously later wrote: “An
experiment which Réti never repeated after the present game” – which is untrue because he
repeated 2 Nf3 against Ilya Rabinovich in round 15! There a quiet opening eventually led to
an exciting endgame, which was drawn after 68 moves. In any case, after 2 ... e4 3 Nd4 d5 4
d3 exd3 5 Qxd3 Nf6 6 Bg2 Bb4+ 7 Bd2 Bxd2+ 8 Nxd2 0-0 9 c4, Réti got a perfectly good
position against Alekhine too.
An inferior experiment was 2 d4?!, which he played against Sämisch in round 13. After 2
... exd4 3 Qxd4 Nc6 4 Qa4 Bc5, Black already had a very comfortable position. Réti was
unrecognizable, playing a string of almost novice-type moves, and was duly crushed.
2 ... Nf6
Grünfeld declines to complete his classical centre with 2 ... d5, which again is perhaps the
most principled move. White generally continues with 3 d3, setting up a reversed Pirc or
Modern Defence. Instead, in a later game against Rubinstein at Marienbad 1925, Réti
repeated his dubious idea of 3 d4?! exd4 4 Qxd4 and came out of the opening with another
very bad position, though he managed to draw this time.
3 Nf3?!
This idea, inspired by Alekhine’s Defence (1 e4 Nf6), was a speciality of Réti, who also
played 1 c4 e5 2 Nf3!? several times. White wants to provoke the e-pawn forward, deeper
into his territory, and then target it with d2-d3. The problem of course is the time wasted with
the harassed king’s knight, which lacks wholly secure flight squares; when his opponents took
up the challenge with ... e5-e4, Réti generally lost. Either 3 c4 or 3 d3 is more solid.
3 ... Nc6?!
It is not clear why the great opening specialist refrained from the critical move 3 ... e4.
The expected move, in the spirit of Alekhine’s Defence, is 4 Nd4 – and Réti always did
meet ... e5-e4 in this way – but here 4 ... c5 looks very convenient for Black. The g2-bishop
is wrong-footed if Black plays aggressively in the centre with the pawns. Compare the
variation with opposite colours and it will be obvious. The Hunt Variation seems especially
good against White’s set-up, as can be seen after 5 Nb3 c4 6 Nd4 Bc5 7 c3 d5 8 d3 cxd3 9
exd3 Bg4 with a slight advantage.
The best reply is probably 4 Nh4, though it is unlikely Réti would have played it. If we
pretend he did and Black tried to trap the offside knight, the game might have continued 4 ...
d5 (the extended hunt 4 ... g5 5 Nf5 d5 6 Ne3 d4 7 Nc4 b5 8 Na3 actually looks good for
White) 5 d3 h6 6 dxe4 dxe4 7 Qxd8+ Kxd8 8 f4 with mutual chances.
4 d4 exd4
Black might still play 4 ... e4, but at least White can put his knight on e5 here.
5 Nxd4 Bc5 6 Nxc6 bxc6
Another possibility is 6 ... dxc6 7 Qxd8+ Kxd8, leading to a queenless middlegame.
Presumably this was not Grünfeld’s cup of tea.
7 c4 0-0 8 0-0 Re8 9 Nc3
By a strange transposition we have now reached a line of the English Four Knights’ Game
(1 c4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 Nf3 Nc6 4 d4 exd4 5 Nxd4 Bc5 6 Nxc6 bxc6 7 g3 and so on.)
9 ... Bf8
A subsequent game, R.Réti-D.Janowski, Semmering 1926 (which did start 1 c4 e5 etc),
deviated with 9 ... Rb8 10 b3 (10 Qc2! is more precise) 10 ... Bb7 (10 ... d5! equalizes more
straightforwardly, since 11 cxd5?! cxd5 12 Nxd5 Nxd5 13 Bxd5 is met by 13 ... Bh3 14 Bg2
Bxg2 15 Kxg2 Qd4!, followed by ... Qe4+, threatening the a1-rook as well as the e2-pawn) 11
Bb2 Qe7 12 e4 d6 13 Qc2 a6 with about equal play. Réti won a tough battle in 64 moves.
10 Bf4 Rb8 11 Qc2 Bb7
12 Rfd1!?
Answer: According to the principle of classical harmony, the correct disposition of the
rooks is to place them on the central files, which would mean that either 12 Rad1 or 12 Rfe1
is preferable, aiming to follow up with e2-e4. On the other hand, another natural plan for
White is to prepare the advance of the b-pawn, especially if Black plays ... c6-c5, in which
case the a1-rook belongs on b1. So for the moment Réti keeps the destination of his queen’s
rook unclear.
12 ... a6
Given that Grünfeld follows with ... c7-c5 next move, it seems he was concerned to
prevent Nb5, but if this was the case he could just play 12 ... c5 at once, since 13 Nb5 is
easily met by 13 ... Bxg2 14 Kxg2 Rb7. The real drawback of ... c6-c5 is the weakening of
the d5-square which might promptly be exploited by 13 Nd5! with the slightly better play for
White after Rab1, a2-a3, b2-b4 and so forth.
If 12 ... a6 was merely a waiting move, it looks a rather useless one, especially as White
can continue to improve his position quite easily and for longer. However, it’s not easy to find
a substantial improvement for Black at this point, so it must be concluded that he is already
in a bit of difficulty.
13 Rd2?!
Réti still refuses to commit himself and feints at doubling rooks on the d-file (which in
fact never comes to pass), while overprotecting the b2- and e2-pawns against Black’s own
rooks on the half-open files. Even so, 13 Rab1 looks stronger, and if 13 ... c5 then 14 Nd5
again.
13 ... c5 14 Bxb7
This exchange makes sense since the black a-pawn is now more vulnerable. 14 Nd5 is
still possible, but after 14 ... Nxd5 15 cxd5 d6, the position of the rook on d2 disrupts
White’s plans; for example, 16 Rb1 Bc8 17 a3 can be met by 17 ... g5! 18 Be3 Qf6,
threatening ... Bf5, when White’s pieces suddenly find themselves clumsily placed.
14 ... Rxb7
Answer: 19 Rd2!
The tempting 19 Nd5?! fizzles out after 19 ... Rxb2 (not 19 ... Bxb2? 20 Rd1, threatening
21 Ne7+ Kh8 22 Nc6 Qa8 23 Rd8 etc, when 20 ... Bf6 21 Nxf6+ gxf6 22 Qc6 is much worse
for Black) 20 Nxf6+ gxf6 21 Qc6 and now, for instance, 21 ... Rb1+ (21 ... Re6 22 Qd5 Qb7
23 Qh5 Rb1+ 24 Rxb1 Qxb1+ 25 Kg2 Qe4+ 26 Kh3 Qg6 may be even easier) 22 Rxb1
Qxb1+ 23 Kg2 Qe4+ 24 Qxe4 Rxe4 25 Rxc7 Rxe2 26 Rc6 Rxa2 27 Rxf6 Kg7 28 Rc6 a5 29
Rxc5 a4 30 Ra5 a3 will lead to three versus two on the kingside with a probable draw.
19 ... Bxc3
Black takes the chance to damage his opponent’s pawns. After 19 ... Rb4 20 Qa3 Rxc4
21 Qxa6 Rb4 (21 ... Bxc3 is still possible) 22 Nd5 Rxb2 23 Nxf6+ gxf6, Black’s activity
compensates for his wrecked structure, but this looks an unnatural way to play.
20 bxc3 Rb1+ 21 Rxb1
The a1-rook’s only move in this game leads to a quick death.
21 ... Qxb1+ 22 Kg2
The rook is well placed on the second rank, protecting the e2-pawn. 22 Rd1?! allows
Black even more activity after 22 ... Qe4 23 Qxa6 (or 23 e3 Re6) 23 ... Qxe2 24 Rf1 h5.
22 ... Re6
Here 22 ... Qe4+ 23 f3 Qe6! is an alternative set-up for Black’s major pieces, where the
queen protects a6 and exercises pressure on the c4- and e2-pawns. If White tries 24 e4,
threatening Qd7, then 24 ... Rb8! offers Black sufficient activity; for example, 25 Qd7 Qxc4
26 Qxc7 Rb1 27 Qd8+ Kh7 28 Qd3 Qxd3 29 Rxd3 Rb2+ 30 Kh3 Rxa2 31 Rd5 a5 32 Rxc5
a4 33 Ra5 Rc2 34 Rxa4 Rxc3 reduces it to four versus three on the kingside with another
likely draw.
Exercise: How does White proceed?
Answer: 23 Qc2!?
Presumably not liking his chances with queens on the board, Réti goes for a rook
endgame, despite the fact that Black can now level the material at once. The alternative is 23
Qb3 Qe4+ 24 f3 Qe3 25 Qc2 g6 26 Qd3 Qe5, when White consolidates his extra pawn, but
it’s not easy to see how he can make progress given his own weak pawns, especially if the
rooks leave the board.
23 ... Qxc2 24 Rxc2 Re4 25 f3
Strictly speaking 25 Kf3 Rxc4 26 e4, followed by Ke3-d3, is more accurate. Of course
this does not change the assessment of the position as equal. Black’s active rook is ample
compensation for his doubled c-pawns and the fact that White has an extra pawn on the
kingside.
25 ... Rxc4 26 e4 Kf8 27 Kf2 Ke7 28 Ke3 Ra4 29 Kd3 Kd6 30 Rb2
Although White’s rook has temporarily reappeared from behind the c3-pawn, it remains
passive since it is tied to the defence of the one on a2.
30 ... c4+?
Question: Explain in words the drawbacks to Black’s last move.
Answer: Black fixes the c3-pawn as a target but, more significantly, weakens the central
d4-square and blocks his rook on the fourth rank, allowing the white king more scope to
roam. The correct course was to consolidate his kingside position with 30 ... g5 and ... f7-f6,
when White has little hope of achieving anything.
31 Ke3
An interesting try is 31 Kd4!? c5+ (otherwise White plays e4-e5+) 32 Ke3, aiming to
exploit the newly weakened d5-square by placing a rook on that outpost. For example, 32 ...
Ra3 33 Rc2 g5 34 f4 g4 (otherwise 35 Kf3 follows) 35 Kd2 (note that this manoeuvre is only
possible because the e4-pawn is not in danger from the black rook) 35 ... h5 36 Kc1 f6 37
Kb2 Ra5 and now 38 Rd2+ Ke6 39 Rd5 with some pressure. Even so, it’s unclear how many
chances White really has after 39 ... Rb5+ 40 Ka1 a5, when a razor-sharp rook ending takes
place!
31 ... Kc5 32 f4 Ra3
Forcing the white rook to resume its passive position.
33 Rc2 g6 34 Kf3
Sending the king to b2 is ineffective without ... c7-c5 inserted; for example, 34 Kd2 f6 35
Kc1 c6 36 Kb2 Ra5 37 Rd2 activates the white rook to some degree, but after 37 ... Rb5+ 38
Kc1 Rb7, it has nowhere much to go.
34 ... Kd6 35 Ke3 Kc5
Exercise: What can White do to create problems for Black?
Answer: 36 h4!
A clever move. White plans to expand with g3-g4 or, when circumstances are right, to
disrupt the opposing kingside with h4-h5. Black cannot just ignore the white pawn majority or
it might win the game on its own.
36 ... h5?
Grünfeld prevents both pawn moves, but at the cost of weakening his kingside even
further. It was better to allow White to carry out his idea, even if it looks risky for Black. For
instance:
a) 36 ... Ra5 is met by 37 h5! gxh5 38 Rh2 Kd6 39 Kd4 f6 40 Kxc4 Rc5+ 41 Kd3 and
White should have good winning chances considering Black’s dreadful pawn structure.
b) 36 ... Kd6 37 Kd4 Ra4 38 e5+ Ke6 and now once again 39 h5! gxh5 40 Rh2 f6 41
Rxh5 fxe5+ 42 Rxe5+ Kf6 43 Rh5 Kg6 44 Rc5 Rxa2 45 Ke4! and so forth.
37 f5!
A very strong break at the right moment. It vacates the f4-square for the white king, with
the destination g5 as the main goal.
37 ... gxf5
The alternative defence 37 ... Kd6 38 Kf4 Ra5 is met by 39 Rd2+! (not yet 39 Kg5? Ke5!
with sufficient counterplay) 39 ... Ke7 40 Kg5, and if 40 ... Ra3 then 41 fxg6 fxg6 42 Rc2
Kf7 43 Kh6! and Black will eventually have to give way. Even the remarkable idea 43 ... c6
44 Kh7 a5 45 Kh6 a4 46 e5 c5 47 e6+ Kf6 48 e7 Kxe7 49 Kxg6 Rb3!? 50 Kxh5 a3 fails after
51 Rc1 Rb2 52 Ra1 Rc2 53 g4 Rxc3 54 Kh6 etc.
38 exf5 Kd6 39 Kf4 f6
Bringing the rook back with 39 ... Ra5 is hopeless after 40 Kg5 Ke7 41 Re2+ Kf8 42 Re4
Rc5 43 Rf4 and the h5-pawn is doomed.
Exercise: How does White continue to play for a win?
Answer: 40 g4!
This further break creates a outside passed pawn which forces Black to scurry back
hurriedly with his king.
40 ... hxg4 41 Kxg4 Ke7 42 h5 Kf7 43 h6 Kg8 44 Kh5 Kh7 45 Rd2?!
Réti perhaps played this for aesthetic reasons. The rook has had a passive function since
move 19 when it was placed on d2, and now it is activated with strong effect on the same
square!
Nevertheless, 45 Re2! was more precise, when 45 ... Rxc3 46 Re7+ Kh8 47 Kg6 Rg3+ 48
Kxf6 c5 (as in the game) is met by 49 Re2! c3 50 Ke7 Rd3 51 f6 Rd2 52 Rxd2! cxd2 53 f7
c1Q 54 f8Q+ with mate next move. If Black instead tries 46 ... Kg8 47 Kg6 Rg3+ 48 Kxf6
Rh3, then 49 h7+! Kh8 (or 49 ... Rxh7? 50 Re8 mate) 50 Rxc7 c3 51 a4 a5 52 Ke5 Re3+ 53
Kf4 Re2 (or 53 ... Rh3 54 f6) 54 Rxc3 Kxh7 55 Rc5 and Rxa5 wins for White.
45 ... Rxc3 46 Rd7+ Kh8 47 Kg6 Rg3+ 48 Kxf6 c5!
Black should not allow the rook to capture the pawn on the seventh rank, where it limits
the mobility of his king.
49 Rc7?!
Here, too, it was simpler to bring the rook back with 49 Rd2!, when play continues 49 ...
c3 50 Re2 Rd3 51 Kg6! (not now 51 Ke7? Rd2! and draws since Black has gained a tempo)
51 ... Rg3+ 52 Kf7 Rd3 53 Rc2! Kh7 54 f6 Rf3 (or 54 ... Kxh6 55 Rh2+ Kg5 56 Kg7) 55 Ke7
Re3+ 56 Kf8 Rf3 57 f7 Re3 and now White just passes until Black runs out of pawn moves:
58 a4 a5 59 Rc1 c4 60 Rc2 Rd3, after which 61 Re2 Rd2 62 Re1 c2 63 Ke8 Rd1 64 Re7 c1Q
65 f8Q+ wins.
49 ... c3 50 Rxc5 Kh7
Exercise: What is White’s correct continuation?
51 Kf7??
Advancing the king at once is a serious error.
Answer: Réti should have played 51 Rc8!, preventing Black from taking the h6-pawn.
The main variation runs 51 ... Rh3 52 a4 a5 (or 52 ... Rxh6+ 53 Ke7 Rh3 54 f6 Re3+ 55 Kf8
Kg6 56 f7) 53 Kg5 Rg3+ 54 Kf4 Rh3 55 Kg4 Rxh6 56 Rxc3 and White is winning, as
confirmed by the tablebases.
51 ... Kxh6
Black has re-established material equality, so the question now is whether White can force
his f-pawn through, and the theoretical answer is “no”.
52 f6 Rf3 53 a4
Exercise: Black to play and draw.
53 ... Rd3??
A losing move. The key to the exercise can perhaps only be found through logical
deduction. What can Black actually do here? He cannot move his king (53 ... Kh7 54 Rh5 is
mate); nor his c-pawn since it just gets taken, as also occurs if he moves the rook on the f-file;
the rook cannot leave the f-file either, since White wins after 34 Kf8 and 35 f7. Knowing that
this is a puzzle then helps, since Black only has one possibility left.
Answer: The unlikely-looking solution is 53 ... a5!, when 54 Rxa5 Rf4! is a forced draw;
e.g. 55 Rc5 Rxa4 56 Rxc3 Ra7+ 57 Ke8 Kg6 58 f7 Ra8+ 59 Ke7 Ra7+ and so forth. If White
tries 54 Rc6! Kh7 55 Rc4 Kh6 56 Rc5, then 56 ... Re3 (not now 56 ... Rf4?? 57 Rxc3 Rxa4
58 Rh3+ Kg5 59 Kg7 and wins, since the a-pawn blocks the rook checks) 57 Kf8 Rf3 58 f7
Kh7 59 Rxa5 c2 60 Rc5 Kg6 61 Rc6+ Rf6 62 Rxf6+ Kxf6 63 Ke8 (the fourth phase has been
initiated!) 63 ... c1Q 64 f8Q+ Kg5 and it is a draw. Black should as a rule run to the far
corner (h1 in this case) where it is less of a target for tactical tricks.
54 a5
As we just mentioned, 54 Kf8 and 55 f7 is a straightforward win, but Réti’s move wins as
well, as long as he finds the right next move.
54 ... Rf3 55 Rc6!
Which he does. It’s a perfect square for the rook, where it controls three pawns
simultaneously!
55 ... Kg5?!
Grünfeld makes it too easy. 55 ... Kh7 is a better defence, forcing White to find the
precise win. The main idea consists of putting Black in zugzwang, which can be done in
several ways. For example: 56 Rc4 (threatening mate) 56 ... Rh3 (or 56 ... Kh6 57 Rc5!) 57
Kf8 Kg6 58 f7 Rf3 59 Rc6+ Kh7 (59 ... Rf6 only works with the c-pawn on c2) 60 Rc7 Re3
61 Rc8!. A pretty move! Whatever Black plays he is lost. Note that 61 ... Kh8 is answered by
62 Re8!. With his king on h7 Black could draw by 62 ... c2, but here that fails to 63 Rxc3
c1Q 64 Rh3+ mates.
56 Kg7 1-0
One of the reasons for selecting this game was to see how Réti managed to outplay a
strong opponent in a rather equal rook ending. It is well known that Grünfeld liked the
opening phase very much, and he was considered one of the leading theoreticians of his day.
Jan Willem te Kolsté (1874-1936) was a Dutch Champion, winning the title at Utrecht in
1907, and represented his country in the 1st Chess Olympiad in 1927. According to
Chessmetrics, his highest world ranking was 35th in January 1904, with a peak rating of 2497
in September 1913. At Baden-Baden, he was either totally off form or seriously outclassed,
since he finished in last place by some margin with a meagre 1½ points.
Game 35
J.W.Te Kolsté-R.Réti
Baden-Baden (round 9) 1925
Alekhine’s Defence
1 e4 Nf6
Alekhine’s Defence was a popular opening among the hypermoderns. Réti in fact played
it in most of his games as Black at Baden-Baden and, as we saw in the previous game, he
tried several times to play it with reversed colours as well!
Alekhine seems to have first tried “his” defence in a consultation game against three of
the strongest Zürich players (A.Donegan, E.Muller and O.Zimmermann) in August 1921, and
introduced it into high-level practice at the Budapest Tournament in September of the same
year. Although 1 ... Nf6 had been played before, notably in the game A.Nimzowitsch-
A.Albin, Vienna 1905, Alekhine was the first to demonstrate that 2 e5 Nd5 (Albin played 2 ...
Ng8) 3 d6 d6 represented a valid opening strategy for Black.
2 e5 Nd5 3 Nc3
The most common continuation nowadays is 3 d4 d6 4 Nf3, which is regarded as the main
line, though Réti only faced it once in Baden (his other opponents preferred an early Nc3,
either as in the game or on move two). R.Spielmann-R.Réti (from round 14) continued 4 ...
Bg4 5 c4 (5 Be2 is the main move here) 5 ... Nb6 6 h3 Bxf3 7 Qxf3 Nc6 8 Be3 dxe5 9 dxe5
e6 10 a3 Nd7 (Black’s position is already preferable) 11 Bf4? (11 Qg3 or 11 Nc3 is the last
chance to stay in the game) 11 ... g5! (after this strong move White’s position goes quickly
downhill) 12 Bg3 Bg7 13 Nc3 Ndxe5 (Black has demolished the white pawn centre and is
effectively winning; the rest is only a matter of technique) 14 Bxe5 Bxe5 15 Rd1 Qf6 16 Qxf6
Bxf6 17 Na4 Ke7 18 Bd3 Rad8 19 Be4 Rxd1+ 20 Kxd1 Na5 21 Bd3 Rd8 22 Kc2 h6 23 Rd1
b6 24 b4 Nc6 25 Be4 Rxd1 26 Kxd1 Kd7 27 Kd2 Bd4 28 f3 Ne5 29 g4 c5 30 bxc5 bxc5 31
Kc2 Nxc4 0-1. A typical triumph for Réti and the hypermodern school.
Question: How does Black meet the threat to the knight?
Naturally, 6 ... exd6 is playable too and allows Black to develop more rapidly, but it is
less dynamic and would make a draw almost certain, since the pawns are equally distributed
across the board. Black’s kingside majority is his main asset in this game.
7 g3 Nc6 8 Be3 g6 9 Nf3 Bg7 10 Bg2 0-0
The one-move threat 10 ... Bf5, targeting c2, is neutralized by 11 Nd4 (better than 11 0-0-
0?! Be4) 11 ... Nxd4 12 cxd4 and Black cannot win a pawn since b7 is also hanging.
11 Nd4 Bd7 12 0-0
Castling long looks more logical, when the queen’s rook is developed on a central file
immediately, while the king covers the slightly damaged queenside.
12 ... Rfc8
Pinpointing a small drawback to castling kingside: the fact that c2 is unprotected gives
Black the threat of 13 ... Nxd4 14 cxd4 Rxc2.
13 Nxc6?!
There was no need to exchange the centralized knight. It was better to reinforce it with 13
Rad1.
Question: How should Black recapture?
13 ... Bxc6?!
Réti plays to remove the fianchettoed white bishop and consequently its restricting
pressure on the long diagonal.
