Reti Crushes Spielmann

     Tartakover described Richard Reti (his name rhymes with eighty) as follows: "Reti studies mathematics although he is not a dry mathematician; represents Vienna without being Viennese; was born in old Hungary yet he does not know Hungarian; speaks uncommonly rapidly only in order to act all the more mature and deliberate; and will yet become the best chess player without, however, becoming world champion." 

     Personally, I never cottoned to Reti's games, but that's just me. He was among the best players in the world during his prime as he demonstrated at the great New York tournament in 1924 even though he finished fifth (out of 11) wth a +9 -8 =3, but defeated Alekhine, Bogoljubow and ended Capablanca's eight-year winning streak. 

     Chessmetrics assigns him a high rating of 2710 on the December 1920 rating list, placing him at number 6 in world behind Capablanca (2830), Lasker (2748), Bogoljubow (2724), Rubinstein (2723) and Tartakower (2716). 

     Early in his career, Reti favored aggressive openings and tactical positions, but later became a chief proponent of the Hypermodernism School which he wrote about in his classic 1921 Modem Ideas in Chess. He also composed some of the finest endgame studies in history. 

     Chess was Reti's life and livelihood and over the course of his 20 year career, he played in 51 tournaments, 8 matches and gave numerous blindfold and simultaneous exhibitions. He also wrote many chess columns for European newspapers. In 1925 Reti set a world blindfold record by playing 29 games simultaneously and scoring +21 -2 =6. 

     Richard Selig Reti (May 28, 1889 -June 6, 1929) was an Austro-Hungarian and later Czech player. With the exception of Nimzovich he is considered to be the Hypermodern movement's foremost contributor.

     Reti was born to a Jewish family in Bazin, Austria-Hungary (now Pezinok, Slovakia), where his father worked as a physician in the Austrian military. His older brother, Rudolph, was a noted pianist, musical theorist. 

     One of the top players in the world during the 1910s and 1920s, Reti started out as a classical, but tactical player, who favored openings like the King's Gambit. However, after the First World War his style changed and he became a proponent of Hypermodernism. 

     It is not clear when Reti learned to play chess, but his brother thought he was about five and that he picked up the game from his parents. Because his parents were both poor players they did little to foster their son's enthusiasm for the game. Reti had few opportunities to improve his play, but studied what books were available, played his brother and occasionally made trips to the local club. 

     Reti died on June 6, 1929 in Prague of scarlet fever, a bacterial illness that develops in some people who have strep throat. It features a bright red rash that covers most of the body and is almost always accompanied by a sore throat and a high fever. Today scarlet fever is most common in children 5 to 15 years of age.

     Although it was once considered a serious childhood illness, antibiotic treatments have made it less threatening. Still, if left untreated, it can result in serious conditions that affect the heart, kidneys and other parts of the body. 

     His ashes are buried in the grave of his father, Dr. Samuel Reti, in the Jewish section of Zentralfriedhof cemetery in Vienna. 

      In the following game against Rudolph Spielmann at Bad Trentschin-Teplitz, 1928, Reti relied on tactics to crush his opponent. 

     According to Reinfeld and Chernev in Chess Strategy and Tactics, this game converted Spielmann from playing K-side openings to playing 1.d4. They wrote that the suddenness of the change "was no less astonishing than the stubbornness with which Spielmann had previously clung to the King’s Gambit and similar openings. Perhaps the clue to this surprising change will be found in the overwhelming drubbing administered by Reti" in their encounter in that event. 

     How, exactly, they reached that conclusion is not known. About the closest thing was in the annotations by Spielmann in the May 1928 edition of Wiener Schachzeitung when he wrote: Reti always plays the best chess against me. In what contrast is his remarkably weak play in several other games in the same tournament.

Richard Reti - Rudolf Spielmann

Result: 1-0

Site: Bad Trentschin-Teplitz

Date: 1928

Queen's Gambit Declined

[...] 1.d4 ♘f6 2.c4 e6 3.♘c3 d5 4.♗g5 ♘bd7 5.e3 At the time this was the most popular opening and it was one of the reason Capablanca predicted the draw death of chess. To avoid such a fate, while he was World Champion Capablanca suggested a new variation to be played on a 10x8 board with two added pieces that would increase the complexity. 5...c6 6.a3 ♗e7 7.♘f3 O-O 8.♕c2 a6 9.♖d1 ♖e8 10.♗d3 h6 11.♗h4 dxc4 