Answer: Nevertheless, the principled 13 ... bxc6! offers a sterner test, since White’s
queenside then looks more vulnerable. An illustrative line is 14 Rfe1 Bf6!? (immediate
threats can be answered satisfactorily – e.g. 14 ... Bf5 15 Bd2 Bf6 16 Be4 or 14 ... Rab8 15
Bxa7 Rxb2 16 Rxe7 Be6 17 Bd4 – so it is better to keep them in reserve for later) 15 Bd4 (if
15 f4 then 15 ... Rab8! with an edge) 15 ... e5 16 Be3 d5 and Black has a useful initiative,
albeit not a decisive one. White might play 17 c4! Be6 18 cxd5 cxd5 19 Rad1 Rxc2 20 Bxd5
Bxd5 21 Rxd5 Rxb2 22 a4 a5 23 Bh6! Rb4 24 Red1, when 24 ... Rxa4 25 Rd6 forces a draw:
25 ... Be7 26 Rd7 Bf6 27 R7d6 etc.
14 Rad1 Bxg2 15 Kxg2 b5!
The minority attack with ... b5-b4 is Black’s natural plan, trying to cripple White’s
queenside pawns in an effective way.
16 Bd4?!
When defending against a minority attack, including a2-a3 (or ... a7-a6 as Black) is
standard. After 16 a3, Black can prepare ... b5-b4 with an immediate 16 ... a5, or be happy
controlling the light squares on the queenside, playing the consolidating ... a7-a6 at some
stage.
Question: What is the best response to White’s inexactitude?
16 ... a5?!
There is no need for further preparation.
Answer: The strongest move is 16 ... b4!, putting direct pressure on the front queenside
pawn. The only way for White to avoid ... b4xc3 is to play 17 cxb4 himself, but then 17 ...
Rxc2 establishes a strong rook on the seventh rank with a more comfortable position for
Black.
17 Bxg7 Kxg7 18 Rfe1 Kf8 19 Re4 b4 20 c4
This is the reason Black should have played 16 ... b4!. Now it is a much harder task to
profit from the half-open c-file.
20 ... Rc5 21 b3 Rac8
Réti’s idea is to play ... d6-d5 and break through on the c-file, which White prevents
straight away. Opening the a-file gives Black meagre prospects in view of the solidity of
White’s position. One possible line is 21 ... a4 22 Rd5 axb3 23 axb3 Ra2 24 Rd2 Rb2 25 f4
Ra5 26 Kf3 Raa2 27 Ree2 with completely equal game. The only way of winning such a
double rook ending is by creating two weaknesses. It is interesting to see how Réti manages
to do just that.
22 Red4 Ke8 23 Rd5?!
There is no cause to be eager about exchanging a set of rooks, especially as Black’s are
not threatening anything. If Black is going to try and arrange ... d6-d5, the only way is to play
... Kd7-c6, ... Rd8, and ... e7-e6 first, and even then it’s not clear what pushing the d-pawn
achieves. It is therefore more logical for White to centralize the king with 23 Kf3, followed by
Ke3 and f2-f4. The principled idea in practical endings is not to rush matters.
23 ... Rxd5 24 Rxd5
Question: How does Black deal with the threat to the a5-pawn?
The only difference between White having a pawn on the f-file (as after 30 Kxe3) or on
the e-file (as here) is that the file on which Black’s passed pawn arises will be swapped over.
The winning procedure is the same.
32 Ke2
Or 32 Kf4 f5 33 Kg5 Ke4 34 Kh6 Kxe3 35 Kxh7 g5, followed by 36 ... f4, and Black
queens first.
32 ... Ke4 33 Kd2 e5 34 Ke2 f5 35 Kd2 g5 36 Ke2 f4 37 exf4 exf4 38 gxf4 gxf4
The passed pawn is produced at last.
39 h4 h5 40 Kf2 f3 41 Kf1 Ke3 0-1
White resigned, since it is not possible even to create a stalemate: the a2-pawn can move,
so Black has a forced mate in six.
Jacques Mieses (1864-1954) was a German-born player, who sought refuge in England in
1937. Chessmetrics estimates his highest ranking at 9th in the world in January 1921, with a
peak rating of 2660 in August 1907. He was awarded the grandmaster title in 1950.
Mieses was mainly an attacking player with a liking for the Scandinavian Defence (1 e4
d5) and the Vienna Game (1 e4 e5 2 Nc3); in the latter, the 3 g3 variation bears his name. In a
match against Teichmann in 1910, he started two of the games with the unusual first move 1
d3, which has been known fittingly as the Mieses Opening ever since.
He was also an organizer and a respected author. In 1911 he arranged the San Sebastian
tournament, famously won by Capablanca in convincing style. Mieses insisted that
competitors’ expenses for travel and board were paid, and this practice later became routine
in the chess world. His perhaps best known book is Instructive Positions from Master Chess,
published in 1938, in which he collected and annotated entertaining positions.
At Baden-Baden, Mieses was placed 19th with 6½ points.
Game 36
J.Mieses-R.Réti
Baden-Baden (round 16) 1925
Alekhine’s Defence
1 e4 Nf6 2 Nc3
It is noteworthy that attacking players often prefer this move to the critical 2 e5 (which we
saw in the previous game); in simultaneous displays Alekhine usually played this way
himself.
2 ... d5
This response is most in the spirit of Alekhine’s Defence, continuing the pressure on the
e4-pawn. Transposing to an open game with 2 ... e5 is a sensible alternative, but Mieses
would have been very happy with that, since he was a great expert in the Vienna.
3 e5
Two rounds later, S.Rosselli del Turco-R.Réti diverged with 3 exd5 Nxd5 4 Bc4 Nxc3 5
Qf3 e6 6 bxc3?! (either of the other two recaptures is preferable) 6 ... Nd7 7 d4 Bd6 and
Black had good play. The game ended in a draw after 44 moves.
3 ... Nfd7 4 Nxd5
This simplification in the centre does not cause Black any problems whatsoever. A more
enterprising game is generated by 4 d4, 4 f4 or 4 e6!?. All these moves have been played
successfully by the attacking Swedish GM, Jonny Hector.
4 ... Nxe5 5 Ne3 Nbc6 6 Nf3
A.Nimzowitsch-R.Réti (in round 7) saw 6 b3 e6?! (there is no reason to block in the c8-
bishop; 6 ... Ng6, followed by 7 ... e5, is better) 7 Bb2 Be7 8 f4 Ng6 9 Bxg7 Rg8 10 Bb2
Nxf4 11 g3?! (here 11 Qf3 and 12 0-0-0 looks good for White) 11 ... Nd5 12 Bg2 Nxe3 13
dxe3 with mutual chances. Nimzowitsch went on to win a wild game in 44 moves.
6 ... Nxf3+ 7 Qxf3
Answer: 7 ... g6
The most logical move, planning to fianchetto the king’s bishop while keeping the c8-h3
diagonal open. Alekhine recommended the slightly odd 7 ... Qd6 8 Bb5 Bd7 9 0-0 e6 (9 ... e5
10 Re1 f6 11 c3 0-0-0 is a more active approach) 10 c3 Qe5 11 Qe2 as equal, an evaluation
which seems incorrect considering White’s space advantage and Black’s passive light-squared
bishop.
8 Bb5 Bd7 9 d4 Bg7
An important alternative is 9 ... Nxd4 10 Bxd7+ Qxd7 11 Qxb7 Rd8, according to the
concept that exchanging a flank pawn for a centre pawn is generally favourable. On the
downside, Black now has two isolated queenside pawns and, after the further 12 0-0 Bg7 13
Rd1, must find a good way to meet the threat of c2-c3. One interesting solution is the
sacrifice of a pawn by 13 ... Qe6 (exchanging queens, either on c6 or b5, is playable, but one
normally wants to avoid an ending when in possession of an inferior pawn structure) 14 Qxc7
0-0 15 Bd2 Rb8, when Black has sufficient compensation.
10 d5?!
As is clearly seen here, Mieses does not play according to the teachings of Steinitz and
Tarrasch. Most players would probably opt for 10 c3, holding the position in the centre for as
long as possible, though Black would soon challenge it with ... e7-e5 as in the following
variation: 10 ... 0-0 11 Be2 (Black was threatening ... Nxd4) 11 ... e5 (11 ... h5!? is interesting
too, both theoretically and practically, since it stops the white knight from attacking Black’s
king position with a timely Ng4) 12 dxe5 Nxe5 (sacrificing the b7-pawn in return for the
initiative) 13 Qxb7 a5! (after 13 ... Bc6 14 Qa6, it is harder for Black to prove compensation)
14 0-0 Bc6 15 Qb3 a4, followed by ... Re8 with good play.
Another idea is to exchange the c6-knight before pushing the d-pawn. Then 10 Bxc6 Bxc6
11 d5 Bd7 12 0-0 0-0 13 Rd1 Qe8 leads to a position where Black can consider either ... f7-
f5 or ... e7-e5 or both.
10 ... Nd4 11 Bxd7+ Qxd7 12 Qd1
12 ... 0-0-0!?
The king looks slightly insecure here, since it lacks defensive minor pieces; in particular,
the a7-pawn is unprotected, and it is more risky to carry out the ... c7-c6 break.
Answer: Compare this with the safer and superior option of castling kingside. After the
further 12 ... 0-0 13 0-0 Rad8, Black has a flexible position and can work with different plans,
such as ... Nf5-d6, or ... Rfe8 and either ... c7-c6 or ... e7-e6.
13 0-0 Kb8
Understandably, Réti wants to protect the a7-pawn and complete the process of long
castling, though it does cost him a move. Instead, Black might initiate active play with 13 ...
f5!?. After 14 c3 f4 15 cxd4 (15 Ng4? f3! 16 gxf3 Nf5 only plays into Black’s hands) 15 ...
fxe3 16 Bxe3 Rhf8!, followed by ... Rf5 and ... Rxd5, Black’s heavy pieces are tripled on the
d-file with maximum pressure on the d4-pawn.
14 c4?!
It was better to play 14 c3 Nf5, first removing the centralized knight, and only then 15 c4.
Obviously White is not afraid of 15 ... Nxe3 16 Bxe3 Bxb2, which just opens the b-file
against the black king.
14 ... e6 15 Rb1?
White moves his rook off the a1-h8 diagonal and prepares to attack with b2-b4, but he
really does not have time for this. He needs to complete development or risk being seriously
worse: 15 Bd2 and 16 Bc3 is correct, attacking the knight. For example, if 15 ... f5 16 Bc3
c5, then White can try 17 Rb1 Rhe8 (or 17 ... f4 18 Bxd4 Bxd4 19 dxe6 Qxe6 20 Nd5) 18 b4
exd5 19 cxd5 f4 20 bxc5! and so forth. Black should perhaps prefer the calmer approach 15
... exd5 16 Nxd5 Ne6 17 Bc3 Bxc3 18 Nxc3 Qc6 19 Qa4! Qxa4 20 Nxa4 Rd2 with a slight
advantage in view of the rook on the seventh.
15 ... Rhe8 16 Kh1
Mieses plays this prophylactic move to avoid variations like 16 b4 exd5 17 Nxd5 Ne2+
18 Kh1 Qf5 or 16 Bd2 exd5 17 Nxd5 Ne2+ 18 Kh1 c6 with good winning chances for Black,
who has tremendous activity in either case.
22 ... Qxb3?
Exchanging queens is still good for Black, but it is not the best.
Answer: 22 ... Qe4! takes advantage of the unstable e3-knight. After 23 Rd1 Kc8! (not
yet 23 ... Nxf4?? due to 24 Rxd8+ Rxd8 25 Rxf4 Qxf4? 26 Bg3 and the queen is lost) 24 Bh4
Rxd1 25 Rxd1 Bd4 (the white knight is the prime target) 26 Qd3 Qxe3 27 Qxe3 Bxe3 28 Re1
Bxf4 29 Rxe2 e5, Black has picked up a pawn and wins with four versus two on the kingside.
Passive defence with 23 Bf2 does not help either: 23 ... Rd3 24 Qa4 Red8 25 Rbe1 (25
Nd5? is refuted by 25 ... Bd4!) 25 ... Nc3 (not 25 ... Rxe3? 26 Rxe2! Rxe2 27 Qxa7+ and
White draws by perpetual check) 26 Qb3 Rd2! 27 b5 Bd4 28 Ng4 Re2 29 Ne3 h6!, followed
by ... g6-g5. White’s position collapses altogether when Black advances on the kingside while
keeping complete domination in the centre.
23 Rxb3?
It is better to recapture with the pawn. After 23 axb3, a plausible line is 23 ... Rd3 24
Nc2 Nc3 25 Bxc3 Rxc3 26 Ne1 e5 27 fxe5 Bxe5 28 b5 Kc7 29 Rf3, when Black’s entire
army is superior but at least there is no forced win.
23 ... Nc1! 24 Ra3?
Objectively, 24 Rb1 Nxa2 25 c5 is the best option now, though White is just a pawn
down.
24 ... Bb2 25 Ra4
Question: How to improve the placing of the black pieces?
31 ... Nc3
Answer: Instead of bothering about the misplaced rook, Black could have kept the knight
on e4 and exploited the vulnerable kingside by breaking through with 31 ... g5!. There is no
good defence: White cannot keep the f4-pawn by playing 32 g3 now, since 32 ... gxf4 33 Rxf4
(or 33 gxf4 Rd2+ 34 Ng2 Rg8) 33 ... Rd2+ 34 Ng2 R8d3, followed by ... Be5, wins material.
32 Ra6 Ne2
One cannot help noticing that Réti certainly enjoys the escapades of the extremely
versatile knight!
33 Bf2 Bc1
Black might also play 33 ... Kb7 (moving off the h2-b8 diagonal) 34 b5 Rc8 with lasting
pressure against c4, e3 and f4. Not yet 34 ... Nxf4? since 35 c5! and 36 Nc4 gives White
counterplay.
34 Re1 Bxe3 35 Rxe2 Bxf4+ 36 g3 Rd2
Another way to win is 36 ... Bc7 37 Rxe6 Rd2, followed by ... R8d3; for example, 38 Kg1
R8d3 39 Re8+ Kb7 40 b5 Bxg3 41 Re7+ Kc8 42 Bxg3 Rxg3+ 43 Kf1 Rxh3 44 Kg1 Rc3 45
Re8+ Kd7 46 Re1 Rxc4 47 Rxa7+ Kd6 48 Rxh7 Rxa2 with two extra pawns, but there is no
need to allow the white rooks to become active.
37 Rxd2
Exercise (calculation): How should Black recapture?
37 ... Bxd2?!
With this move Réti allows his opponent some counterplay after all.
Answer: Considering that White’s rook is out of play it is worth investigating whether the
forced rook endgame after 37 ... Rxd2! is a win or a draw: 38 gxf4 (38 Kg1 Kb7 39 Ra3 Bc7,
followed by ... e6-e5, is an easy win) 38 ... Rxf2+ 39 Kg3 Rc2 40 c5 (White must try to
activate his pieces to the utmost, the rook as well as the king) 40 ... Rc3+ 41 Kh4 Kb7 42
Ra4 b5 43 Ra5 a6 44 Kg5 (44 a4 leads to a lost pawn ending: 44 ... Ra3 45 axb5 Rxa5 46
c6+ Kc7 47 b6+ Kxb6 48 bxa5+ Kxc6 and so on) 44 ... Rxh3 45 c6+ Kxc6 (the materialistic
approach 45 ... Kb6 46 c7 Rc3 47 Ra3 Rxc7 48 Re3 Rc6 wins too, when Black has three
extra pawns; after all it is always possible to give back a portion of the material!) 46 Rxa6+
Kd5 47 Rb6 Kc4 48 Rxe6 Kxb4 and Black, two pawns to the good with an active position,
should win without too much trouble. One idea is ... Rh5+ followed by ... Rh4, forcing the
king to e5, when ... Rg4 and ... h7-h5 improves the situation on the kingside.
38 c5!
Suddenly White gets a share of the play, and his rook on a6 has turned from highly
questionable to a pretty active one, exercising pressure on the sixth rank!
38 ... Kb7 39 b5 Ba5!
This is Réti’s ingenious idea, trapping the white rook once again while defending b6.
40 c6+
Question: How does Black respond to the check?
40 ... Kb8?
Answer: Why on earth did Réti allow the rook to come back into the game when 40 ...
Ka8 keeps it trapped and, as it seems, eternally? Perhaps he reasoned that the king and the
bishop are trapped pieces too! But the truth is that the rook and two extra pawns on the
kingside should be enough to win, and the a5-bishop is not so poorly situated anyway.
A few possible lines help to demonstrate this state of affairs: 41 Kg2 Rd3! (it is easier to
start the advance of the kingside pawns if the e3-square is under control; note that the a2-
pawn is taboo: 41 ... Rd2 42 Kf1 Rxa2?? runs into 43 Bxb6!, exploiting the fact that both the
pawn and bishop are pinned; such a trick probably influenced Réti to refrain from the
variation) 42 a4! (42 Kf1 e5 43 h4 Rc3! 44 Ke2 Rc2+ 45 Kf1 Kb8 46 a4 Rc4 is much the
same as line ’b’ below)
a) 42 ... e5 43 Bxb6! (the point of White’s play) 43 ... Bxb6 44 a5 Rd2+! 45 Kf1 (not 45
Kf3?? Rf2 mate) 45 ... Bxa5 (Black cannot allow the queenside pawns to advance any
further) 46 Rxa5 Kb8 47 c7+ Kc8! 48 Rxa7 Rb2 49 Ra8+ Kxc7 50 Ra7+ Kd6 51 Rxh7 Kd5
52 Rg7 Ke4 53 Ra7 Rxb5 54 Ra4+ Kd5, when Black has practical winning chances but no
more than that.
b) 42 ... Rc3! 43 Bd4 (the sacrifice 43 Bxb6? does not work with the rook on the c-file:
Black responds 43 ... Bxb6 44 a5 Bd4 45 b6 Rxc6! 46 Rxa7+ Kb8 47 Rxh7 Rc2+, followed
by ... Ra2 etc) 43 ... Rc4 44 Be3 e5 45 h4 (White has managed to halt the majority) 45 ... h5!
(so Black changes plan and targets the g3-pawn as well as all the white pawns on the
queenside!) 46 Bf2 (passing) 46 ... Kb8 47 Be3 Rxa4 48 c7+ Kc8 (certainly not 48 ... Kxc7??
49 Rxa7+ Kd6 50 Bxb6) 49 Rxa7 Rb4 50 Ra8+ Kxc7 51 Rg8 Rg4!. (the point of 45 ... h5! is
now seen; 52 ... f4 is threatened) 52 Kf2 Kd6 53 Rb8 Rb4 54 Bxb6 Rb2+! 55 Kf1 Bc3 (not 55
... Rxb5? 56 Bc7+ Kc6 57 Rxb5 Kxb5 58 Bxe5 with an elementary draw) 56 Rg8 (or 56 Be3
Kd5 and so on) 56 ... Rxb5 57 Rxg6+ Kd5 and Black wins by bringing up his king.
41 c7+ Kxc7 42 Rxa7+ Kd6 43 Rxh7 Ke5
Question: Make an assessment of the position!
Answer: Material is equal, but Black still has a strong initiative due to his more active
king and threats of activating the rook with ... Rd2. White must play precisely to handle the
problems confronting him.
44 Rb7?
This natural move is actually a mistake since it ignores the combined strength of Black’s
king, rook and kingside pawns. After the correct 44 Rh6!, hitting another weakness in Black’s
camp, it is not possible for the black king to become so active, since after 44 ... Rd2 45 Kg1
Ke4, White now has 46 Rh4+ Kf3 47 Rf4+ Ke2 48 Bd4, minimizing the threats. Note that 45
... g5 does not help since ... Ke4 hangs the e6-pawn with check, and a further check (or even
mate!) will come on e3 if the king goes to f3.
44 ... Rd2 45 Kg1 Rd6 46 Be3
It is not effective to attack the g6-pawn anymore, particularly not from the rear as the
following variations show: 46 Rg7 Ke4 47 Kg2 e5 48 a4 Rd2 49 Rxg6 Ra2 50 Kg1 (otherwise
... Be1 wins) 50 ... Kf3 51 Bxb6 (or 51 Rg5 f4 52 gxf4 Rxf2 53 fxe5 Re2) 51 ... Bd2! (the
idea is to play for mate after ... f5-f4) 52 Kh1 (or 52 Rf6 f4 53 gxf4 e4 etc) 52 ... e4 53 Rf6
f4! 54 Bc7 Be3 (or just 54 ... Kxg3) 55 Bxf4 Ra1+ 56 Kh2 Bg1+ 57 Kh1 Bd4+ and wins.
46 ... Ke4 47 Kf2 e5 48 Rc7?
Here 48 a4, removing the pawn from the second rank and joining the b5-pawn, is White’s
last chance to stay in the game, though he is probably losing anyway if Black finds 48 ...
Be1+!.
a) 49 Kxe1 Kxe3 is a lost rook ending for White, since the black king is far too active.
Some illustrative lines are: 50 Rc7 Rd3! (it is important to prevent any check on the third rank
while preparing the attack on the white king as well as the weak a4-pawn) 51 Rg7 (or 51 Rc6
Ra3 52 Kd1 g5 53 Rxb6 f4 and so on) 51 ... Ra3 52 Kd1 (52 Kf1 Kf3 makes the situation
worse for White) 52 ... Rxa4 53 Rxg6 e4 54 Rf6 (how else can White prevent the deadly ...
Kf2 - ?) 54 ... Rd4+! 55 Ke1 (or 55 Kc2 Rd5) 55 ... Rb4 56 Kf1 Rxb5 57 Kg2 (otherwise ...
Kf3 wins at once) 57 ... Rb2+ 58 Kg1 b5 and the black pawns are too strong. Note the
versatility of the black rook, combining not only play on different ranks and files but also
attack with defence. This is an extremely important device to remember when playing rook
endings.
b) 49 Ke2 Bxg3 50 Rxb6 Rd3 51 Bf2 (otherwise ... f5-f4-f3+ decides the game) 51 ...
Bxf2 52 Kxf2 is another lost rook ending for White; for example, 52 ... Rd2+ 53 Ke1 Ra2 54
Rxg6 f4 55 Rc6 Kf3! with ... e4-e3 to follow.
Exercise: What is the problem with White’s last move?
55 ... f3??
Now it is a forced draw, admittedly not easy to foresee. One is reminded of that famous
expression saying that all rook endings are drawn!
Answer: 55 ... g4 is correct, maintaining the pawn phalanx in the spirit of Philidor. There
is not much White can do; for example, after 56 Ra6 Rb2 57 b6 f3 58 h5 e4 59 Ra4+ Ke5 60
Ra3 Rxb6 61 Ra5+ Kf6, Black wins without any problems.
56 Ra6 Rb2 57 Ra4+ Kd5 58 hxg5 e4 59 Ra3 Kd4 60 Ra4+ Ke5 61 Ra3 Kf5
Having been driven back in the centre, Réti tries to sneak his king round on the kingside.
White has only one defence.
62 Re3??
Having been given a reprieve, Mieses goes wrong in turn. The correct and indeed “only”
move is 62 Ra4, when 62 ... Kxg5 53 Rxe4 and 63 ... e3 64 Rf4+ both draw easily. But what
happens if Black plays 62 ... Kg4 63 Rxe4+ Kxg3 - ?
Answer: 64 g6! Rh2 (64 ... Rb1+ 65 Re1 Rxe1+?? 66 Kxe1 Kg2 67 g7 f2+ 68 Kd2 f1Q
69 g8Q+ even loses for Black, since the black queen can be exchanged by force: 69 ... Kh2
70 Qh7+ Kg2 71 Qg6+ Kh2 72 Qh5+ Kg3 73 Qe5+! Kh3 74 Qe6+!, followed by 75 Qe1+ or
75 Qe2+ as appropriate; note that if the black queen is placed on the other side of the board,
say a7, the game is a draw) 65 Rg4+!! (this is the hard move to see; now it is a forced draw)
65 ... Kxg4 66 g7 Rh1+ 67 Kf2 Rh2+ 68 Kf1 (not 68 Ke1?? Re2+, when 69 ... Re8 controls
both white pawns with an easy win) 68 ... Rh1+ with perpetual check. It is perhaps
understandable that Mieses overlooked such spectacular variations.
62 ... Rxb5
Of course not 62 ... Kg4?? 63 Rxe4+ Kxg3 64 g6 Rh2 65 Rg4+!! and White draws as
above.
63 Re1
Now 63 g6 just loses both g-pawns after 63 ... Rb1+ 64 Kf2 Rb2+ 65 Kf1 Rg2 etc.
63 ... Rb4 64 Kf2 Rb2+ 65 Ke3 Kxg5! 0-1
White resigned, since 66 Kxe4 is met by 66 ... Re2+. A far from perfect game, but yet
another extremely interesting ending.
Frank James Marshall (1877-1944) was the most successful American player after Harry
Nelson Pillsbury (1872-1906) and until the rise of “the American Capablanca” Isaac Kashdan
(1905-1985) in the 1930s. Marshall was regarded as one of the ten best players in the world
for about 20 years, from his great success at Cambridge Springs in 1904, and was ranked
No.2 in August 1913, according to Chessmetrics. He was US Champion for 27 years,
captained the US team to four successive victories at the Chess Olympiads, and was one of
the five original Grandmasters, a title bestowed by the tsar of Russia in 1914.
Marshall was a combinative player with a preference for open games, but later he studied
other openings and improved his endgame and defensive play for the purpose of adopting a
more solid style. The Baden tournament is a good example, since he lost only two games (to
Réti and Alekhine) and shared 5th place with Tartakower on 12½ points.
Game 37
R.Réti-F.Marshall
Baden-Baden (round 19) 1925
Queen’s Indian Defence
1 c4 b6
Question: With 1 c4 White initiated the English Opening, but what is the
name after Black’s move?
Answer: It was not known as such at the time but Marshall has, for the moment, adopted
the English Defence, which can lead to pretty sharp and original play. Its name comes from
the fact that it was used with great success by English GMs Raymond Keene, Anthony Miles,
Jonathan Speelman and Nigel Short in the 1970s and ’80s.
2 d4 Bb7 3 Nc3 Nf6
By developing the king’s knight and preventing e2-e4, Marshall takes the game into the
realms of the Queen’s Indian, although it does not actually transpose until Black plays ... e7-
e6, and only then to a rather unusual variation.
The main lines of the English Defence arise after 3 ... e6 4 e4. Réti had previously twice
played this position as Black against Tartakower, both games continuing 4 ... Bb4 5 d5 and
the players won one game each. Note that if White prevents ... Bb4 with 4 a3, Black can
reply 4 ... f5 since the knight has not arrived on f6 yet.
4 Nf3 d5?!
Instead, 4 ... e6 transposes to a pure Queen’s Indian (as we saw in Game 20). By playing
... d7-d5 at once, Black loses the option of recapturing on d5 with the e-pawn. In general,
Black only takes with the knight in the Queen’s Indian when White has ‘wasted’ a move on
a2-a3.
5 cxd5 Nxd5
Question: How can White exploit the fact that he has an extra pawn in the
small central area?
6 g3
Answer: 6 Qc2 is more ambitious, preparing e2-e4 next move. After 6 ... e6 7 e4 Nxc3 8
bxc3, White can reckon on a stable edge since he has more space. This so-called neo-classic
centre, to use Euwe’s terminology, creates conditions for both an e4-e5 attack on the kingside
and a d4-d5 push in the centre, constricting the black pieces.
6 ... Nd7
Again, 6 ... e6 is more flexible. When hesitating over which move to make, some good
advice is to make sure what must be played anyway. In this position it makes sense to
develop the kingside first and only then decide where to move the b8-knight.
7 Bg2
A slight drawback to Black’s last move is that 7 Nxd5 would have forced him to
recapture with the bishop, allowing White to gain time and space with a future e2-e4.
7 ... e6 8 0-0 Be7 9 Qc2 0-0
Seeing as the black knight is already on d7, it looks more consistent to play 9 ... c5. In
this way Black can save a move and subsequently play ... Rc8 before castling, annoying
White’s queen in the process, if only slightly.
10 Rd1
As it happens, Réti had experience of this position from the other side. Another game
from his 1922 match with Sämisch, after arriving here via a different route, continued 10 e4
Nxc3 11 bxc3 c5 12 Rd1 cxd4 13 cxd4 Qc8 (13 ... Rc8! at once is better) 14 Qe2 Qc3?! 15
Bb2 Qa5 16 Qe3?! (16 d5! is stronger) 16 ... Rac8 and Black equalized. A more aggressive
approach is to play 12 d5! exd5 13 exd5 Bxd5 14 Rd1 Be6 15 Bf4, when White has good
piece play for the pawn, but this is probably not in Réti’s style.
10 ... c5
Note that inserting 10 ... Nxc3 11 bxc3 and then playing 11 ... c5? loses material after 12
Ng5! Bxg5 13 Bxb7 Rb8 14 dxc5! (this is the point) 14 ... Rxb7 (14 ... Bxc1 is met the same
way) 15 c6) 15 c6 Rc7 16 Rxd7 Rxd7 17 Bxg5 Qxg5 18 cxd7 and White is a clear pawn up.
11 dxc5 Nxc5 12 Ne1!
In hypermodern style, four pieces are concentrated on the centre; in this particular case it
is the centralized d5-knight which is under hard pressure. The naïve 12 e4? is met by 12 ...
Nb4, when White has unnecessarily weakened the d3-square, allowing Black to seize the
initiative after 13 Qe2 Qe8. In particular, ... Ba6 is a disturbing threat, showing the difficulty
finding an attractive square for the white queen.
12 ... f5?
Black’s best defence is to sacrifice a pawn for activity with 12 ... Qc8! 13 Nxd5 exd5 14
Bxd5 Bxd5 15 Rxd5 and now after 15 ... Qe6 (a good square for the queen, putting pressure
on the a2- and e2-pawns) 16 Rd1 Bf6 17 Be3 Rac8, Black’s piece arrangement might be
considered to have the same value as half a pawn. Of course that means White is slightly
better here; after all, his position is pretty solid and the extra pawn is a centre pawn.
Exercise: What is the problem with Black’s move?
Answer: 16 Qb3!
A good move, attacking both the d5-pawn and targeting the king behind it. It is normally
useful to place a queen (or a bishop) on the classical diagonal, especially when it has been
weakened by with ... f7-f5.
Two other candidates, 16 Nd3 and 16 a3, might be considered less precise – the knight
move blocks the rook, while the pawn move mainly just solidifies. The best moves, and the
most annoying ones for the opponent, are multi-purpose ones, those achieving more than one
thing. Such moves are the grandmasters’ daily bread.
16 ... Kh8
Rather than allow Rxd5 and Rxf5+, Marshall shifts the king off the a2-g8 diagonal at once.
Instead:
a) 16 ... Bxb4? 17 Rxd5 Qe8 18 Nd3! (stronger than 18 Rxf5+ here) 18 ... Qf7 19 Bb2
Qf7 20 Ne5 Qe8 21 Qc4 is very good for White.
b) 16 ... Nxb4 gives White a choice between 17 a3 Nc6 18 Rxd5 Qe8 19 Rxf5+ and so
on, or 17 Ba3! (perhaps even more precise) 18 ... a5 18 Bxb4 axb4 19 Rxd5 Qe8 20 Rxf5+,
when the extra passed pawn on the e-file ensures him a clear edge in either case.
c) 16 ... Qd6 17 a3 Bf6 18 Rxd5 Qe6 contains an insidious trap: 19 Ra2? is met by 19 ...
Bc3! and the double threat of ... Bxe1 and ... Nc7 secures Black at least an exchange. It is a
good habit not to calculate too quickly when pieces are undefended and in hanging positions!
The LPDO rule (loose pieces drop off!) developed by John Nunn is good to keep in mind.
White can avoid this with the careful 19 Rb1!, defending the queen with advantage. Simple
development with 18 Bf4! Qe6 19 Rac1 is even better; the d-pawn will almost certainly drop
off anyway, while Black is left with the offside knight on a6.
17 Nd3!?
A multi-purpose move, with future ideas of Nf4 or Ne5, while showing that White is not
in any hurry to collect the d5-pawn. As Nimzowitsch reportedly said: “the threat is stronger
than the execution”, not least because it puts psychological pressure on the opponent and may
even confuse him slightly.
If he plays 17 Rxd5 immediately, a likely continuation is 17 ... Qe8 18 a3 Nc7 19 Re5
Qf7 20 Qxf7 Rxf7 21 Bb2! and White is a pawn up. Presumably Réti hopes to pick up the d-
pawn in even more favourable circumstances – a very ambitious approach indeed!
Alternatively, White might secure the b4-pawn first with 17 a3, again intending simply to
mobilize his forces. For example, after 17 ... Nc7 (bringing the stranded knight back into play
looks best) 18 Bf4 Rc8 19 Nf3 Bf6 20 Rac1, White has two clearly visible advantages in his
superior pawn structure and piece placement, while Black can hardly hang on to the d-pawn
for very long.
Nevertheless, the text move is an appealing one, and shows that Réti has vision. By
playing flexibly White makes it hard for his opponent to figure out what he intends to do next,
gaining a substantial psychological advantage. Lasker used to say that if you have found a
good move, you should try to find an even stronger one. It seems to me that the move Réti
played is stronger, at least on a human level.
17 ... Bf6
Black removes the pressure on the b4-pawn and agrees to the exchange of bishops.
Instead, 17 ... Nc7 might be answered by 18 Nf4 Qd6 19 Ba3, showing the advantage not
playing a2-a3 too early without any specific reason. Or if 17 ... Qc7 (logically aiming to
exploit the weak light squares in White’s position) then again 18 Ba3!; for example, 18 ... Qc4
19 Rdc1 Qe4 (19 ... Qb5 20 Bb2 leaves the black queen misplaced) 20 b5 Nc5 21 Bxc5
Bxc5 22 Nxc5 bxc5 23 Rxc5 Qxe2 24 Rxd5 f4 25 Qd3 with excellent winning chances for
White.
18 Bb2 Bxb2 19 Qxb2 Qe7 20 a3 Nc7 21 Nf4 Rad8
Exercise (planning): What is White’s target, and how to plan the disposition
of the rooks?
Answer: 22 Rd2!
Moving a rook one step up on a file is a typical method when preparing to double. A
further benefit of Réti’s move is that it overprotects the e2-pawn and does not actually
indicate to his opponent which file he is planning to double on, the d-file or the c-file.
Had he chosen 22 Rd3, it would have signalled a clear intention to double on the d-file,
since the rook would look disharmonious on c3, blocking the long dark diagonal as well as
allowing ... d5-d4 with gain of tempo. The natural development 22 Rac1, on the other hand,
would mean a lost tempo if White subsequently decides that both rooks belong on the d-file.
22 ... Rd6
Black prepares to double on the d-file himself, anticipating strong pressure on the d5-
pawn.
23 Rc1!
It was perfectly playable to increase the pressure with 23 Rad1 and meet 23 ... Rfd8 with
24 e3, establishing control of the important d4-square. A general plan might be to strive for a
tripling on the d-file, followed by f2-f3 and e3-e4, exploiting the pin on the d5-pawn.
However, Réti’s approach also focuses on a weakness in Black’s position, the unstable
c7-knight, and the c6- and c8-squares might be considered weak points as well. Utilizing the
“principle of two weaknesses”, it is possible for White to combine threats on the c-file with
the threats against the d5-pawn.
23 ... Qf7
Note that doubling rooks with 23 ... Rfd8 here loses a pawn after 24 Qc2.
24 Qe5?
Réti’s plan of targeting the black knight is a good one, but he fails to carry it out
precisely. The correct move order is 24 Rdc2! Ne6 25 Qe5, preventing the set-up that occurs
in the game. Black now has to play 25 ... Qd7 (25 ... Rfd8?? loses to 26 Rc8! Rxc8 27 Rxc8+
Rd8 28 Qxe6 Qxe6 29 Rxd8+ etc), after which 26 Nd3 underlines the clumsiness of his
pieces and leaves White in full control. White can improve his position further with b4-b5,
intending Rc6, while the tactical resource Rc8 must also be taken into consideration; for
example, 26 ... d4 27 Rc8! (not yet 27 b5?? Rd5) 27 ... Kg8 28 b5 Rd5 29 Qb8 Rxb5 30
Rxf8+ Nxf8 31 Rc8 Qf7 32 Re8, threatening Nf4-e6 and wins.
24 ... Rd7! 25 Rdc2
A more positional approach is 25 Nd3, intending 25 ... Re8 26 Qb2, followed by f2-f4
and Ne5; but Black can disrupt this with 26 ... Qe7! 27 e3 (27 f4?! Qe3+ is already fine) 27
... Qe4, and if 28 Nf4 again then 28 ... Ne6 29 Nxe6 Qxe6 and it is difficult for White to
make progress with just the heavy pieces on the board.
25 ... Re8 26 Nd3 Kg8?!
The tactical point of Réti’s previous play is that after 26 ... Rxe5 27 Nxe5 Qe6 28 Nxd7,
the knight cannot be taken since 28 ... Qxd7?? 29 Rxc7 and 30 Rc8 wins. But Black can save
himself with 28 ... Ne8!, when 29 Rc8 Qxd7 30 Ra8 Kg8 31 Rcc8 Kf7 32 Rxe8 leads to a
level pawn endgame, while after 29 Nb8! (heading for c6) 29 ... Nd6! (heading for c4), the
queen does not seem very much inferior to the two rooks.
Instead, 26 ... h6?! 27 Rxc7 Rxe5 28 Nxe5 Rxc7 29 Nxf7+ Rxf7 30 e3 gives White a
clear advantage in a rook endgame. First of all he is in control of the only open file, and
secondly the king can quickly move to d4.
Question: How does White continue?
27 g4??
Answer: It is better to switch to a positional course and fianchetto the queen with 27
Qb2. If Black tries 27 ... Qe7 again (as in the 25 Nd3 line above), 28 e3 is now good for
White, since he has more control in the position; for example, 28 ... Nb5 29 Qb3 Qf7 30 Rc8
Rdd8 31 Ne5! Qe6 32 Rxd8+ Rxd8 33 f4 achieves the desired formation with a definite
advantage.
27 ... fxg4??
With Black having declined to take the queen on the previous move, it seems both players
failed to reassess it correctly a move later. After 27 ... Rxe5! 28 Nxe5 Qe6 29 Nxd7 Ne8! 30
Nb8 (there is nothing else) 30 ... fxg4, the queen is now clearly better than the rooks, since
White has lost a pawn, damaged his remaining structure, and exposed his king. Black already
has a dangerous plan of ... h7-h5-h4-h3 and ... Qe4.
28 Qg3!
After retreating down the h2-b8 diagonal, the threat on the c7-knight remains. White has
actually created a double threat with Rxc7 and Ne5, which cannot be prevented since it is not
possible for the c7-knight to protect the e5-square.
28 ... Nb5 29 Ne5 Qe6 30 Nxd7 Nd4
Exercise: How does White react to Black’s desperate defence?
31 Qe3?!
This does win, but not in the most effective way.
Answer: The long move 31 Qc7 is the strongest, when 31 ... Nxe2+ 32 Rxe2 Qxe2 33
Qxa7 leaves White a knight ahead. He does not need to fear the passed d-pawn, since 33 ...
d4 is met by 34 Qb7 d3 35 Qd5+ Kh8 36 Ne5! with both a back rank mate and smothered
mate on the agenda, as well as simply 37 Nxd3.
Two other possibilities are 31 Rd2 Nxe2+ 32 Rxe2 Qxe2 33 Qd6 and 31 Nb8 Nxe2+ 32
Rxe2 Qxe2 33 Nc6. In both variations White has a knight versus two pawns, and many of
Black’s pawns are weak, making the winning progress easier.
31 ... Qxe3 32 fxe3 Nxc2 33 Rxc2 Rxe3 34 a4 h5
Exercise (planning): What is the plan for White in this position, and how
should he proceed?
35 Rd2?!
Answer: The basic plan consists of not letting the opponent swap all the pawns off, since
rook and knight versus rook alone is not sufficient to win. Here White has the opportunity to
fix Black’s queenside with the excellent 35 b5!, preparing Ra2 followed by a4-a5. For
example, 36 Ra2 h4 37 a5 bxa5 38 Rxa5 Rxe2 39 Rxa7 h3 40 b6 Rg2+ 41 Kf1 Rb2 42 Ra4!
g3 43 hxg3 Rb1+ (or 43 ... h2 44 Rh4 Kf7 45 Rxh2 Rxh2 46 b7 etc) 44 Kf2 g5 45 Ra7 h2 46
Nf6+ Kf8 47 Rh7 Rxb6 48 Nd7+ Kg8 49 Nxb6 Kxh7 50 Kg2 and wins.
If Black prevents this idea with 35 ... Ra3, White changes direction and plays 36 Rd2
Rxa4 37 Rxd5 g6 38 Ne5 Kg7 39 Nc6, when he has a strong clamp on the black position, with
two targets: the g6-pawn and the a7-pawn.
Pushing the kingside pawns directly is no better. After 35 ... h4 36 Ra2 g3 (or 36 ... Kf7
37 Nb8 Ke6 38 Nc6 Re4 39 Nxa7 and Black has only one pawn for the knight) 37 hxg3
Rxg3+ 38 Kh2 g5 39 Ne5 g4 40 Rd2, the rook comes to d4 and White consolidates.
35 ... g3
It is more natural to activate the king with 35 ... Kf7!, keeping his options open and White
in the dark about the different plans Black has at his disposal.
36 hxg3
Declining to exchange pawns with 36 h3 has fundamentally two drawbacks: first, Black
gets a far advanced passed pawn, and secondly it is not easy to centralize the king.
36 ... Rxg3+ 37 Kf2 Rg4 38 b5 Rf4+!?
Instead of taking on a4 immediately, Marshall wants to force White to consider the most
accurate square for his king.
39 Kg3 Rxa4 40 Rxd5 h4+
So, for what it’s worth, Black gets to advance his h-pawn with check. Note that 40 ... g6 is
not appetizing due to 41 e4 and Kf4.
41 Kf3
Naturally, 41 Kh3 is also possible, but White does not mind if the h-pawn advances
another square.
41 ... h3 42 Kg3
42 ... a6
This looks like an understandable desperation after considering the alternatives:
a) 42 ... Kf7 is met by 43 Re5! Rd4 (or 43 ... Ra3+ 44 e3) 44 Nb8, followed by Nc6, and
Black’s position is hopeless.
b) 42 ... Ra3+ fails to defend the h-pawn after 43 Rd3. Winning the b5-pawn is not
enough, since the passed e-pawn will decide. For example, 43 ... Ra2 44 Re3 (not 44 e4?? h2
45 Rd1 Rd2! etc; one must always be careful and not fall for tactical tricks) 44 ... Rd2 45
Re7 Rd5 46 Kxh3 Rxb5 47 e4 and there is not much Black can do but watch the pawn go all
the way to e8. He has no chance in the pawn race after 47 ... a5 48 e5 a4 49 e6 a3 50 Re8+
Kh7 51 e7 a2 (or 51 ... Rb3+ 52 Kg4 Re3 53 Kg5 a2 54 Nf8+ Kg8 55 Ng6+ Kf7 56 Rf8+ etc)
52 Rh8+ Kxh8 53 e8Q+ Kh7 54 Nf8+ Kg8 55 Ng6+ Kh7 56 Ne7 and mates.
43 Nxb6 Ra3+ 44 Rd3 h2 45 Kxh2 Rxd3 46 exd3 axb5 47 Nd5 Kf7 48 d4 Ke6
Question: How does White win the ending?
Answer: 49 Nb4
Not 49 Nc7+?? Kd6 50 Nxb5+ Kd5 51 Kg3 Kc4 52 Kf4, since White is one tempo short
and the position fizzles out; for instance, 52 ... Kxb5 53 Ke5 Kc6 54 Ke6 Kc7 55 d5 Kd8 with
an obvious draw.
49 ... Kf5 50 Kg3 Ke4 51 d5 Kf5
The variation 51 ... Ke5 52 Kg4 Kf6 53 Kf4 g5+ 54 Ke4 Kg6 55 d6 Kf6 56 Kd5 g4 57 d7
Ke7 58 Kc6 proves that White can win even without using the knight, unless Black insists on
58 ... Kd8 59 Kd6 g3 60 Nc6 mate.
52 Nc6 Kf6 53 Kf4 g6 54 Kg4 g5 55 Kg3
Triangulating in order to place Black in zugzwang. If he tries to maintain the distant
opposition with 55 ... Kg7, the d-pawn goes through at once.
55 ... Kf7 56 Kf3 Kf6 57 Kg4 Kg6 58 d6 b4 59 d7 1-0
The super-tournament in Moscow took place from November 10th to December 8th,
1925. It was organized by Nikolai Krylenko using Soviet state funds, and featured 21
participants from around the world, of whom world champion Capablanca and Emanuel
Lasker were regarded as the favourites. So it was a surprise when Efim Bogoljubow, in his
greatest ever triumph, took clear first place, scoring 15½ points out of 21. Lasker was second
on 14 points, with Capablanca third on 13½. Réti finished two points behind Capablanca and
shared 7th place with Peter Romanovsky.
The great Russian film director, Vselovod Pudovkin, together with Nikolai Shpikovsky,
produced a short silent comedy called Chess Fever (1925), which contains footage from the
tournament itself. For a couple of seconds it is possible to see a clear picture of Réti.
Game 38
R.Réti-E.Bogoljubow
Moscow 1925
Réti’s Opening
1 Nf3 d5 2 c4 c6 3 b3 Bg4
4 Bb2
Answer: Although it gains time on the g4-bishop, 4 Ne5 has the fundamental drawback
that, after 4 ... Bh5, a timely ... Nd7 or ... f7-f6 will put the aggressively posted knight itself
under pressure; while 5 g4 Bg6 leaves the white kingside slightly compromised (rather than 5
... f6?! 6 gxh5 fxe5 7 Bh3, when White has the initiative on the light squares). 4 ... Bf5 is fine
too, if Black prefers; whereas the tactical trick 4 ... dxc4 5 Nxg4 Qd4 is in White’s favour
after 6 Nc3! Qxg4 7 h3 Qd7 8 bxc4, or even 7 bxc4!? Qxc4 8 Rb1, followed by e2-e3 and d2-
d4 with more than sufficient compensation for the pawn.
4 ... e6 5 e3 Nf6 6 Be2 Be7 7 0-0 0-0 8 h3
8 ... Bh5
The natural and best move, keeping options with the bishop as well as the tension on the
h5-d1 diagonal. There may be a better moment later in the game for either an exchange on f3
(or e2) or a switch to the h7-b1 diagonal. Perhaps something else is in store for the light-
squared bishop, although it is not possible to figure it out at this moment.
The immediate 8 ... Bxf3 9 Bxf3, followed by 9 ... Nbd7, and 8 ... Bf5 9 Nh4 Bg6 (or 9 ...
Bxb1 10 Rxb1 Nbd7) 10 Nxg6 hxg6 might gain some time but relinquish the light-squared
bishop, which is not to everyone’s taste. After all, the bishop pair may turn out to be of long-
term value, showing its teeth in the endgame when some pawns have vanished from the board.
9 d3
One step with the d-pawn is in the hypermodern style. 9 d4 would transpose to a quiet
version of the Slav Defence – and a classical game.
9 ... c5!?
Either 9 ... Nbd7 or 9 ... a5 is more in the spirit of Black’s set-up, but the text move is
typical of Bogoljubow’s optimistic style when playing with the black pieces (as exemplified
by his famous quote in the introduction to Game 19). It is probably better to be an optimist
than a pessimist when playing chess, even if one’s judgment can then be slightly biased.
10 cxd5
Since Black is planning to develop his b8-knight to c6, a logical continuation is 10 Ne5!
Bxe2 11 Qxe2, when 11 ... Nc6?! 12 Nxc6 bxc6 saddles him with a weakness at c5, while 11
... Nbd7 can be met by 12 f4!. Presumably Réti did not like 11 ... Nfd7!, when the simplifying
12 f4 Nxe5 favours Black, who can now play ... Nc6. But retreating again with 12 Nf3 might
give White an edge. For example, 12 ... Nc6 13 cxd5 exd5 14 d4 will soon leave Black with
an isolated d5-pawn; while if Black replies in kind with 12 ... Nf6, the exchange of light-
squared bishops has smoothed White’s development, who can play 13 Rd1, followed by Nc3
(or Nbd2) and Rac1 with a harmonious position.
10 ... Nxd5
White would meet 10 ... exd5 with 11 d4, aiming for another isolated d-pawn position.
The wasted tempo on d2-d3-d4 does not really matter.
11 Nc3
White’s pawns on b3, d3 and e3 (with bishops on b2 and e2) are nowadays familiar as a
Hedgehog. Its latent dynamism was demonstrated (primarily with reversed colours) by
Anatoly Karpov and Ulf Andersson in the 1970s. Here 11 a3, followed by Nbd2 and Qc2,
would be the thematic development, but of course in Réti’s time this set-up was not yet
known.
11 ... Nc6
Black could oppose White’s fianchettoed bishop by playing 11 ... Bf6. After the natural
continuation 12 Rc1 Nc6 13 Qd2 Rc8 14 Rfd1 Nxc3 15 Bxc3 Bxc3 16 Qxc3 b6, the position
is about equal.
12 Rc1 Rc8
Question: How should White proceed?
13 Qd2
Answer: First of all, White should check the variations after 13 Nxd5. For instance, 13 ...
exd5?! 14 d4 gives White a solid edge, while 13 ... Qxd5 14 d4 cxd4 15 Nxd4 Bxe2 16 Qxe2
Nxd4?! 17 Bxd4 a6 18 Rfd1 also keeps a slight advantage. White’s pieces are more active,
with his bishop tremendously situated in the centre, whereas the black queen is a little
uncomfortable on d5. If Black tries 18 ... Rxc1 19 Rxc1 e5, White keeps control of the c-file
with the amazing 20 Ba7!, when 20 ... Ra8 21 Qc2! Rxa7 22 Qc8+ Qd8 (not 22 ... Bd8?? 23
Qb8, trapping the rook) 23 Qxd8+ Bxd8 24 Rc8 Kf8 25 Rxd8+ Kxd8 26 Rb8 leaves White
with the better endgame.
However, Black seems to be fine after something like 16 ... Rfd8, so it seems White has
nothing to gain from forcing the pace and that Réti’s natural queen development is a sensible
choice.
13 ... Nxc3
Alternatively, Black might play 13 ... Ndb4!?, putting some pressure on d3. Considering
that Black possesses more space (the c5-pawn!), it is logical to keep as many pieces on the
board as possible. If White hits the knight at once with 14 a3, Black can respond 14 ... Bxf3!
15 gxf3 Na5, intending 16 axb4? Nxb3 17 Qd1 Nxc1 18 Bxc1 cxb4 with a big advantage.
White would have to play 16 Rb1!, when 16 ... Nbc6 17 Ba1 f5 leads to an interesting and
sharp battle.
14 Bxc3 Qb6 15 Qb2 f6 16 Rfd1
White has completed his development and managed to provoke a slight weakening on the
kingside in the process.
16 ... Rfd8
Question: How should White continue now?
Answer: 17 Ne1!?
It is normally in Black’s interest to remove the defender of the d3-pawn, which becomes
weaker after the equivalent exchange in a Hedgehog, and so also here. One of the main goals
is to advance this pawn to the fourth rank, so this is what Réti should have done, objectively
speaking. The drawback with 17 d4 is that it leads to simplification after 17 ... cxd4 18 Nxd4
Bxe2 (Black can play 18 ... Bf7 if he wants to avoid too many exchanges himself) 19 Qxe2
Nxd4 20 Bxd4 Qa5 and so forth. Rather than allow his opponent an easy game, Réti
presumably wanted to keep more tension in the position, even if this approach means that
more is demanded of both players.
17 ... Bxe2
The principled move since, as we have just said, it weakens the d3-pawn further, though
Black has little chance of winning it with White’s minor pieces where they are at present.
Considering that Black has a space advantage, he might consider retreating the bishop to g6,
f7 or even e8. This is an interesting case of colliding elements, and it is a matter of taste how
one chooses to play.
18 Qxe2
In Shakhmatny Listok (1925), Réti wrote that the position is approximately equal here,
whereas the computer is more definite, evaluating it at “0.00”.
18 ... Qa6
The queen puts slight pressure against the d3- and a2-pawns, while making way for the
black b-pawn to support its colleague on c5, and incidentally pinning the white d-pawn. It is
logical that Black has a white-square strategy with his queen after the light-squared bishops
have been traded.
19 Rc2
By overprotecting the a2-pawn, Réti frees his queen to roam, while preparing to double
rooks on either the c- or d-file. White could play 19 Qg4 at once, but 19 ... e5 (19 ... Nb4 20
Bxb4 cxb4 21 Rxc8 Rxc8 22 d4 might offer a little something) 20 Qc4+ Qxc4 21 dxc4 Rxd1
22 Rxd1 Rd8 just leads to equality, and 21 ... e4!? is worth investigating too.
19 ... Rd6
The rook looks slightly disharmonious here, considering the temporarily reduced activity
of the e7-bishop, though it does at least defend the e6-pawn. Another way of doubling rooks
is 19 ... Rc7, keeping an eye on the c5-pawn as well as the b4-square behind it. Note that 19
... Nb4 20 Bxb4 cxb4 21 Rdc1 leads to a comfortable position for White.
20 Qg4
Since Réti does not want to break with d3-d4, his only options for active play are on the
flanks, either attacking the king with h3-h4-h5 or trying to open the c-file with b3-b4. Putting
the queen on g4 supports both plans. The tricky 20 b4 cxb4 21 Bxb4 does not achieve
anything after 21 ... Rd7, and Black has a trickier response of his own in 20 ... c4!, no doubt
seen by Bogoljubow who had a strong tactical eye.
20 ... Rcd8 21 h4 b6
Defending c5 and clearing a path for his queen to return to the centre.
22 h5
Another idea is to play 22 Rdc1 at once, intending 22 ... Qb7?! 23 b4! cxb4? 24 Bxb4
Nxb4 25 Rc7 and wins. In this case Black might resort to 22 ... e5, intending 23 b4 Qa4! or
23 h5 Qc8!.
22 ... Qb7 23 Rdc1
Clarifying the situation on the kingside 23 h6?! g6 would be in Black’s favour, since
White is in no position to try and exploit the slightly weakened dark squares.
23 ... Qd7
The queen continues to centralize. Alternatively, 23 ... a5 works against an immediate b3-
b4 by White, though he could prepare it by playing a2-a3 first.
Exercise (calculation): What should White play now? Calculate all
necessary variations.
24 f4?!
White concentrates his efforts on the kingside, allowing Black to gain control on the rest
of the board.
Answer: Perhaps Réti did not fully consider the consequences of 24 b4!. The main ideas
are seen if Black accepts the pawn sacrifice with 24 ... cxb4. The obvious 25 Bxb4? fails to
the intermezzo 25 ... f5! 26 Qf4 Nxb4 27 Rc7 (or 27 Qxb4 Rxd3) 27 ... Nxd3! (this is the
point of luring the queen to f4) 28 Nxd3 Qe8 29 Ne1 h6, when Black has an extra pawn and a
strong bishop. But White can improve this by inserting 25 h6! g6 and only then 26 Bxb4 Nxb4
(26 ... f5? does not work here due to the beautiful queen manoeuvre 27 Qe2! Nxb4 28 Rc7
Qe8 29 Qb2! and the mate threat at g7 means that White regains the knight with the more
active position and good chances) 27 Rc7 Qe8 28 Qxb4 R6d7 29 Qa4 (29 Qb2 is also
playable) 29 ... Rxc7 30 Qxe8+ Rxe8 31 Rxc7 Bf8 32 Rxa7 Rc8 and White has a minute
advantage.
Black is not obliged to go in for this. He might play, for instance, 24 ... e5 (or 24 ... Rd5
25 bxc5 bxc5) 25 Qf3 Qe6 (not 25 ... cxb4?! 26 Bd2!) 26 bxc5 bxc5, when his slightly
inferior pawn structure is balanced by his more active pieces. The choice depends on whether
a player gives priority to dynamic factors (such as active pieces) or static ones (such as a
sound pawn structure).
24 ... e5
Another good move is 24 ... Qe8, preparing ... Qf7; or if White continues with 25 h6, then
25 ... Qg6 kills his slight kingside initiative in one stroke.
25 f5
Naturally, White does not want to exchange queens, since after 25 Qxd7 R6xd7 26 f5 a5!,
he is the one with static weaknesses. Black can consider several breaks such as ... a5-a4, ...
g7-g6 or ... e5-e4 at the right moment. Note that the white queen on g4 actually controls all
those critical breaking squares.
25 ... Bf8 26 Rf2 Qf7 27 Rf3
It is no good pushing 27 h6?! just yet, since 27 ... g5 then closes the kingside, leaving the
h6-pawn as a permanent weakness. Otherwise 28 fxg6? Qxg6 picks it off very quickly.
27 ... a5
Bogoljubow finally takes time to play this useful move, which helps prevent the b3-b4
break, as well as preparing his own ... a5-a4 when the circumstances seem right.
28 Rg3 Ra8?!
But circumstances are not right yet. The careful 28 ... Kh8 is the most logical move, when
29 h6?! can be met by 29 ... g6! (29 ... g5 and 29 ... gxh6 are good too) 30 fxg6 hxg6,
intending 31 Qxg6 Qxg6 32 Rxg6 Kh7, followed by ... Bxh6, with the advantage due to his
superior structure and more active pieces.
29 Qf3?!
Answer: This is a good moment for 29 h6, with the following possible variations: 29 ...
g5 30 fxg6 hxg6 31 Qe4 (or 31 Qh4!?, but not 31 Qxg6+? Qxg6 32 Rxg6+ Kh7 etc) 31 ... f5!
(after 31 ... Kh7 32 Nf3 Bxh6 33 Rf1, White has enough compensation for the pawn) 32 h7+
Kxh7 (of course not 32 ... Qxh7? 33 Qxf5 and White is clearly better) 33 Qh4+ Bh6 34 Rh3
g5 (not 34 ... Qg7?! 35 Nf3) 35 Qxg5 Rg8 36 Qh4 Rg4 37 Qf2 Kg8 38 Rc2 and White is still
in the game. Note that the e1-knight defends both d3 and g2.
29 ... a4?!
Either 29 ... Kh8 again or 29 ... Ra7, breaking the pin on the knight and adding to the
defence along the rank, is a better preparation.
30 b4?!
Réti plays to exploit Black’s self-pin directly, but it is more precise to insert 30 h6! g5 31
fxg6 hxg6 and only then play 32 b4. Note that if Black tries to win a pawn with 30 ... axb3 31
hxg7 Bxg7 32 axb3 Qxb3, White replies 33 Bxe5! fxe5 34 f6 Ra7 35 Rc4!, planning Rcg4,
with the upper hand.
30 ... e4??
There is no need to give a pawn away. 30 ... Ra7 defuses the threat of b4-b5, and Black
can just ignore h5-h6; for example, 31 bxc5 bxc5 32 h6 (or 32 Qe2 Nb4) 32 ... Qxa2! with an
edge.
Exercise: What is the correct response to this unexpected thrust in the centre?
Answer: 31 dxe4!
Bogoljubow was probably hoping for 31 Qxe4? Re8 32 Qg4 cxb4 33 Bxb4 Nxb4 34
Qxb4 Rxd3! (or 34 ... Rc6!? 35 Qb1 Rxc1 36 Qxc1 h6 and Black’s chances are slightly
preferable; it is not clear what White’s rook and knight are doing and his pawns look rather
weak) 35 Rxg7+?! (or 35 Qxb6 Rd6) 35 ... Kxg7! 36 Qg4+ Kh8 37 Nxd3 Bh6, followed by ...
Bxe3+ with decent winning chances. The bishop is huge on e3, whereas the white knight lacks
a strong outpost; note that 38 Nf4? Qxa2 gives Black a big advantage.
31 ... Rad8?
Possibly Bogoljubow overlooked that 31 ... cxb4? fails to 32 e5! fxe5 33 Bxe5, winning
material since the knight is still pinned.
Taking the other way with 31 ... Nxb4? also leads to a difficult position for Black after 32
e5! (this thrust did not exist before) 32 ... Rdd8 33 e6 (not 33 exf6?? Nxa2 34 fxg7 Bd6) 33
... Qe7 34 Ba1! and White is strategically winning: 34 ... Nxa2 is answered by 35 Rc4,
followed by Rcg4 and h5-h6, or if 35 ... h6 then 36 Rg6, threatening Bxf6, is very convincing.
Even at this stage 31 ... Ra7! is comparatively best, giving further protection to the g7-
square, although 32 bxc5 bxc5 33 Qe2 keeps a solid advantage. The text move is a positional
mistake; the rook is not doing anything on d8 since it lacks invasion squares on the d-file.
32 bxc5 bxc5 33 h6! Kh8
Now 33 ... Qxa2 34 hxg7 Be7 (34 ... Bxg7? fails to 35 e5! fxe5 36 f6 again) 35 Ra1 gives
White a clear advantage. Avoiding the capture on g7 by playing 33 ... g6 is little better for
Black, in view of 34 fxg6 (the funny variation 34 Qh5!? g5 35 Rxg5+ fxg5 36 Qxg5+ Rg6 37
fxg6 Qxg6 38 Qxg6+ hxg6 39 Kf1 also leads to an advantageous ending for White) 34 ... hxg6
35 h7+ Kh8 (or 35 ... Kxh7 36 e5!) 36 e5! Re6 37 exf6 and so on.
34 hxg7+ Bxg7 35 Qe2
Both 35 a3 and 35 Qg4 also came into consideration
35 ... Nb4
36 Bxb4?
The drawback to safeguarding the a2-pawn in this way is that it gives Black an effective
majority. 36 a3? is also a mistake, in view of 36 ... Na2! 37 Rc2 Nxc3 38 Rxc3 Rd1, when
Black has good counterplay and can be happy with the outcome.
It is understandable that Réti wanted to avoid 36 Ra1, which looks very passive.
Nonetheless, this was the right move, intending simply to drive the knight away with a2-a3
and then reactivate the rook. If Black prevents this with 36 ... a3, White can target the knight
in another, unexpected way by bringing his kingside rook (actually the queen’s rook) to the
fourth rank and slowly preparing e4-e5. Look at the following variation: 37 Rh3 (better than
37 Rg4 Qh5) 37 ... R6d7 38 Rh4! Qg8 (38 ... Kg8 and 38 ... h6 are met the same way) 39
Nf3, threatening e4-e5, and if Black prevents that with 39 ... Nd3, White can bring the rook
out of the corner, keeping a clear advantage.
36 ... cxb4 37 Nf3 b3
Question: How should White continue?
Answer: 38 Nd4
The obvious move 38 axb3 is well met by 38 ... Qxb3!, threatening 39 ... Rd1+ 40 Rxd1
Qxd1+ 41 Kf2 Qxe2+ 42 Kxe2 a3 43 Rh3 Rd1!! and the a-pawn cannot be stopped; and 39
Nd4?? runs into 39 ... Rxd4! since the g3-rook is undefended. White’s best try is to move the
king. For example, 39 Kh2 (39 Kf2 is met by 39 ... Rd3! 40 Rh3 Qb4, threatening ... Qxe4
and ... Rd2) 39 ... Qd3 (obviously 39 ... a3? 40 Nd4 is to White’s advantage) 40 Qxd3 (or 40
Qa2 Qb3 again) 40 ... Rxd3 41 Nd4 leads to a rather forced line: 41 ... Bh6 42 Ne6 Rxe3 43
Nxd8 Rxg3 44 Nf7+ Kg7 45 Nxh6 Rg5 46 Rc6 Rh5+ 47 Kg3 Rxh6 48 Rc7+ Kf8 49 Ra7 Rh1
50 Rxa4 and White has an advantageous rook ending but probably not a win.
Note that the tempting 38 e5 fxe5 39 Ng5 fails to 39 ... Qxf5 40 Rf1 Qxf1+! 41 Qxf1 Rd1
and White has to take the draw with 42 Nf7+ Kg8 43 Nh6+ etc.
38 ... bxa2 39 Ra1
It is too soon for 39 Ne6?! since 39 ... Rxe6 40 fxe6 Qxe6 gives Black sufficient
compensation for the exchange. The natural-looking move 41 Ra1?? actually loses to 41 ...
Qe5 42 Qe1 Qb2, when ... f6-f5 is in the air with an easy win.
39 ... Bh6?!
Black wants to activate the bishop while threatening the e3-pawn, but this cheapo is very
easy to stop. It looks simpler to activate both rooks with 39 ... Rb6 40 Qxa2 Qxa2 41 Rxa2
Ra8 42 Ne6 Rb7, when Black has reasonable drawing chances.
40 Ne6 Rxe6!
Here, too, Black’s best chance is to sacrifice the exchange and rely on the a-pawn (in this
case the back-up pawn on a4). His position is more vulnerable with the queens and knight left
on the board; for example, 40 ... Rg8?! 41 Rxg8+ Qxg8 42 Rxa2 Qg3 43 Rc2! Bxe3+ (43 ...
Qxe3+?? 44 Kh1! is immediately fatal) 44 Kf1 h6 45 Qh5! Qg8 46 e5! fxe5 47 Qh4 Bg5 48
Qxa4 and White has excellent winning chances.
41 fxe6 Qxe6 42 Rxa2 Qxe4
“Réti brought back not only a ‘beauty prize’ for his game against Romanovsky but also a
beautiful young Russian as his wife.” – Hans Kmoch (1926)
Peter Arsenievich Romanovsky (1892-1964) was one of the strongest Russian players in
the 1920s and ’30s, with a peak rank of 12th in the world according to Chessmetrics, and was
awarded the IM title in 1950. One reason he did not achieve the grandmaster title was that he
had many other interests, such as music and literature. When asked why he did not put the
required effort into the game he answered: “Oh, because in life there are many attractions
which I did not want to pass by ... ”
After WWII Romanovsky withdrew from competitive chess and focused on training and
writing. He is probably most familiar to English readers for his book Chess Middlegame
Planning, first published in Moscow 1960 and translated into English by Jimmy Adams in
1990. GM Alexander Kotov called it “one of the best books in the world’s chess literature”.
There are not that many works on planning and Romanovsky was a good writer, both
chesswise and pedagogically. He wrote 16 books and several further manuscripts were
discovered amongst his archives, after his death. Unfortunately, a significant part of his work
remains unpublished.
Game 39
R.Réti-P.Romanovsky
Moscow 1925
English Opening
1 Nf3 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 g3 e6
Another healthy scheme of development is 3 ... b6, immediately neutralizing White’s
fianchetto.
4 Bg2 Be7 5 0-0 0-0 6 b3 Nc6 7 Bb2 d5 8 cxd5 Nxd5
Instead, 8 ... exd5 9 d4 leads to the Tarrasch Variation of the Queen’s Gambit, but it is not
to everyone’s taste to accept a vulnerable pawn structure in return for piece activity.
9 Nc3
The classical approach 9 d4 leads to a more simplified game after 9 ... b6 10 dxc5 Bxc5
11 Nc3 Nxc3 12 Bxc3 Bb7. Black has no problems since all his pieces, including his majors,
will easily find convenient squares on e7, c8 and d8. The only reasonable way to try and
disturb Black’s development is 13 Ne5, but then 13 ... Qc7 (13 ... Qc8!? is also playable) 14
Qd7 Rac8 15 Rfd1 Nxe5 16 Qxc7 Nf3+ 17 Bxf3 Rxc7 18 Be5 Re7 19 Bxb7 Rxb7 20 Rac1 f6
21 Bd6 Bxd6 22 Rxd6 e5 leads to a rather equal game. White’s more active rooks are not a
relevant factor since Black controls the vital seventh rank.
9 ... Bf6 10 Rc1
Alternatively, 10 Qc2 connects the rooks at once and defends the bishop. White does not
need to worry about either 10 ... Ncb4 or 10 ... Ndb4 since, after 11 Qb1, he will regain the
tempo with the useful move a2-a3.
10 ... Nxc3
There is no reason to exchange the knights immediately, as the b2-bishop is unprotected.
Instead, 10 ... b6 keeps the tension between the minor pieces a little longer.
11 Bxc3 e5 12 Bb2
Understandably, White wants to put pressure on the c5-pawn, but the bishop is again left
undefended on this square. Either 12 Ba1 or 12 Ne1 deserves consideration.
12 ... Qd6
Exercise: Black’s last move creates a deadly threat; how to parry it?
Answer: 13 Ne1
The most logical move, defending against the threat of ... e5-e4, winning a piece, while
preparing a knight manoeuvre to d3 or with c2-e3-c4 in the near future.
Instead, 13 Ba3 is a step in the wrong direction. The one-move threat does not serve
White’s strategic plan as a whole and is answered simply by 13 ... b6, when it is unclear what
the bishop is doing on a3. If White goes for 14 b4?! cxb4 15 Rxc6 Qxc6 16 Bxb4 (after 16
Nxe5? Qb5 17 Bxb4 Qxb4 18 Nd3 Qa5 19 Bxa8 Bf5! 20 Bc6 Bxd3 21 exd3 Qxa2, Black is
clearly better), then 16 ... Bb7 17 Bxf8 Rxf8 leaves Black with the slightly preferable
position.
13 ... Bf5
Presumably Romanovsky wants to forestall Nd3, but otherwise the bishop is not
particularly effective here. 13 ... Bg4! is a more active approach; if White plays 14 Nd3 (14
Nc2 Rad8 15 Ne3 is answered by 15 ... Be6) 14 ... b6 15 b4, Black has the strong exchange
sacrifice 15 ... Nxb4 16 Nxb4 cxb4 17 Bxa8 Rxa8 with good compensation on the light
squares.
14 d3
A standard, human move. 14 f4!? is an interesting non-standard possibility; this double-
edged move is assessed by the computer as completely equal.
14 ... Rad8 15 Nc2 b6 16 Ne3 Be6
Exercise: Black has equalized without any problems, so how does White continue?
17 f4?!
This is mistimed in view of Black’s reply.
Answer: In a hedgehog structure the normal move is 17 a3, preparing b3-b4; but if White
wants to play f2-f4, he should prepare it with 17 Nc4 first.
17 ... Nd4
The fundamental defect in White’s structure is the weak d4-square which is promptly
exploited by Romanovsky. In other positions White might simply respond with e2-e3, but here
his own knight is in the way.
18 f5
It is no good playing 18 Nc4? now, in view of 18 ... Bxc4 19 Rxc4 exf4 20 gxf4 Nf5! and
White has serious weaknesses on the dark squares; for example, 21 Bxf6 (not 21 Bc1?? Bd4+
22 Kh1? Ng3+! 23 hxg3 Qh6+ and mates) 21 ... Qxf6 22 Re4 Rfe8 23 Qc1 Rxe4 24 Bxe4
Nd4 25 Qe3 g6 26 Qf2 Nb5 27 f5 g5 and so forth. Black is in full control of the game,
particularly the dark squares, and can improve his position move by move, while White can
only sit and watch.
18 ... Bg5!
A nice intermediate move. If Black retreats the e6-bishop, White continues 19 Nc4 and 20
Be4.
19 Nc4 Bxc4 20 Rxc4 Be3+
Another active idea is 20 ... g6 practically forcing an immediate exchange on d4. After 21
Bxd4 (opening the f-file with 21 fxg6 fxg6 is in Black’s favour considering the stranded rook
on c4; while 21 Be4 is answered by 21 ... b5 22 Rc3 gxf5 23 Bxf5 Be3+ 24 Kg2 Nxf5 25
Rxf5 Qc6+ 26 Rf3 Bd4, and 27 Rc2 e4 wins on the spot) 21 ... exd4, Black has a pronounced
control of the dark squares, whereas the corresponding light squares are less important.
21 Kh1 Qh6
Inserting 21 ... b5 22 Rc3 before 22 ... Qh6 preserves the d4-knight for the moment but
obviously weakens the queenside pawns. Romanovsky probably did the right thing to avoid
this, since complications arise after 23 f6! (not yet 23 Rxc5? Nxe2, threatening ... Nxg3 mate
as well as ... Bxc5, winning material) 23 ... gxf6 (or 23 ... g6 24 Rxc5 Nxe2 25 Qxe2 Bxc5 26
Bc1! Qh5 27 Qxh5 gxh5 28 Rf5 etc) 24 Rxc5! Nxe2 25 Qxe2 Bxc5 26 Be4 and White has
good compensation.
22 Bxd4 Rxd4
On the surface 22 ... exd4 looks more convincing, but after 23 a3! and b3-b4, the c4-rook
will become quite active. One illustrative line is 23 ... Rd6 24 b4 cxb4 25 axb4 Qg5 26 Qc2
Rh6 27 Rc8 Qxg3 28 Rxf8+ Kxf8 29 Qc8+ Ke7 30 Qb7+ with perpetual check.
23 Rxd4?!
Answer: 23 Be4 is correct, not helping Black to improve his position.
23 ... Bxd4?
The worst of the three possible recaptures, since the d-file is the least useful for Black.
He would prefer to play 23 ... cxd4 and utilize the c-file with ... Rc8, but that is not easily
achieved after 24 Qc2. Therefore 23 ... exd4! is the best option, opening the e-file, and
restricting White’s counterplay.
24 Be4 Rd8 25 Kg2
White improves his position on the light squares, while Black strives for consolidation of
the dark squares.
25 ... b5 26 Qc1 Qxc1?
It is important for Black to keep the queens on the board, in order to prevent White
working on his own plans, such as preparing e2-e3, undisturbed. For instance, 26 ... Be3 27
Qc3 (the most cunning try; 27 Qa3 Qb6 gets nowhere) 27 ... Bd4 28 Qa5 Rf8! (the only safe
square from the white queen) 29 Qxb5 (29 Qxa7?? even leads to a win for Black after 29 ...
c4! with ... c4-c3 and ... Qd2 to follow) 29 ... Qd2 30 Bf3 Qxa2 ensures Black of counterplay
and an equal game.
27 Rxc1 b4!?
In Masters of the Chess Board, Réti uses this position as the starting point when
discussing the theme “The centre pawn as an obstruction to its own pieces”. This made a
very deep impression on me when I read the book for the first time. Réti writes that if White’s
e2-pawn was placed on e4 and the bishop on c4 the position would be absolutely even. The
difference here is that the bishop is very comfortably placed on the e4-square. “Then it will
be used by the rook as a thoroughfare, and finally it will constitute a strong post for White’s
king.”
Answer: 28 Rc4!
This is an excellent outpost for the white rook, as will be visibly clearer in connection
with an eventual Kf3 and e2-e3, forcing the black bishop off the fourth rank.
28 ... Kf8
This move is not necessary at this moment and makes White’s plan slightly easier to carry
out. 28 ... Rc8 29 Kf3 h6 more precise.
29 Kf3 Rc8
Black must defend the c5-pawn before the defending bishop is driven away.
30 e3 Bc3
Exercise: How does White make progress in the most efficient manner?
31 a4
Taking the chance to improve the a2-pawn.
Answer: However, 31 f6! is even stronger, exploiting the tactical weakness of the h7-
pawn, since 31 ... gxf6 32 Bxh7 produces a passed h-pawn as well as a beautiful square for
the bishop on f5. Instead, 31 ... g6 (or 31 ... h6 32 fxg7+ Kxg7 33 Bf5 Rc7 34 Ke4 Kf6 35
Bh3, intending Kd5) 32 g4 h6 33 h4 Be1 34 g5! h5 (34 ... Bxh4? 35 Bb7 Rc7 36 Rxh4 Rxb7
37 Rxh6 leads to an easily winning rook ending) 35 Bb7 Rc7 36 Ba6 improves White’s
position considerably, with ideas of both d3-d4 and Ke4-d5. These variations show why it
was important for Black to place the pawn on h6 earlier.
31 ... Ke7 32 Bd5
White clears the fourth rank for the rook as well as the e4-square for the king. Observe
the difference between the bishops: White’s pressurizes the f7-pawn while the black bishop
cannot do anything useful. Preventing the white rook from dropping back on the c-file has no
meaning considering its potential activity at g4 or h4.
32 ... Rc7 33 Rh4
At the last moment the rook moves away, evacuating the c4-square for the bishop and
preparing Ke4 as well. White has anticipated ... Kd6 in the most efficient way.
33 ... h6 34 Ke4 Kf6?!
It is better to play 34 ... Rd7 at once, followed by ... Rd6, defending the sixth rank.
Exercise: How can White improve his position further?
Answer: 35 Rh5!
A beautiful rook manoeuvre from c4 to h5 has taken place. The rook’s function is
obviously to prepare h2-h4 and g4-g5, gaining space as well as creating weaknesses on the
kingside.
35 ... Rd7
It seems more logical to admit the mistake with 35 ... Ke7, intending 36 g4 f6 in order to
make the kingside breakthrough as hard as possible to carry out. Then 37 h4? Rc8 38 g5 Rh8
leads to a draw, since the white rook remains shuts in. However, after 37 Be6, Black will soon
be in zugzwang as the following variations show:
a) 37 ... Kd6?!, preventing the white king from entering d5, can now be met by 38 h4!
since the black rook cannot manoeuvre to h8. After 38 ... Be1 39 g5 hxg5 40 hxg5 fxg5 41
Rxg5 Bh4 42 Rh5 Bf6 43 Rh8, White is winning; for example, 43 ... g6 44 Rh6 gxf5+ 45 Kxf5
Bg7 46 Rg6 Bh8 47 Bc4+ Ke7 48 Rg8 Bf6 49 e4 and Black is in zugzwang, losing material
by force.
b) 37 ... Rb7 38 Kd5 Bd2 39 Rh3 Rc7 40 Rg3! creates a subtle zugzwang. Black can only
move his bishop and White manoeuvres accordingly. For example 40 ... Be1 (40 ... Bc1
allows 41 h4 and g4-g5 next move) 41 Rg2! (this quiet move controls the second rank and
eliminates the pressure on the e3-pawn from the rear) 41 ... Bh4 42 Re2 (preventing the
bishop from going back to e1) 42 ... Bg5 43 a5! a6 (otherwise White plays 44 a6, followed by
e3-e4 and Ra2-a5-b5) 44 Re1! (an important waiting move; 44 h3! has the same purpose) 44
... Bh4 45 Rc1 Bg5 46 Rxc5 Rxc5+ 47 Kxc5 Bxe3+ 48 Kxb4 and the bishop endgame is
easily winning for White due to the weak pawn on a6.
36 g4 g6
If Black sits and waits, then h2-h4 and g4-g5 decides.
37 Rxh6 Kg5 38 Rh7 Kxg4
Answer: 39 Be6!
Of course not 39 fxg6?? f5 mate, while after 39 f6? Kg5 40 Bxf7 Kxf6 41 Bxg6, the game
is considerably prolonged.
39 ... fxe6 40 fxg6!
This is the tactical point. One wonders how many moves ahead Réti actually spotted this
beautiful combination. 40 Rxd7?? gxf5 mate is another way to commit suicide.
40 ... Rd8 41 Rxa7
The methodical 41 g7 Rg8 42 h4 Bb2 43 h5 Kg5 44 h6 Kg6 45 Rh8 Kf7 46 h7 Rxg7 47
Rf8+ Kxf8 48 h8Q+ is another, slower way to win.
41 ... Kg5 42 g7 Kh6 43 a5
Here 43 Rf7 Rg8 44 a5 Kg6 45 Rb7 Ra8 46 a6 Kh7 47 a7 and 48 Rb8 is quicker. Note
that the bishop does not participate at all in the defence against the passed pawns.
43 ... Kh7 44 a6 Rd6
Exercise: How does White finish the game?
Walter Michel (1888-1969) was a Swiss chess master. He won his national Championship
in 1926, and represented his country in four Olympiads from 1927-35. He is most famous for
the game he lost to Akiba Rubinstein in the 16th round at Semmering (check this out,
particularly from move 26 onwards, if you have not seen it before). According to
Chessmetrics, his highest estimated rating of 2515 and ranking of 40th in the world came in
April 1926, directly after Semmering; in other words Michel was then at his peak, despite
finishing second-last with 4½ points.
Game 40
W.Michel-R.Réti
Semmering 1926
Bogo-Indian Defence
Answer: 31 ... b6
Of course; now the rook is in prison, even if it cannot easily be won.
32 Ra2?
So the rook forces its way in on the a-file, but it cannot accomplish anything there and
only helps Black’s knight to a better square. White’s best chance here is to try and restrict his
opponent with 32 Be4, and if 32 ... Nb8 then 33 Rc2. If Black plays to free his knight by
bringing the king to d8 after 33 ... Kf7 34 h4 Ke8, White has 35 Rxb6! cxb6 36 Rc8+ and 37
Rxb8 with reasonable hopes of a draw.
32 ... Nb8
Question: Why is White’s position uncomfortable?
Answer: We have already mentioned the problematic rook on b5. Another issue is that
the black rooks are now threatening to invade via the e3-square.
33 Ra7
This keeps the knight out of the game but allows the black rook into e3. The more active
33 Ra8 Nd7 34 Rc8 fails to 34 ... Re3 35 Bc4 Ne5! 46 Kxe3 Nxc4+ 47 Kd3 Na3 48 Rf8+
Kg7 49 Ra8 (after 49 Rxb6 cxb6 50 Rd8 Kf7, White does not have enough for the piece,
since 51 Rxd6 runs into 51 ... Re3+!) 49 ... Nxb5 50 Ra6 (or 50 Kc4?! c6!) 50 ... Re2 51
Kxb5 Ke5 with a winning rook endgame for Black.
If White prevents the rook intrusion with 33 Be4, then 33 ... Nd7 34 Rc2 Nf8 extricates
the knight, which can be further improved after ... h7-h5, ... Kg7 and ... Nh7-f6, while White
is left with his useless rook. (The tricky 33 ... Nc6?!, exploiting the pin on the d5-pawn,
offers White more chances after 34 Rxb6! cxb6 35 dxc6.)
33 ... Re3 34 Be4 Rc3
By defending the c7-pawn one more time the road is prepared for the horse in the stable to
make a difference.
35 Ke2 Rc2+
More accurate than 35 ... Nd7, which drops the c7-pawn after 36 Kd2 Rc4 37 Bd3 Rh4 38
Rxc7?, even if 38 ... Rxh2 39 Bf1 Rh1 40 Be2 Rg1 41 Rc6 Rxg2 42 Rxd6+ Kf5! 43 Re6 Rxe6
44 dxe6+ Kxe6 still looks very good for Black.
36 Kf1 Rc4 37 Ke2 Nd7 38 Kd2 Ne5
39 Bb1?
White should not have moved the bishop away from the centre; now his position falls
apart rapidly. All the same, it is not possible to maintain the bishop there for very long
anyway; for instance, after 39 Ra8 Rd4+ 40 Kc2 Ng4! or 39 Ra1 g5 40 h3 h5, followed by ...
g5-g4.
39 ... Rd4+
Or 39 ... Rh4 40 h3 Nc4+.
40 Kc2 Rh4 41 h3 Nc4 42 Kc3
42 ... Ne3
Answer: The rooks might have finished things off with 42 ... Re3+! 43 Kc2? (but if 43
Bd3 Ne5 and the bishop is doomed) 43 ... Rd4!, followed by ... Rd2 and ... Re1 mate.
43 g4
Or 43 Ra2 Rc4+ 44 Kb3 Rc1 45 Be4 Nd1! with a family fork on c3; for example, 46 Rd2
Nc3 47 Kb2 Nxe4 48 Kxc1 (or 48 fxe4 Re1) 48 ... Nxd2 49 Kxd2 and White is basically a
rook down.
43 ... Rxh3 0-1
Game 41
R.Réti-K.Gilg
Semmering 1926
Nimzo-Indian Defence
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6
In the third round Gilg played the Budapest Gambit against Alekhine, and was successful
after his great opponent played too aggressively: 2 ... e5 3 dxe5 Ng4 4 e4 Nxe5 5 f4 Nec6 6
a3 a5
7 Nc3 Bc5! 8 Nd5 0-0 9 Bd3 d6 10 Qh5!? Nd7 11 Nf3 h6 12 g4? Nf6 13 Nxf6+ Qxf6 14
f5 Nd4 15 g5 Nxf3+ 16 Qxf3 hxg5 17 h4 Re8! 18 Kd1 gxh4 19 Kc2 Bd7 20 Bd2 Ra6 21
Qh5?? Ba4+! 22 Kc1 Rb6 23 Ra2 (23 Bc3? runs into 23 ... Qxc3+! 24 bxc3 Be3 mate) 23 ...
Bd4 24 b4 Be3! 25 Bxe3 Qc3+ and Black won (albeit not in the most convincing manner from
then on).
It is unclear why Gilg did not repeat the Budapest again in the tournament. Perhaps he felt
it would be pushing his luck, especially in this game since Réti had won with the same line as
Black against Hans Kmoch in round ten. That game had continued 7 Be3 Na6 8 Nf3 Bc5 9
Qd2 d6 10 Nc3 0-0 11 Bd3 Bxe3 12 Qxe3 Nc5 13 0-0 Re8 and Black had no problems; Réti
steadily outplayed his opponent to win in 32 moves.
3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e3 b6
In more modern times this was one of Fischer’s favourite moves in the Nimzo-Indian. Of
course his favourite opening was the King’s Indian and, interestingly, he would sometimes
play ... Bg4 there, which is a mirror of the current variation, the bishops being located on the
same spots on the opposite flank! In his My 60 Memorable Games, Fischer gave 4 ... b6 an
exclamation mark with the comment: “Other moves have been analyzed to death”, presumably
referring to the traditional set-up with 4 ... 0-0 5 Bd3 d5 6 Nf3 c5 (in some order) or
Rubinstein’s 5 Ne2. The Hübner Variation 4 ... c5 5 Bd3 Nc6 6 Nf3 Bxc3+ 7 bxc3 d6 only
took off later.
5 Bd2
This is a very unusual move and must be regarded as slightly passive. The idea is
obviously to avoid the doubled pawns but it accomplishes little else, and the bishop is
exposed to exchange by the f6-knight. The main variations begin after 5 Ne2 or 5 Bd3.
5 ... Bb7 6 Nf3 c5
A safer equalizer is 6 ... Bxc3! 7 Bxc3 Ne4, when the drawback to White’s set-up is
clearly shown. Nimzowitsch played this way several times in the reversed position (after 1
Nf3 d5 2 b3 and so on); and here C.Ahues-A.Nimzowitsch, Berlin 1927, continued 8 Qc2 0-0
9 0-0-0 f5 10 Ne5, when 10 ... d6 11 Nd3 Nxc3 12 Qxc3 Nd7 solves Black’s opening
problems completely.
Answer: 7 dxc5!?
Réti prefers to release the tension, at the same time forcing Gilg to make an important
decision. A more classical approach is 7 Bd3, giving Black the option of 7 ... cxd4 8 exd4 0-
0 9 0-0 d5, which will most likely lead to an isolated pawn after 10 cxd5 Nxd5 with a
dynamic struggle. Note that 10 ... exd5 11 Re1 would benefit White, whose pieces are more
active than their black counterparts.
7 ... Bxc5
It is a matter of taste which way to recapture the pawn. Naturally, 7 ... bxc5 leads to a
different structure with four pawns in the large central area (c-f files) and might be preferred
for that reason. On the other hand, a future ... d7-d5 would then probably lead to hanging
pawns, and perhaps Gilg did not wish to take on such a commitment.
8 Bd3 0-0 9 0-0 d5
Another set-up is 9 ... Be7, followed by ... d7-d6 with a hedgehog formation.
10 Qe2
Instead, 10 cxd5 Nxd5 11 Qb1 Nf6 12 Ne4 Nbd7 13 Bc3 is a more active approach,
albeit not a dangerous one for Black after 13 ... h6 14 Rd1 Qc7. Nor does White achieve
much with 11 Qe2 Nf6 or 11 Nxd5 Qxd5 12 Qc2 Qh5 13 Be4 Nc6 14 Qa4 Rac8. All the
same, exchanging on d5 looks better than the text.
10 ... dxc4 11 Bxc4
If we compare this position with 10 cxd5 Nxd5 11 Qe2 Nf6 above, it is easy to see that
the white bishop belongs on d3. This slight difference should be in Black’s favour, who in fact
has a good version of a Queen’s Gambit Accepted.
11 ... Nc6
Developing the knights symmetrically is perfectly playable, even if this one seems a little
clumsy blocking the b7-bishop. A good alternative is to play 11 ... a6, followed by 12 ...
Nbd7, with a harmonious, QGA-style, piece placement. Note that the immediate 11 ... Nbd7
might be answered by 12 Ba6.
12 a3 Qe7 13 b4 Bd6
14 Nb5?!
Answer: Réti’s plan of rerouting the knight to d4 might have run into trouble, so it was
better simply to centralize a rook with 14 Rfd1, or else swap off the b7-bishop again after 14
Ba6, with a level position in either case.
14 ... Bb8
Retreating the bishop is fine, though not strictly necessary. Black might have played 14 ...
Ne5, since the obvious move 15 Nxd6? fails to 15 ... Bxf3! (a good bishop normally has the
opportunity to exchange itself at any time) 16 gxf3 Qxd6 (with the triple threat of ... Qxd2, ...
Nxc4, and ... Qc6) 17 Bc3 (the only defence) 17 ... Nxc4 18 Bxf6 Nxe3! and Black wins a
pawn; note that the counter-zwischenzug 19 Bxg7?? runs into 19 ... Nxf1 20 Bxf8? Qxh2+ 21
Kxf1 Qh1 mate. So White would have to play 15 Nxe5 Bxe5 16 Bc3 Bxc3 17 Nxc3, when 17
... a5! leaves Black with a slight initiative.
15 Bc3?
Consistent but bad. The most appropriate continuation is 15 Rac1 a6 (after 15 ... e5 16 e4
a6 17 Nc3 Nd4 18 Qd3, the position is about equal) 16 Nbd4 Nxd4 17 Nxd4 Qd6 18 g3 b5
19 Bb3 Ba7 20 Bc3, although the initiative is clearly on Black’s side with his raking bishops.
15 ... a6?
Both players seem to have overlooked or underestimated 15 ... e5!, which embarrasses
the b5-knight with the threat of ... a7-a6. White has nothing better than to abandon his plan
and play 16 Bb2 a6 17 Nc3, when 17 ... e4 18 Nd4 Nxd4! (stronger than 18 ... Ne5 19 Bb3)
19 exd4 b5 20 Ba2 Qd6 21 g3 Ba7 is clearly good for Black, in view of White’s weak d-
pawn and kingside.
16 Nbd4 Nxd4
If Black tries the more ambitious 16 ... Qc7, with threats against h2 and the unstable
bishops, White can save the situation with 17 Nxc6 Bxc6 18 g3, and if 18 ... Bxf3?! (18 ... b5
19 Bxf6 bxc4 20 Bd4 is equal) 19 Qxf3 Qxc4 then 20 Bxf6 gxf6 21 Qxa8 Be5 22 Qb7 Bxa1
23 Rxa1 and White has whatever chances are going.
17 Bxd4
Of course not 17 Nxd4?? in view of 17 ... Qc7!, threatening both ... Qxh2 mate and ...
Rc8, winning a piece, and this time White has no defence.
17 ... e5
Another option is 17 ... a5!, targeting the queenside. The text sets up the cheapo 18
Bxb6?? e4 19 Ng5 (or 19 Bc5 Qc7) 19 ... Qd6 and Black wins.
18 Bb2 b5 19 Bb3
19 ... e4
There are serious drawbacks to this aggressive-looking move. First of all, it gives White
the nice outpost on d4 after all; secondly, both of White’s bishops are now tremendously
posted, whereas the bishop on b7 risks becoming bad. Yes, Black will be able to force a
weakness on the kingside, but this is of lesser importance here. It is better to keep the pawn
on e5 and connect the rooks with 19 ... Bc7.
20 Nd4 Qd6 21 g3
Pushing the f-pawn is less appropriate, After 21 f4?! exf3 22 gxf3 (definitely not 22 Nxf3?
Ng4 23 g3 Ba7 with enormous pressure on the white kingside) 22 ... Nh5, Black has good
counterplay. Note that the b7-bishop is much happier in this position than after the text move.
21 ... Qd7
This is Black’s idea. White cannot prevent the queen intrusion at h3. But is this really
dangerous?
22 Rfd1
Centralization is normally the key to a successful defence, as Nimzowitsch taught in his
famous books.
22 ... Qh3
Answer: 26 Rac1
A famous Russian rule states that when you are unsure what to do, you should improve
the position of your worst placed piece. White consequently develops the queen’s rook at last
and prepares play on the fifth rank with good support for a potential knight on f5.
26 ... Ng4 27 Qg2
Réti loved to conduct original manoeuvres with his queen. Remember his penchant for
placing it in the corner! Here he fianchettoes the queen and avoids weakening the kingside.
Nevertheless, it is not the best move, which is 27 h3!, paradoxically helping the black
knight to reach its desired square after 27 ... Ne5 in order to follow with the even more
surprising 28 g4!. This looks suicidal in view of 28 ... Nxg4? 29 hxg4 Qh2 mate, but Réti’s
move in the game is now even stronger. The main variation runs 29 Qg2! Ne5 30 Ne6! fxe6
31 Bxe6+ Kh8 32 Rd7! Qg6 33 Qxg6 hxg6 34 Rxb7 and White should win due to his superior
activity.
If instead 28 ... Qg5, then 29 Nf5 leaves White clearly better. Compare the activity of the
two sides’ forces. All White’s pieces are in play, even the queen on f1, which may find
activity on g2 as we have just seen.
27 ... Ne5?
It was necessary to prepare this move with 27 ... Qg6, when White has only a slight
advantage.
Exercise: White to play and win. (Warning: this is not easy!)
28 Rc5?
This natural move is actually a mistake and should lose White’s advantage.
Answer: The correct continuation is 28 g4!!, when 28 ... Nxg4 29 h3! transposes to 27 h3
Ne5 28 g4 Nxg4 29 Qg2! above and White wins with 29 ... Ne5 30 Ne6! etc. This time we
have to consider 28 ... Qxg4 29 Qxg4 Nxg4 as well, but this is also met by 30 Ne6! (the main
point behind White’s extraordinary tactical concept) 30 ... fxe6 (after 30 ... Bxh2+ 31 Kg2
Be5 32 Bxe5 Nxe5 33 Nxf8 and 34 Rc7, Black does not have enough for the exchange) 31
Bxe6+ Kh8 32 Bxg4, Black cannot prevent the decisive Rd7 next move since his pieces are
almost stalemated. A remarkable position well worth remembering! Activity contra non-
activity in its purest form!
As it happens, Réti has seen the idea of g3-g4 and his move prepares it by pinning the
knight. We can forgive him for not realizing that he could play it at once, even if we wonder at
the same time whether the great tactical genius of Alekhine would have spotted it.
28 ... Bd6?
Black misses his chance to escape via 28 ... Rd8!, pinning the white knight in turn with
mutual chances.
29 g4! Qxg4?
One mistake follows another. The only way to put up resistance is to retreat the queen
with 29 ... Qg6, when White has to find, first of all, 30 Nf5! Nf3+ 31 Kh1 Bxc5 32 bxc5 Qg5
33 Qg3! (threatening h3-h4) 33 ... h5 (after 33 ... Bc8 34 h4! Nxh4 35 Qxh4 Qxh4+ 36 Nxh4
Bxg4 37 Rg1 h5 38 Nf5 Kh7 39 Nd6, White’s two pieces and passed c-pawn are too much for
Black’s rook and vulnerable pawns) 34 Nd6! (the versatile knight changes direction with
every move!) and then more tactics in the variations that follow; for example:
a) 34 ... h4 fails to 35 Nxf7! Qf6 36 Bxf6 hxg3 37 Rd7 Rxf7 38 Rxf7 gxf6 39 Rxb7+ Kf8
40 Rh7 gxf2 41 Kg2 etc.
b) After 34 ... Bc6 35 Nxf7! Rxf7 36 Bxf7+ Kxf7 37 Qc7+ and the bishop is hanging.
c) 34 ... Bc8 35 Bd5 leaves White dominating the whole board; e.g. 35 ... Bxg4 36 Bxe4
Qh4 37 h3! Qxg3 38 fxg3 Ng5 39 hxg4 Nxe4 40 Nxe4 hxg4 41 Nd6 and wins.
d) 34 ... Rad8 has the tricky idea 35 Nxb7?! Rxd1+ 36 Bxd1 Qd5 with some counterplay,
but White inserts 35 h4! Nxh4 36 Nxb7 Rxd1+ 37 Bxd1 and should win with the two pieces,
since 37 ... Qd5 is now answered by 38 Bd4.
30 Qxg4 Nxg4 31 Rg5 Ne5 32 f4!
We saw this idea already in the notes to 24 ... Ng4. Now Black is forced either to move
his knight or block the f3-square with 32 ... exf3, so that White can play Nf5 without being
forked by ... Nf3+. The cheapo 31 ... Nxh2 would have been met the same way.
32 ... Nd3
Exercise (combination alert): How did Réti conclude the game?
Answer: 33 Rxd3!
Not yet 33 Nf5?, as 33 ... Nxb2 34 Rxg7+ Kh8 35 Rxd6 Bc8! then sees Black back in the
game.
33 ... h6
Now 33 ... exd3 34 Nf5 wins quickly, with the immediate threat of Nh6+ and mate next
move; or if 34 ... Rfe8 then 35 Rxg7+ Kh8 (or 35 ... Kf8 36 Rxf7+ Kg8 37 Nh6 mate) 36
Nxd6! and White can announce mate in four.
34 Rg3 1-0
After this quiet move, Black resigned, since 34 ... exd3 35 Nf5 is still decisive.
There was a more spectacular win: 34 Rxg7+ Kxg7 35 Nf5+ Kg6 36 Rxd6+ f6 (or 36 ...
Kxf5 37 Rf6+ Kg4 38 Bd1+ Kh3 39 Rxh6 mate) 37 Nh4+ Kh5 38 Bxf6 (threatening Bd1
mate) 38 ... Rxf6 39 Rxf6 Kxh4 40 Rxh6+ Kg4 41 Kf2 (threatening Be6 mate) 41 ... Re8 42
Bf7 (threatening Bg6 and h2-h3 mate) 42 ... Kf5!? 43 Bxe8 (threatening Bd7 mate) 43 ... Bc8
44 Bh5 and there is now no defence against h2-h3 and Bg4 mate.
But it seems Réti’s move was more efficient since his opponent resigned immediately!
Game 42
R.Réti-E.Znosko-Borovsky
Tunbridge Wells 1927
English Opening
1 Nf3 e6
This is a very flexible response to Réti’s favourite move, keeping the opponent guessing
whether Black will follow up with 2 ... Nf6, 2 ... f5, 2 ... d5, 2 ... c5 or 2 ... b6.
2 c4 f5
A Dutch formation is perhaps not the most appropriate choice considering that the white
d-pawn is still on its original square, so the e4-square has not yet been weakened in any way.
3 g3 b6
Black plays a hybrid of a Queen’s Indian Defence and a Dutch. Given that the c8-h3
diagonal is overloaded with pawns, this is a logical set-up, but it is still not the best. One of
the chief aims of White’s g2-g3 was to nullify the effect of a queenside fianchetto. Instead,
continued flexibility with 3 ... Nf6 was called for, followed by either ... d7-d6 or ... d7-d5.
4 Bg2 Bb7 5 Nc3 Nf6 6 d3
The placement of the d-pawn on d3 establishes White’s control over the e4-square and at
the same time renders Black’s set-up slightly pointless. The general program against d2-d3 is
for Black to expand in the centre with ... d7-d6 and ... e6-e5, preparing ... f5-f4, but in this
case the light-squared bishop is better suited on c8.
6 ... Be7 7 0-0 0-0
Answer: 8 Re1
A useful move, supporting the central e2-e4 break. Compare this with the immediate 8 e4,
which is strongly met by 8 ... fxe4 9 Ng5 Nc6!, when 10 Ngxe4 Nxe4 11 Bxe4 Bf6 leads to
an active game for Black. In this line 10 d4! is the most challenging move with mutual
chances in a complicated position.
8 ... a5
Black persists in fighting for the e4-square, planning ... Na6-c5.
9 e4! fxe4 10 Ng5?!
White reacts in a standard way, exploiting the unprotected bishop on b7, but it is not the
best course here. With the rook now posted on e1, it is stronger simply to recapture 10 dxe4,
keeping the centre pawn on e4. Then e4-e5 is a rather annoying threat, while the temporary
defence 10 ... Bc5 is answered by 11 h3, preventing ... Ng4 and preparing e4-e5 again.
10 ... Na6
Komodo 10 suggests an interesting alternative in 10 ... a4!? with the tactical point that 11
Nxa4?! Bc6 secures the bishop with gain of tempo. After 12 Nc3 exd3 13 Qxd3 Bxg2 14
Kxg2 Ra5!, Black has good piece play; ... Na6 and ... Qa8 is in the air with easy equality.
White should therefore prefer 11 d4 a3 12 Ngxe4 Nxe4 13 Nxe4 with a slight advantage.
11 Ngxe4 Nxe4 12 Nxe4 Rb8
Exercise: How should White continue?
13 Qe2?!
Answer: This is a good moment to start playing classically with 13 d4!. If Black counters
with 13 ... d5 14 cxd5 exd5, White has an interesting decision to make over where to place
the knight.
Answer: The knight is the trickiest piece for many of us to handle, and this is an
instructive example. The best move is the unexpected 15 Nd2!. From this square the knight
can direct itself quickly to a more effective post, namely f3. After 15 ... Bd6 16 Nf3, it can
then go on to e5 or even g5, while the supporting Bg5 may also come into consideration.
Returning the knight to c3 is the most obvious choice, but after 15 Nc3 c6 16 Be3 Nc7 17
Rc1 Bd6, the knight is not particularly well placed and needs to be transferred to a more
efficient square. Putting the knight on a4 does not achieve anything as it will be neutralized
by ... Ne8 and ... Bc7. A second idea of Nb1 followed by Nd2 looks more promising, but
then the logical question is: why not play the knight to d2 immediately? This is the main
argument in favour of 15 Nd2 – it saves time! What constitutes a player of high class is the
deep understanding where the pieces really belong.
13 ... Nc5
Naturally, Black will be pleased to exchange his rim knight for White’s centralized piece.
14 Bf4
A good post for the dark-squared bishop, exercising pressure on the c7-pawn.
14 ... Nxe4
Answer: 15 Bxe4
Reestablishing the central e4-pawn with 15 dxe4 while opening the d-file for the major
pieces might be tempting, but Black gets counterplay. For example, after 15 ... Bc5 16 e5
Bxg2 17 Kxg2 Rf5!, White must be on guard for tricks like ... Bxf2 and ... g7-g5, or the
immediate ... g7-g5, when the e5-pawn becomes a tactical weakness.
15 ... Bxe4 16 Qxe4 b5
A logical-looking move with ideas of counterplay on the b-file, but its downsides seem
more significant. To start with it weakens Black’s queenside structure, notably the a-pawn.
Black does better to oppose bishops with 16 ... Bd6, not fearing doubled pawns after 17
Bxd6 cxd6 since they are more easily defended than attacked. A very interesting major piece
ending with an unusual pawn distribution would take place. Black might set up by placing one
rook on f5, the queen on c5 (via c7), and then the other rook on f8 with pressure on the half-
open f-file.
Question: Should White take on b5 or allow Black to exchange on c4?
Answer: Definitely the latter, since the exchange will open the d-file for White’s heavy
pieces, a further drawback to the ... b6-b5 idea. Playing 17 cxb5? Rxb5 is only in Black’s
interest, whose rook is far more active, while White now has three pawn islands rather than
two.
17 Re2
A useful move, protecting the tactical weaknesses at b2 and f2.
17 ... Kh8?!
The king was well placed on g8, so there is no need for this cautious move. Here too 17
... Bd6 18 Bxd6 cxd6 is preferable; or if White avoids the exchange with 18 Be3, then 18 ...
c6 offers Black even prospects.
18 Rc1
Forcing Black to decide how to deal with the pressure against the c7-pawn.
18 ... bxc4
Resolving the tension in this way has its drawbacks as already mentioned. Either 18 ...
Bg5 at once or else 18 ... Bd6 again is a more solid way to defend.
19 dxc4
Not 19 Qxc4?! Bd6 20 Bxd6 cxd6, which is in Black’s interest as then both sides’
structure is compromised, while the open c-file is less useful for White than the half-open d-
file.
19 ... Bg5 20 Bxg5
20 Be3!? is an interesting alternative, not helping Black to improve the placement of his
pieces, while an exchange on e3 brings the white queen to the g1-a7 diagonal.
20 ... Qxg5 21 Rd1 Rf7
Exercise: What is the most precise continuation for White?
22 f4?!
There is no need to weaken the kingside at the moment.
Answer: 22 Qd4! forces Black to deal with the annoying threats of Re5 and Qa7. For
example, 22 ... Rbf8 (the most active response) 23 Rdd2 (not yet 23 Qa7? since White has
too many unprotected pieces; Black replies 23 ... Qg4 and has no problems) 23 ... Qf5 24
Qa7 Qb1+ (24 ... d6 is met by 25 c5!) 25 Kg2 Qxa2 26 Qxc7 Qb3 and only now 27 f4, when
the black d- and e-pawns will be traded for the white c-pawn. Note that 27 ... Qa4 is
answered by 28 Re3! intending b2-b3, rather than 28 Rxe6? dxe6 29 Qxf7 Qb4! 30 Qd7 Qxc4
when the position is equal.
22 ... Qg4! 23 Kg2?
It is unbelievable that Réti made this mistake, yet he did. White should play 23 Red2 d6
24 c5 d5 25 Qe5 or 24 Re1 with central pressure in either case.
23 ... Kg8?
The not-too-difficult 23 ... Rxf4, winning a pawn, was apparently overlooked by both
players.
24 h3
Not now 24 Red2?! due to 24 ... Rxb2! etc, but 24 Rdd2 consolidates White’s defences
without any weakening pawn move.
24 ... Qg6?!
This allows Black’s pawn structure to be damaged even further. He should avoid the
exchange of queens and play 24 ... Qh5. White’s king is not completely safe once he has
pushed all his kingside pawns forward.
25 Qxg6 hxg6 26 Rdd2
Another idea is to place the rook on the third rank: 26 Rd3 Rb4 27 b3 a4 28 Re5 axb3 29
axb3 with the slightly better chances for White. He has several plans to work with, such as
Ra5 and Ra4, advancing his queenside pawns, combined with an attack on the weak g6-pawn.
26 ... a4?!
Black prevents White from consolidating his queenside with b2-b3 and thus fixes the b2-
pawn as a potential target, but for the moment the b-pawn is well protected, whereas the black
a-pawn is actually more exposed than it was on a5, as will soon become clear. Black would
do better to bring the king to e7 to defend the tactical weakness at d7. Note that after 26 ...
Kf8, White gets nowhere with 27 Re5 Rf5! 28 Rxf5+ gxf5, since the b2-pawn does hang if he
takes on d7.
27 c5! Rb5?
He should have played 27 ... c6 first and only then ... Rb5, even if it means allowing
White a passed a-pawn after 28 Rd4 Rb5 29 Rxa4 Rxc5.
Answer: 28 c6!
This aggressive thrust deep into Black’s camp throws the only solid part of his pawn
structure into disarray.
28 ... Rd5 29 Rc2
Also promising is 29 Rxd5 exd5 30 Re8+ Kh7 31 Ra8! (not 31 cxd7? Rxd7 32 Ra8 Re7!
33 Rxa4 Re2+ 34 Kf3 Rxb2 with a probable draw) 31 ... dxc6 32 Rxa4 with a clearly
advantageous rook ending for White. Healthy pawn structures are important in endgames, and
especially rook endings, since rooks are pretty good pawn-eaters.
29 ... Rd6 30 a3!
Réti plays this ending very well indeed. He fixes the enemy a4-pawn so that it becomes
an easy target for one of his rooks.
30 ... Rxc6
If Black keeps both rooks with 30 ... dxc6, White plays simply 31 Rc4! and 32 Rxa4.
31 Rxc6 dxc6
There is no name for Black’s wrecked pawn structure. It is not exactly an Irish formation,
which consists of tripled pawns on a file (as in the notes to Game 26), but one can clearly
observe three disorganized pawns on a rank!
32 Rxe6 Rd7 33 Rxg6 Rd2+ 34 Kf3 Rxb2 35 Rxc6
All Black’s pawns on the sixth rank have been demolished incredibly quickly.
35 ... Rb3+ 36 Kg4 Rxa3 37 Rxc7
The rook ending is technically winning for White, who has three pawns versus one on the
kingside as well as more mobile pieces.
37 ... Kh7?!
It is better to keep the rook active with 37 ... Rb3 38 Ra7 a3, but it would not change the
result of the game.
38 Ra7 Ra1 39 f5 Kh6 40 Kh4 a3 41 Ra6+ Kh7 42 g4 a2
Exercise: What is White’s best move?
Answer: 43 Ra8!
Placing Black in zugzwang who must now either abandon the a-pawn or surrender his
remaining pawn on the kingside.
43 ... g6 44 Ra7+ Kg8
Not 44 ... Kh6? 45 g5 mate.
45 fxg6 Kh8 46 g5 Kg8 47 g7 Kh7 48 Kh5 Rh1
Allan Nilsson (1899-1949) was a very interesting player. Chessmetrics ranks him 17th in
the world in 1921, he was Swedish Champion from 1924-29, and he might, according to GM
Gideon Stahlberg, have been the first Swedish grandmaster if he had devoted more time to the
game. As it was, he worked as a travelling salesman and fell into ill health. He also made the
typical mistake of playing in local tournaments against inferior opponents and often lost due
to lack of practice. As the ninth world champion Tigran Petrosian said: it is not the worse
opponents you play but rather yourself. At the London Olympiad Nilsson did reasonably
well, scoring 50% with 7½ points out of 15. Réti, on the other hand, performed much better,
scoring 11½ points and losing just one game (to Maróczy).
Game 43
R.Réti-Al.Nilsson
London Olympiad 1927
English Opening
1 c4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6
In recent times 2 ... Bb4 3 Nd5 Bc5 has been a popular sideline, as played by Alexei
Shirov and Ivan Sokolov, for example, and in the past six months by Viswanathan Anand.
3 Nf3 Nc6 4 d4
This move was a favourite of Mikhail Botvinnik in the 1930s and ’40s. Today it is
regarded as a harmless continuation. Instead, 4 g3 is most popular at the highest level and
leads to quite complicated positions. Then 4 ... Bb4 is considered to be a solid response for
Black. Nevertheless, Anand suffered two defeats with this move at the 2016 Candidates
Tournament in Moscow, losing to both Caruana and Nakamura. Even if Black’s opening was
not really at fault, the results clearly prompted him to switch to 2 ... Bb4, and with far greater
success.
4 ... exd4 5 Nxd4 Bb4
The most natural development. 5 ... Bc5 is occasionally played as well, when 6 Nxc6
bxc6 7 g3 0-0 8 Bg2 Re8 9 0-0 in fact transposes to Réti-Grünfeld, Baden-Baden 1925 (Game
34).
Answer: 6 Nxc6
Normally this exchange only takes place when Black prompts it by developing the bishop
to c5. The main move after 5 ... Bb4 is 6 Bg5, as Réti played against Euwe four rounds later,
and is what Botvinnik used to play. One of his famous games continued 6 ... h6 7 Bh4 Bxc3+
8 bxc3 Ne5 (Black’s idea is to break the pin with ... Ng6, while preventing White obtaining a
strong position in the centre with f2-f3 and e2-e4) 9 e3 (instead, 9 f4 is best met by 9 ... Ng6
10 Bxf6 Qxf6 11 g3 Nf8! 12 Bg2 Ne6, bringing the knight back into the game at once; then 13
0-0 0-0 14 e4 d6 15 Qd2 Nc5 16 Rae1 soon led to a draw in V.Kramnik-A.Karpov, Las
Palmas 1996, and is one of the reasons White stopped playing 4 d4, since Black has no
problems whatsoever) 9 ... Ng6 (9 ... d6 10 Be2 Ng6 11 Bg3 Ne4, as in T.Engqvist-
E.Hedman, Stockholm 2007, is an even safer equalizer) 10 Bg3 Ne4 11 Qc2 Nxg3 12 hxg3 d6
13 f4! (more precise than 13 Rd1 Qe7 14 Be2 Ne5, according to Botvinnik, since the knight
on g6 is restricted in its movements) 13 ... Qe7 14 Kf2 Nf8?! (there is no time for this here;
either 14 ... 0-0 or 14 ... c5!? is preferable) 15 c5! dxc5?! 16 Bb5+! Nd7? (16 ... Bd7 was
forced) 17 Nf5 Qf6 18 Rad1 and White won quickly in M.Botvinnik-G.Levenfish, USSR
Championship, Moscow 1940.
6 ... bxc6 7 g3 0-0 8 Bg2 d5
Réti has set up as in his earlier game with Grünfeld, while Nilsson ambitiously highlights
a significant difference, in that the pin on the c3-knight enables him to break with ... d7-d5.
Other moves, such as 8 ... Bxc3+, followed by ... Qe7 and/or ... Re8, or either of those moves
at once, are also perfectly fine for Black.
9 0-0
The immediate “double attack” with 9 Qa4 can be answered by 9 ... a5, preparing ... Ba6
to attack the weak c4- and e2-pawns. Then 10 Qxc6?? is suicidal, since 10 ... Ra6 11 Qa4 (or
first 11 Qb5 c6) 11 ... d4 12 a3 dxc3 13 axb4 axb4 wins material; while 10 0-0 Ba6 11 cxd5
cxd5 12 Nxd5 Nxd5 13 Rd1 Qe8 14 Qxe8 Raxe8 15 Rxd5 Rxe2 leads to a rather vulgarized
position.
9 ... Bxc3
The b4-bishop is a slight tactical weakness, so it makes sense to exchange it and damage
White’s pawn structure. 9 ... Ba6?? loses material after 10 Qa4 Bxc3 11 Qxa6 Bb4 12 Qxc6;
while 9 ... Be6?! 10 Qa4, followed by Rd1, gives White a pleasant advantage as well, with
pressure on c6 and d5.
10 bxc3 Be6?
This is a serious misplacement of the bishop. Now that Qa4 is no longer a fork, the
correct move is 10 ... Ba6, forcing 11 cxd5 cxd5, after which Black can follow up with ... Re8
and at the right time place the bishop on the very nice outpost at c4.
11 Qa4! Nd7
A more resistant defence is 11 ... Qd7, although the variation 12 Rd1 Bh3 13 cxd5 Bxg2
14 Kxg2 Rfd8 15 Bg5 cxd5 16 Qf4 Qe6 17 Rab1 is clearly in White’s favour.
Exercise: What is White’s strongest continuation?
12 Qxc6
This move essentially loses a tempo.
Answer: Instead, after 12 Bf4! Nb6 (driving the bishop away with 12 ... g5 weakens the
kingside, which White can exploit with a later f2-f4; for example, 13 Be3 Nb6 14 Qxc6 Nxc4
15 Bc5 Re8 16 f4 and so forth) 13 Qxc6 Nxc4, rather than having to move the queen, White
can play 14 Rfd1! with pressure on the d5-pawn and stands clearly better.
12 ... Ne5 13 Qc5 Nxc4 14 Rd1 Qf6?
Bothered by the appearance of the white rook on d1, Black moves his queen off the d-file
and attacks the c3-pawn, but it is better to leave it on d8. A very interesting possibility is 14
... Rc8!, offering a pawn in order to organize his forces more effectively. After 15 Bxd5 c6 16
Qxc4 cxd5 or 15 Qxa7 (or 15 e4 c6 16 Qxa7) 15 ... c6 16 e4 Re8, Black is a pawn down but
has some compensation in view of his more compact and centralized position, with ideas such
as ... Ne5 and ... Bg4 in mind.
Exercise: Can you suggest a good continuation for White?
Answer: 15 Rd4
Blocking the attack on c3 and threatening to take on d5. Grabbing a pawn immediately is
no good: 15 Qxc7? Qxc3 16 Bf4 Qb2 and 15 Bxd5? Bxd5 16 Rxd5 Qxc3 just make things
easier for Black. But 15 Bf4 is a good alternative, intending 15 ... Qxc3? 16 Rac1 Qf6 17
Bxd5 Bxd5 18 Qxd5 Nb6 19 Qc6 with excellent winning chances for White due to his
superior pawn formation and more active pieces.
15 ... Nb6 16 Bf4
Réti is always waiting for the right moment to develop the queen’s bishop. He suppressed
its development on the sixth move, and it is possible still to wait a little longer and play a
more simplifying line: 16 Qxc7 Rfc8 17 Qf4 Qxf4 18 Bxf4 (finally) 18 ... Rxc3 19 a4, when
White’s position is certainly preferable. For example, after 19 ... Rc4 20 Rxc4 Nxc4 21 Rb1,
the rook is ready to enter the seventh rank; coupled with his bishop pair and superior pawn
structure, White has good practical chances.
16 ... g5?
Now the kingside is seriously weakened. Either 16 ... c6 or 16 ... Rfc8 is preferable.
17 Bd2
Alternatively, 17 Be3 is very good for White too.
17 ... Qe5?
This is not a good square for the queen. It is better to play 17 ... Rac8.
Exercise: How can White exploit the poor state of the royal family?
Answer: 18 e4!
In true hypermodern fashion, Réti waited for the right moment to strike with the e2-pawn.
This is why he put his bishop on d2 rather than e3. The pawn push is very strong indeed.
White threatens both to capture on d5 and follow with Re1, when the black queen is clearly
exposed. Black cannot take on e4 since he has self-pinned his d-pawn to his queen. Other
good moves are 18 Re1 and 18 h4.
18 ... c6
It is too late for this move, but there is nothing better. White is also winning after 18 ...
Nd7 19 Qc6 dxe4 20 Rxe4 Qf5 21 Rae1; for example, 21 ... Bd5 22 Qh6 Qg6 23 Qxg6+ hxg6
24 Re7! and so on; (24 Rd4 Bxg2 25 Kxg2 Nc5 26 Bxg5 Ne6 27 Rd5 c6 28 Ra5 Nxg5 29
Rxg5 looks less clear).
19 Re1 Qf6 20 Qxc6 Rac8 21 Qb5 dxe4
22 Bxg5
Taking on e4 with any of the three available pieces is good too.
22 ... Qf5 23 Qxf5 Bxf5 24 Bxe4
The simplest way to win.
24 ... Bxe4
Or if 24 ... Rfe8 then 25 Bd2.
25 Rdxe4 f6
Black cannot even play 25 ... Rxc3? since 26 Bh6 wins the exchange; the f8-rook cannot
move due to the back rank mate.
26 Bh6 Rfd8
Relatively best is 26 ... f5, though White still wins after 27 Re6! Rfd8 28 Rf6.
27 Rg4+ 1-0
The London Olympiad was played in July 1927; the British Empire Club Masters
followed in the same city in October. Nimzowitsch and Tartakower came equal first with 8
points out of 11. According to custom, Réti did not play particularly well in London (in
individual tournaments he never did!), scoring just 5½ points for a share of joint sixth place
with William Winter. His opponent in the next game came fourth with 7 points.
“Elbowing his way breathlessly through the crowd of onlookers gathered around the
chess tables, the stout young man finally reached his board. Energetically he grabbed his
own king and laid the figure flat on the board as a sign of surrender. In just a few seconds
the small flag on his opponent’s clock fell, but his opponent was nowhere in the hall! Young
Dr. Milan Vidmar’s gesture was later proclaimed the finest move of the grandmaster’s
tournament in London 1922. Instead of gaining an easy point and thus sharing first prize,
without a moment of hesitation, he rejected the opportunity to take advantage of his
opponent’s mistake and finished the tournament in third place.”
Dr. Milan Vidmar (1885-1962) won the master title at Nuremberg in 1906. Five years
later, in San Sebastian, he was placed joint second with Rubinstein, only half a point behind
the winner, Capablanca. After this tournament Vidmar was recognized as one of the five
strongest players in the world. Capablanca used to say: “I am lucky that Vidmar is torn
between engineering and chess; otherwise my title would be seriously threatened.” Like
Mikhail Botvinnik, Vidmar had a PhD in engineering and, what is more, wrote 35 books on the
subject. As a lifelong amateur, Vidmar’s motto was: “Chess is a miniature of life, but it is not
life in miniature!” He was awarded the grandmaster title in 1950.
In short, Vidmar was a very tough player indeed and it is educational to see how Réti
dismantled him by strategic means alone and at his own pace. It should be noted that Vidmar
himself was a very strong technical player and his best games are worthy of deep study too.
Game 44
R.Réti-M.Vidmar
London 1927
Réti’s Opening
Question: If you were Black, which of the available moves would you consider
the best?
5 ... Bd7
Answer: Spielmann used to say that it is often pointless to try and find the best move
since several moves might be equally good. This position is instructive and shows that
practical considerations, as well as taste, are sometimes more important factors than a
perfectionistic attitude. It is not easy to prove, for example, that 5 ... c6 6 Qxc4 b5 (followed
by ... Bb7) or 5 ... Nbd7 6 Qxc4 c5 (or first 6 ... a6) are necessarily any better than the text
move which leads to a completely different kind of game.
6 Qxc4 Bc6?!
Vidmar opts to oppose the fianchettoed bishop immediately, but blocking the c-pawn
leaves him rather cramped. Instead, Black should prefer 6 ... c5, which has led to a recent
revival of 5 ... Bd7 in grandmaster chess. The obvious idea is to play ... Bc6 more
favourably on the next move; or if White prevents this by 7 Ne5 then 7 ... Qc8!, followed by
8 ... Nc6 9 Nxd7 Qxd7 gives Black a very solid position, albeit at the cost of the bishop pair.
7 0-0 Be7 8 Qc2
Since the white queen will soon have to move in any case, Réti decides to retreat it at
once before Nc3 blocks the path back to c2. Now it can be clearly seen that White lost two
tempi regaining the c-pawn. Instead of the queen developing to c2 in one move, it has gone
round via a4 and c4. This is the reason 4 ... dxc4 is playable, despite giving up the centre,
since Black gains time in return.
8 ... 0-0 9 Nc3
Nevertheless, Black’s quiet development makes it easier for White to arrange his pieces
in the most harmonious way. For example, there is no pawn at b5 harassing the c3-knight with
... b5-b4, as might have been the case after the more aggressive 5 ... c6.
9 ... Nbd7
Answer: 10 Rd1
A good move. After the natural 10 d4, Black might respond with 10 ... Bb4, fighting for
control of the e4-square; whereas now Réti’s opponent still does not know where the d-pawn
will eventually be placed.
10 ... e5?
Trying to claim space in the centre at this stage is too ambitious. On the other hand,
simple development is no good either: after 10 ... Nb6? 11 e4 Qc8 12 d4 Rd8 13 Bf4, Black
was slowly crushed in M.Filip-M.Euwe, Czechoslovakia-Netherlands match, Rotterdam
1955.
Instead, Ribli suggests 10 ... Bxf3 11 Bxf3 c6, conceding a slight advantage but setting up
a resilient Fort Knox-type position. Another, more active option is 10 ... b5!?, which
discourages both e2-e4 and d2-d4, since 11 e4? b4 is just good for Black, while 11 d4?! b4
12 Na4 Be4 gives him strong control of the central light squares. Correct is one of 11 a3, 11
d3 or 11 Nd4, keeping an edge for White as well as the hypermodern atmosphere in the game.
Answer: 11 d4!
The other classical advance 11 e4! is strong too. Both moves are inspired by the
“hypermodern paradox”, whereby a player declines to occupy the centre with pawns in the
early stages, only to do so at a more favourable moment later in the game, in particular when
the opponent’s pieces are not effectively enough placed to attack them. For example, 11 ...
Bb4, indirectly attacking the e4-pawn, can be answered by 12 d4! (the more restrained 12 d3,
followed by a2-a3, is good too) 12 ... Bxc3 13 dxe5! Bxe5? 14 Nxe5, exploiting the pin on the
d-file. Black’s best is 13 ... Qe7, when 14 exf6! Bxf6 15 Nd4 Bxd4 16 Rxd4 picks up the
bishop pair, leaving White with a slight advantage.
11 ... exd4 12 Nxd4 Bxg2 13 Kxg2 c6
After the logical alternative 13 ... g6, taking control of the f5-square, it is impossible to
know if Réti would have completed the “paradox” with 14 e4, or played according to another
favourite device of his, the development of the queen’s bishop to an immediately effective
square with 14 Bh6. In both cases White has the slightly more comfortable position.
14 Nf5
Whether one names a knight on f5 after Capablanca or Kasparov is open to debate, but
that such a knight is tremendously effective when the black king is placed on g8 (or,
conversely, a black knight on f4 versus a white king on g1) is without any doubt, as both
players proved again and again in their games.
14 ... Re8
Exercise: An interesting decision has to be made. What would you play?
Answer: 15 Bg5
Other good moves are: 15 Bf4, eyeing the weak d6-square; 15 e4, setting up a pawn
centre; or preparing it with 15 f3 first. Réti’s choice is probably the most aggressive, as it puts
pressure on the h4-d8 diagonal where Black has several pieces.
15 ... Qc7
This is an interesting position too, since White has so many good moves! Even though this
is a luxury problem, it is important nevertheless to have a plan in such cases.
16 Bf4
Réti takes advantage of his opponent’s previous move to swing the bishop round to d6
with gain of tempo. Of course 16 e4 is still a good alternative. Another option is 16 Rd2,
improving the rooks and keeping ideas of e2-e4, f2-f3 and Bf4 in reserve. This might have
been Petrosian’s choice, who often liked to keep the opponent in the dark regarding his
strategy. The exchange of the opponent’s remaining bishop with 16 Nxe7+?!, on the other
hand, should be discarded, since the f5-knight is the strongest minor piece on the board.
16 ... Qa5 17 Bd6 Bf8
Perhaps Réti was tempted into this variation because of the following hidden trap: 17 ...
Bxd6 18 Nxd6 Re6 19 Nxb7 Qc7 (19 ... Qb4 is met by 20 Qb3!)
Exercise: How does White save the seemingly trapped knight?
Answer: With 20 Nd6!, when the knight cannot be taken since 20 ... Rxd6? 21 Nb5 forks
Black’s queen and rook, and 21 ... Rxd1 22 Nxc7 Rxa1 23 Nxa8 wins for White. What
tremendous knights! Notice that this only works because of the small detail that the white
king has escaped the first rank into a fianchetto, otherwise 21 ... Rxd1 would come with
check.
18 Rd2
Réti continues to avoid classical waters as represented by 18 Bxf8 Nxf8 19 Nd6 Re7 20
e4 Rd8 21 f4 with a pretty comfortable advantage for White.
18 ... g6
Patience bears fruit! The psychology of leaving the knight on f5 for a while has resulted in
this slight weakening of the black king’s position.
19 Bxf8 Nxf8
Naturally, Réti would be happy to see the structural damage arising in Black’s position
after 19 ... Qxf5 20 Qxf5 gxf5, even if he then has to figure out the best placement of the
bishop on f8. Actually, this position is a perfect example of Spielmann’s comment earlier: that
it is sometimes fruitless to try and find the best move; in such cases it is better to play
according to one’s intuition or taste.
20 Nd6 Re7
Exercise: What should White do now?
Answer: 21 Rad1
Reinforcing the strong outpost on d6 is very useful, and Nimzowitsch would surely have
played this way himself. A lot of the enemy’s energy will be concentrated on the intruder,
hence the importance of its overprotection.
21 ... Ne8
Understandably, Vidmar does not like the superb white knight on d6 and tries to exchange
it.
22 Nce4
A good move, supporting the d6-knight one more time and introducing tactics into the
position due to the threat of Nxe8 and Nf6+.
Another approach is to regard the white knight as stronger than its passive counterpart on
e8 and play 22 Nc4, avoiding the exchange and provoking a subsequent ... b7-b5. It is well
known that weaknesses are easier to exploit when one’s pieces are more more active than the
opponent’s.
22 ... Nxd6 23 Rxd6
Eyeing the weakened f6-square. 23 Nxd6?! is unnecessary, even if White does have
sufficient compensation for the pawn after 23 ... Qxa2.
23 ... Qe5
Not now 23 ... Qxa2?? since 24 Nf6+ and 25 Qc3 wins at once.
24 Nf6+ Kg7
Exercise: How does White handle the threat to the e2-pawn?
(Warning: this is difficult!)
25 Kf1?!
One has to wonder whether Réti was merely being quirky with this move, making a point
of hypermodern principle by refusing to commit his e-pawn, even when it looks more
appropriate to do so. Certainly 25 e3 is preferable to the text, but it seems that White can
have his cake and eat it too ...
Answer: If you give the position to Komodo 10, it recommends the amazing move 25
b3!!, which has two hidden points. Firstly, it prepares a future Qb2, as seen if Black takes the
e-pawn: 25 ... Qxe2? 26 R1d2! (26 Qc3? Qe5 is nothing) 26 ... Qe1 27 f4! Re6 (27 ... Qa1?
28 Rd1 traps the queen) 28 Qb2! Rxd6 29 Ng4+! f6 30 Rxd6 Qe4+ 31 Kh3 and wins.
Secondly, it covers the a2-pawn, so that after 25 ... Re6 26 Rxe6 Qxe6 27 Ne4 Re8, as in the
game, White can play simply 28 Nd6 Re7 29 e4 with a clear advantage.
25 ... Re6 26 Rxe6
The tempting 26 Ng4 is answered by 26 ... Qxd6! 27 Rxd6 Rxd6 and Black’s two rooks
should manage to defend against the queen.
26 ... Qxe6
Avoiding 26 ... Nxe6? 27 Ng4 Qc5 28 Qd2, when the white queen comes in.
27 Ne4 Re8
28 Qc3+
If White plays 28 Nd6 Re7 29 e4 here, Black can just take on a2.
28 ... Qe5!
It is correct to challenge queens on the long diagonal at once; otherwise Black will likely
have to do so under worse circumstances. For instance, 28 ... f6 29 f3 Re7 30 Rd6! forces 30
... Qe5 anyway, when 31 Qxe5 fxe5 leaves Black with an inferior pawn structure; while after
28 ... Kh6 29 f3 Qe5 (29 ... f5 30 Rd6 Qe5 31 Qd2+ Kg7 32 Nf2 has merely exposed Black’s
king) 30 Qxe5 Rxe5 31 Rd8 Kg7 32 Nd6, White’s pieces are far more active.
29 Nd6 Re6??
This drops a pawn for no reason. After 29 ... Re7 30 Qxe5+ Rxe5 31 e4 (31 Nxb7? Rb5
is fine for Black) 31 ... Re7, White remains slightly better, but Black has every chance to hold
the game.
30 Nxb7 Qxc3 31 bxc3
The two sides’ pawn formations are now completely symmetrical, except for White’s extra
one on e2. It is interesting to see how Réti technically exploits the material advantage.
31 ... Re5 32 Rd4 Ne6
32 ... Rb5 gets nowhere after 33 Rb4. Note that Black does not want to trade rooks, since
knight endings a pawn up are usually easier to win than rook endings, as we saw in Game 28.
33 Ra4 Rd5
Exercise: How does White continue the technical phase of the game?
34 Na5?!
There is no need to allow the black rook to become active.
Answer: 34 Ke1! is correct, when the king covers the important d1- and d2-points in his
own camp. Certainly not 34 Rxa7?? Rd7, followed by ... Nc5, and White loses material.
34 ... Rd6?!
The golden rule in the endgame is that activity with the rooks is rewarded most of the
time. Here 34 ... Rd1+ 35 Kg2 Rc1 is the most active course, when 36 Nxc6 Rxc3 37 Nxa7 is
met by 37 ... Rc2 and White cannot defend the e2-pawn in any satisfactory way. This is not
so strange since Black has a majority of pieces in this area of the board, whereas White only
has the king. For example, after 38 Kf3 (or 38 e3 Nc5 39 Rd4 f5, followed by ... Ne4) 38 ...
Rc3+ 39 e3 Nc5 40 Rd4 Rc2, Black threatens both the a2- and f2-pawns (with the further ...
f7-f5 and ... Ne4).
In order to keep the advantage, White has to change plans and copy his opponent’s idea
with 36 Nc4! Rxc3 37 Nd6, when Rxa7 similarly targets the f7-pawn as well as the h7-pawn
behind it, or if 37 ... f5 38 Rxa7+ Kg8?! then 39 a4 Rc2 40 e4 saves both his own pawns. All
the same, Black has more chances of saving the game in these lines than after the text.
35 Nb3
A good move, controlling the important squares d2 and c1, making it impossible for Black
to attack White’s c-pawn from the rear.
35 ... Rd7 36 Nd4
Trading pieces is the usual strategy when a pawn up. Although rook endings can, as we
noted above, be more difficult to win than knight endings, here the rook endgame is very good
for White. Alternatively, following the rule “do not rush”, White might improve his position
on the kingside first, or play 36 Ke1 again, keeping different options open while postponing
piece exchanges.
36 ... Nxd4?
Once his rook goes passive, Black has little hope of holding the game, so he should keep
the knights for the moment with 36 ... Nc5!. If White plays to force the knights off anyway
with 37 Rc4 Ne4 38 Rxc6 Nxc3 39 Rxc3 Rxd4 40 Ra3 Rd7, Black emerges with a better
defensive set-up than in the game. Another scenario arises after 37 Ra3 Ne4 38 Nxc6 Rc7 39
Nxa7 Nxc3 40 Ra6 Rc4 (preventing a2-a4) 41 Rc6 (or 41 Nc6 Re4! 42 e3 Re6 43 Nb4 Rxa6
44 Nxa6 Nxa2) 41 ... Rxc6 42 Nxc6 Nxa2, reaching a pure knight endgame with four vs.
three on the same side. GM Reuben Fine once claimed this was always won for the superior
side; and this claim is supported by Dvoretsky in his ground breaking Endgame Manual.
37 cxd4
White’s pawn formation is now straightened, and Black’s prospects looks gloomy indeed,
a pawn down with two more glaring weaknesses on the queenside.
37 ... Rb7
This mini-operation can only be regarded as pseudo-activity since his rook is immediately
forced behind the c-pawn.
38 Ra6
The white rook is excellently placed on this square, putting pressure on both weak pawns.
At the same time an X-ray radiates on the sixth rank, preventing the black king from taking
the shortest route to the centre via f6 due to the d4-d5 push.
38 ... Rc7 39 e3
The e-pawn, the favourite of the hypermodern players, finally advances one square,
clearing the way for a decisive king march to c5.
39 ... Kf8 40 Ke2 Ke7 41 Kd3 Kd7 42 Ra3
Forestalling any ideas Vidmar might have had of getting his rook in behind after ... Rb7
and ... Rb2, which would now be met by Rb3. All pawn endgames are hopeless for Black.
42 ... f6 43 Kc4
43 ... f5
Exercise: Here 43 ... Kd6 looks more logical, so why did not Vidmar play this move?
Answer: White returns his rook to a6 with the threat of d4-d5. Presumably both players
analysed the forcing variation 44 Ra6 Re7 45 d5 Re4+ 46 Kd3 Kxd5 47 Ra5+ c5 48 Rxc5+
Kxc5 49 Kxe4 Kc4 50 g4!, when White creates a passed e-pawn by playing g4-g5 and if ...
f7-f5 then f2-f3 and e3-e4. Counting reveals Black’s attempt to promote his a-pawn to be a
tempo too slow.
44 Kc5 Ke7
As noted above, 44 ... Rb7 45 Rb3 forces the black rook back behind the c-pawn: after
45 ... Rc7 46 Rb8, White is clearly winning with his superior pieces and extra pawn.
45 Rb3 g5 46 a4 f4
If Black does nothing, Réti wins by combining play on the wing (a4-a5-a6 and possibly
Rb7), with play in the centre (f2-f3 followed by e3-e4).
47 gxf4 gxf4 48 e4
After 48 moves Réti has achieved an “absolute centre”, according to Euwe’s terminology.
For this to occur so late in the game is very rare, but it is wholly consistent with the
hypermodern paradox. The best example of this theme is Réti-Rubinstein, Carlsbad 1923
(Game 27 in this collection).
48 ... Kf6 49 Rb8 Kg5
Or 49 ... Rg7 50 Kxc6 Rg2 51 Kd6! and the e-pawn rapidly goes through.
50 f3 h5 51 Rf8
There are more direct ways to win, such as 51 Kd6 and 52 e5, but there is no need to
hurry. Réti picks up the f4-pawn first.
51 ... Rb7 52 Rf5+
Again, there are many tempting moves. Réti sticks to his plan. This is how to do it in
similar situations. Do not let your opponent distract you unless there is a good reason!
52 ... Kg6 53 Rxf4 Rb2 54 h4 Ra2 55 e5
Réti has shown a lot of patience with his e-pawn, holding its advance back even in the
final stages of the endgame; for example, e4-e5 on moves 50, 51, 52 and 54 would have sent
the magical (for a hypermodern player) pawn towards promotion! Perhaps this deliberate
delay was an expression of the strategy prevailing in those days? That is, only push the pawn
when all preparations are made, and that means all!!
55 ... Rxa4 56 e6 1-0
And now it runs fast! What is most striking about this game is Réti’s beautiful and subtle
handling of the e-pawn. You cannot help but think of what James Mason (1849-1905) once
said: “Never make a good move too soon!”
Berlin saw three strong chess tournaments in 1928. The first, which celebrated the
centenary of the Berlin Chess Club (the Berliner Schachgesellschaft), ran from February 4th-
20th and was won by Nimzowitsch with 10 points out of 13, half a point ahead of
Bogoljubow. Réti finished in mid-table with 6½ points, on the same score as Alfred
Brinckmann and Lajos Steiner.
Réti actually started the tournament well; after six rounds he was in joint first place with
Nimzowitsch on 4½ points. However, he was crushed by Bogoljubow in the next round, and
thereafter seemed to lose focus. One reason for his lack of concentration was an incident
against Brinckmann in round ten. Réti was in control of the game and had a slight positional
advantage, when he suddenly lost on time. Afterwards he explained that a position on another
board had inspired him to compose a study. Réti lost in rounds 12 and 13 as well, misplaying
an (albeit difficult) endgame against Tartakower and throwing away a good position against
Steiner, apparently through being preoccupied with the same study! Only a true artist in deep
love with chess would behave in such a fashion, and this is Réti in a nutshell.
In the eleventh round, in between his three lapses, Réti played Willi Schlage (1888-1940),
who was a German chess master. His highest ranking was 31st in the world with an estimated
rating of 2517 in August 1923, according to Chessmetrics. In 1935 he became the Chief
Trainer of the German Chess Federation and, prior to the second world war, was working with
the young players such as Klaus Junge and Wolfgang Unzicker. Today Schlage is mostly
known for his “immortal” game with the black pieces at Hamburg 1910, which was used by
Stanley Kubrick in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Game 45
W.Schlage-R.Réti
Berlin 1928
Sicilian Defence
1 e4 c5
The Sicilian Defence is the most aggressive and most complicated opening Black has at
his disposal against 1 e4. It is named after the homeland of the author, player, and priest
Pietro Carrera (1573-1647), who in 1617 made this opening known to the public with his
famous book Il Giaco degli Schacchi. This broad and informative work was influenced by the
great Italian players of the late 16th century; it was translated into English by William Lewis
in 1822.
2 Nf3 Nf6
Nimzowitsch’s defence to the Sicilian is not seen very often in grandmaster chess, since it
has a rather suspect reputation. Nevertheless, it has become a favourite of Russian GM
Alexander Rakhmanov, and has been played in a number of high-level games by the talented
Swedish GM Nils Grandelius as well.
3 Nc3
Here 3 e5 Nd5 4 Nc3 is usually considered to be the strongest response to Black’s
provocative line. At one time theory concentrated on 4 ... e6, offering a pawn after 5 Nxd5
exd5 6 d4 Nc6 7 dxc5 Bxc5 8 Qxd5, but White’s path to a clear advantage has been pretty
much worked out, so Black mostly prefers 4 ... Nxc3 5 dxc3 Nc6 nowadays. Ma.Carlsen-
N.Grandelius, Stavanger 2016, continued 6 Bf4 Qb6!? (Rakhmanov plays this way too) 7
Qc1!? f6 8 Bc4?! g5! 9 Bg3 g4 10 exf6 gxf3 11 Qf4 fxg2 12 Rg1 with unfathomable
complications.
3 ... d5
The thematic move. Black can play 3 ... Nc6, 3 ... d6 or 3 ... e6 as well, but 4 d4 cxd4 5
Nxd4 then takes the game somewhere else, into a standard Open Sicilian.
4 exd5
Mi.Adams-N.Grandelius, European Team Championship, Reykjavik 2015, saw 4 Bb5+
Bd7 5 e5 Bxb5 (better than 5 ... d4?! 6 exf6 dxc3 7 fxg7 cxd2+ 8 Qxd2 Bxg7 9 Bd3! with
advantage to White in R.J.Fischer-J.Sherwin, US Championship, New York 1962) 6 Nxb5
Nfd7 7 e6 fxe6 8 0-0 Qb6 with mutual chances.
4 ... Nxd5 5 Bb5+
After 5 Bc4 e6 6 0-0 Be7 7 d4 Nxc3 8 bxc3 0-0 9 Ne5 Qc7 10 Bd3 Nc6 11 Bf4 Bd6 12
Re1 cxd4 13 cxd4 Nb4, Black had no problems in R.Spielmann-A.Nimzowitsch, San
Sebastian 1911.
5 ... Bd7 6 Bxd7+?!
This is too simplistic to offer White anything. The critical test seems to be 6 Ne5, when 6
... Bxb5 7 Qf3! f6 8 Nxb5 fxe5 9 Qxd5 (the point) 9 ... Qxd5 10 Nc7+ Kf7 11 Nxd5 leaves
White with a superior pawn structure and all the chances. 6 ... Nf6 is also met by 7 Qf3!, and
if 7 ... Qc7 then 8 Qg3! looks strong; the immediate threat is 9 Nxd7 and wins. Instead,
Rakhmanov has recently resorted to 6 ... e6!?, intending 7 Qf3 Qf6 or similarly 7 Qh5 g6 8
Qf3 Qf6, when 9 Nxd7 Nxd7 10 Qe4 Qf4 11 Qxf4 Nxf4 12 0-0 a6 13 Bxd7+ Kxd7 led to
equality in P.Ponkratov-A.Rakhmanov, European Blitz Championship, Minsk 2015, though
White has plenty of scope for improvement.
6 ... Qxd7 7 Nxd5 Qxd5 8 d4
Question: How does Black handle the tension in the centre?
Answer: When we study Capablanca’s games, we see that every exchange was made with
a profitable purpose in mind. In this situation, they help Black by allowing him to set his own
majority in motion with gain of tempo.
14 ... f6 15 Bc3?!
It is not clear why Schlage stepped away from his original strategy of exchanging pieces
with 15 Bd4, especially as 15 ... Bxd4 16 Rxd4 Rhd8 17 Rad1 Rxd4 18 Rxd4 Rc8 19 c3
looks very drawish. Presumably Réti would have played 15 ... Bd6!?, keeping the position
slightly more alive.
15 ... Rhd8 16 Ba5?!
This simplest way to play for the draw is 16 Kf1, followed by Ke2 and Bd2, c2-c3 and
Be3.
16 ... Rxd1+
Réti opts to leave the white bishop offside on a5. Otherwise, he could play 16 ... b6,
since the plan of Bd2, Kf1-e2 and Be3 now does not work after 17 Bd2 Rd5 18 Kf1? Rad8 19
Ke2 Bxf2! (when one player has more active pieces there are often tactical shots like this!) 20
Bb4+ Bc5 and Black has a clean extra pawn. 17 Be1 e5 18 Kf1 Ke6 also leaves Black
slightly better due to his more active pieces, especially his king and bishop. He can improve
his pawn position further with ... g7-g5, ... h7-h5 and so forth, increasing his space advantage
on the kingside.
17 Rxd1 Rc8
18 a4?!
After this move White’s queenside pawns all remain unprotected and, by definition,
represent three tactical weaknesses. It is more advisable to secure them in a triangle
formation by playing 18 a3, intending c2-c3 and Bb4, or if 18 ... b6 then 19 Be1, followed by
Kf1-e2 and again c2-c3 if necessary. Schlage probably hoped to build the triangle on the light
squares with 19 c4 and 20 b3, but Réti puts a stop to that by uncovering his rook on the c-
file.
18 ... Bd6! 19 Rd2?!
White still hopes to build his forward triangle after 20 Re2, 21 b3 and 22 c4, but Réti is
too alert. It is better to retreat the bishop to c3 at once. 19 Rc1? of course fails to 19 ... Bf4.
19 ... Rc6!
Threatening to win a pawn with ... Ra6, so White has no time for Re2, while the desired
20 b3?? loses the bishop after 20 ... b6, since the rook has blocked its escape route.
20 Bc3 e5 21 Rd3 Ke6 22 Rh3
Forcing the opponent’s pawns onto the same colour squares as his remaining bishop is a
standard idea, but it hardly matters unless they can be fixed there.
22 ... h6 23 Rg3?!
White should have thought about centralizing his king with 23 Kf1, or at least securing the
a-pawn with 23 a5.
Exercise: How should Black react to the attack on the g7-pawn?
The 1928 Dortmund tournament took place at the Kölnischer Hof from 27th July to 4th
August. It was won by Sämisch on 6½ points out of 8, a point ahead of Réti, whom he had
defeated in their individual game.
Alfred Van Nüss (1898-1961) was a German chess master, teacher and author.
Chessmetrics gives his highest ranking as 57th in the world in August 1928 with an estimated
rating of 2534. That is, directly after the Dortmund tournament, where Van Nüss had his best
result, beating Efim Bogoljubow and sharing sixth place with Rudolf Spielmann on 3½ points.
Game 46
R.Réti-A.Van Nüss
Dortmund 1928
Ruy Lopez
1 e4
In his latter days Réti returned to playing in a classical fashion quite often. This game is
one example.
1 ... e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 d6 8 c3 Na5
In former times this early knight move was actually more common than 8 ... 0-0, in order
to forestall 9 d4, putting pressure on the centre; nowadays that variation is regarded as fairly
harmless after 9 ... Bg4!.
9 Bc2 c5 10 d4 Qc7 11 Nbd2
If White wants to try and exploit Black’s move order, then 11 a4 is the usual
recommendation, one idea being 11 ... b4 12 cxb4 cxb4 13 Nbd2 0-0 14 b3, followed by Bb2,
with a slight advantage.
11 ... 0-0 12 Nf1
Here 12 h3 transposes to the main line of the Chigorin system.
12 ... Nc4
Answer: The critical continuation, which casts doubts on White’s set-up, is 12 ... cxd4 13
cxd4 Bg4 14 Ne3 Bxf3 15 Qxf3 Nc6! (not 15 ... exd4?! 16 Nf5 Qxc2? in view of 17 Nxe7+
Kh8 18 Nf5, threatening Nxg7! with a decisive advantage – Alekhine; while Komodo’s 17
Bh6! may be even stronger) 16 d5 Nd4 17 Qd1 Rac8 (more precise than 17 ... Nxc2+ 18
Nxc2 a5 19 Bd2, followed by Rac1, which Alekhine considered to be in White’s favour) 18
Bd3 Nd7 and Black has equalized.
Instead, A.Alekhine-R.Fine, Hastings 1936/37, saw 12 ... Bg4 13 Ne3 (objectively, White
should probably block the centre with 13 d5 or stabilize it with 13 dxe5) 13 ... Bxf3 14 Qxf3
cxd4 15 Nf5!? (Alekhine later preferred 15 cxd4, which transposes to 12 ... cxd4 above) 15
... dxc3 16 Qxc3 Rfc8 17 Qg3 Bf8 18 Bd3 Nc6 19 Bg5 Ne8 with an unclear position. White
has reasonable play for the pawn but no more than that.
13 h3 g6
Black is planning the standard bishop manoeuvre to g7 via f8, but at present is unsure
whether the f8-rook belongs on e8 or d8. Therefore he starts with ... g7-g6, controlling the
important f5-square.
14 b3 Nb6
Obviously the knight should not return to a5, since 15 d5 then locks it out for an indefinite
time, even if it goes on to b7 and d8. The knight would have to find some way to reach f7 to
escape the power of the d5-pawn, and then could only perform defensive duties.
15 Bh6
Developing the queen’s bishop to an attractive square, and seemingly with gain of tempo,
except that Black was planning to move the rook anyway.
15 ... Re8 16 Ng3!?
It is not clear what the knight is aiming for here with the f5-square already under Black’s
control. It makes more sense to play 16 Ne3, eyeing the d5-square. This practically rules out
Black’s move in the game, since 16 ... Bf8?! is now answered by 17 Bxf8 Rxf8 18 dxe5 dxe5
19 c4! and 20 Nd5 with a slight advantage, whereas Black’s knights are as far as can be from
jumping to the d4-square. Instead, he should play 16 ... cxd4 17 cxd4 Bb7, trying to
encourage White to block the centre with d4-d5, after which ... Bf8 becomes attractive again.
16 ... Bf8
Answer: 17 Bxf8
Réti opts to swap them off, creating dark square holes on the kingside, although these
should not be a serious problem for Black as long as he is careful.
The alternative 17 Bg5 Bg7 18 Qd2 leaves more pieces on the board and gives White
undisputed control of the c1-h6 diagonal, when a long manoeuvring game looks in store,
especially if he answers 18 ... Bb7 with 19 d5.
Unfortunately, White cannot play the desirable 17 Qd2? in view of 17 ... Bxh6 18 Qxh6
cxd4 and Black wins a pawn; the attack with 19 Ng5 Qxc3 20 Nh5 gxh5 21 Qxf6 is too slow
after 21 ... Qc7! 22 Qh6 f6 23 Qxf6 Qg7.
17 ... Rxf8?!
This move would be more purposeful if White had closed the centre with d4-d5, because
Black can then play for the ... f7-f5 break. At the moment the rook is better placed on e8, so
17 ... Kxf8 is more logical. Black can follow with 18 ... Kg7, covering the weaknesses on h6
and f6. When the fianchettoed bishop is gone it is normally a good idea to fianchetto the king!
But note that Black is not entirely secure; for instance, 19 Rad1 Bb7?? would be a terrible
mistake due to 20 dxe5 dxe5 21 Nf5+! and wins.
18 Qd2 Ne8!?
So Van Nüss did have an idea behind his previous move. This retreat allows Black to
reinforce his position with ... f7-f6, while the knight can make its way to the centre via g7 and
e6. Otherwise, 18 ... Kg7 is still possible, since 19 dxe5 dxe5 20 Qg5 Re8 21 Nh4 does not
achieve anything after 21 ... Ng8!.
19 Rad1 f6
20 Nh2
Black now has to reckon with a potential future Ng4. Another good option is to reroute
the other knight back to e3 with 20 Nf1.
20 ... Be6!?
This looks rather provocative in comparison with 20 ... Ng7, followed by ... Ne6-f4.
Remember Réti’s own idea that it sometimes makes sense to delay the development of the
queen’s bishop; after all, it is already doing a job where it stands, and if the h2-knight is
transferred to g4, Black can take it off. If Van Nüss was concerned about 21 dxe5 dxe5 22
Qd6, there was no need; 22 ... Ra7 is solid enough and Black can always drive the queen
away by playing ... Ne8 again.
21 d5
Gaining space with gain of tempo is always tempting. The downside is that it rules out
any further play in the centre of the board, while the black rook is now correctly placed
behind the f-pawn. Instead, White had interesting alternatives in 21 h4!? and 21 Nhf1!?,
maintaining the tension.
21 ... Bc8
Black retreats his bishop in order to leave the second rank clear for his heavy pieces.
Exercise (planning): Suggest a plan for White, taking advantage of the
strong centre.
Answer: 22 f4!?
Réti makes sure he is first with his f-pawn break, before Black is ready to likewise with
... f6-f5. The drawback here is that surrenders the e5-square as an outpost, which Van Nüss
quickly occupies with his queen’s knight.
22 ... exf4! 23 Qxf4 Nd7 24 Rf1 Ne5 25 Ne2
The knight has no function whatsoever on g3, whereas now it might either go to f4 or else
to d3 via c1, challenging the strong e5-knight. Meanwhile, the white g-pawn is free to
advance; for instance, in the event of 25 ... f5? 26 exf5 Bxf5?, when 27 g4 wins a piece.
25 ... Ra7
Black can also consider 25 ... a5, initiating counterplay on the queen’s wing.
26 Rf2 Qa5 27 Bb1 b4 28 c4?!
It is not necessary to block the queenside; as a result Black’s position becomes almost
impregnable. White does better to keep the tension and play 28 Nf3, since 28 ... bxc3?! can
be met 29 Nxe5! dxe5 30 Qe3 with a slight advantage.
28 ... Qc7 29 Nf3 Qe7 30 Rdf1 Rf7 31 Nc1 a5
Showing why Black left this rook on a7 instead of swinging it across to f7 on his 28th
move.
32 Nd3 a4?!
Exchanging on d3 first is more precise.
Exercise: What is wrong with Black’s last move?
33 Qe3!?
Answer: White might have played 33 Nfxe5 fxe5 (33 ... dxe5?! 34 Qe3 Ra5 leaves Black
having to defend the weak c5-pawn, while White can seek to create a second weakness after
Bc2-d1-g4 and perhaps g2-g4 or h3-h4-h5) 34 Qxf7+ Qxf7 35 Rxf7 Rxf7 36 Rxf7 Kxf7 37
bxa4, when Black has lost his a-pawn. All the same, it is difficult to see how White can
possibly win from here, which is no doubt why Réti rejected this continuation.
33 ... Nxd3 34 Bxd3 axb3 35 axb3 Qf8
Although Black has control of the only open file, he cannot really do anything
constructive with it, so he decides to “pass”, trusting that his defences are already solid
enough, which indeed they should be.
36 Ne1 Qe7 37 Nf3 Qf8 38 g4 g5??
This looks like a blunder made in time trouble, where the mere hint of activity from White
was sufficient to throw Black into a panic, when there was no real cause for concern. Black
can continue to maintain the status quo with his little queen moves. For example, after 38 ...
Qg7 (here 38 ... Qe7?! 39 Ng5! Rf8 40 e5 gives White a few chances) 39 Kh2 Qf8 40 g5 fxg5
41 Nxg5 Rxf2 42 Rxf2 Qg7 or 39 e5!? fxe5 40 Ng5 Rxf2 41 Qxf2 Qe7, White cannot
substantially improve his position.
Exercise: How does White exploit Black’s grave error?
Answer: 39 e5!
Van Nüss must have been overlooked this move, and he now rapidly capitulates.
39 ... Rfe7?!
Hopeless, but 39 ... fxe5? 40 Nxg5 Rxf2 41 Rxf2 Qg7 (or 41 ... Qh6 42 Qf3) 42 Bxh7+
Kh8 43 Be4 Nf6 44 Qf3 Qxg5 45 Qxf6+ leads to a trivial endgame, while 39 ... dxe5 is
answered by 40 Nd2 and 41 Ne4 with a simple positional win.
40 e6! Rg7?!
Putting the queen here offers slightly more resistance, though White still wins easily after
40 ... Qg7 41 h4 h6 42 hxg5 hxg5 43 Rh2, followed by Kg2, Rfh1 and so on.
41 Nxg5! h6
Of course; 41 ... Rxg5 is met by 42 Qxg5+ etc.
42 Ne4 1-0
The f6-pawn cannot be defended, so Black resigned.
After Dortmund, Réti competed in two more events in quick succession: at Bad Kissingen
later in August, where he came sixth on 5½ points out of 11 (Bogoljubow won with 8 points);
and then at Brno in September, where he tied for first place with Sämisch on 7 out of 9. This
turned out to be Réti’s final tournament. He did not play any serious games in 1929, and the
only one to be found is a simultaneous game that he lost with the black pieces against
R.Johansen.
The last study Réti composed was the following:
Solution:
1 d6 Ke6 2 d7!
The correct move order. Not 2 Ka7? Bc8, as then neither 3 Kb8 Kd7 nor 3 d7 Bxd7!
saves White.
2 ... Kxd7 3 Ka7
White plays 4 Kb8 whether the bishop goes to c8 or retreats down the a6-f1 diagonal, after
which Black has nothing better than to repeat with 4 ... Ba6 5 Ka7 etc. It is a draw by
repetition.
Index of Complete Games
Albin.A-Réti.R, Vienna 1909
Bogoljubow.E-Réti.R, Kiel 1921
Breyer.G-Réti.R, Kosice 1918
Drewitt.J-Réti.R, Hastings 1922/23
Fluss.G-Réti.R, Budapest 1911
Gunsberg.I-Réti.R, San Remo 1911
John.Wa-Réti.R, Mannheim 1914
Kostic.Bo-Réti.R, Gothenburg 1920
Lowcki.M-Réti.R, Abbazia 1912
Marotti.D-Réti.R, London 1922
Michel.W-Réti.R, Semmering 1926
Mieses.J-Réti.R, Baden-Baden (round 16) 1925
Morrison.J.S-Réti.R, London 1922
Nyholm.G-Réti.R, Baden-bei-Wien 1914
Perlis.J-Réti.R, Vienna 1910
Przepiorka.D-Réti.R, Bad Pistyan 1922
Réti.R-Alekhine.A, New York (round 13) 1924
Réti.R-Barász.Z, Székezfehérvár 1907
Réti.R-Belgrano Rawson.L, Buenos Aires 1924
Réti.R-Bogoljubow.E, Moscow 1925
Réti.R-Bogoljubow.E, New York (round 12) 1924
Réti.R-Capablanca.J.R, New York (round 5) 1924
Réti.R-Filep.G, Utrecht (match) 1920
Réti.R-Fischer.F, Vienna 1923
Réti.R-Gilg.K, Semmering 1926
Réti.R-Grünfeld.E, Baden-Baden (round 2) 1925
Réti.R-Koetsheid.P, Rotterdam 1919
Réti.R-Lasker.Ed, New York (round 7) 1924
Réti.R-Marshall.F, Baden-Baden (round 19) 1925
Réti.R-Nilsson.Al, London Olympiad 1927
Réti.R-Romanovsky.P, Moscow 1925
Réti.R-Rubinstein.A, Carlsbad 1923
Réti.R-Spielmann.R, Vienna 1914
Réti.R-Sterk.K, Debrecen 1913
Réti.R-Tartakower.S, Vienna (match) 1919
Réti.R-Van Nüss.A, Dortmund 1928
Réti.R-Vidmar.M, London 1927
Réti.R-Yates.F, Carlsbad 1923
Réti.R-Znosko-Borovsky.E, Tunbridge Wells 1927
Sämisch.F-Réti.R, Berlin (match) 1922
Schelfhout.W-Réti.R, Rotterdam 1919
Schlage.W-Réti.R, Berlin 1928
Spielmann.R-Réti.R, Stockholm 1919
Tarrasch.S-Réti.R, Berlin 1920
Te Kolsté.J.W-Réti.R, Baden-Baden (round 9) 1925
Wolf.S.R-Réti.R, Vienna 1923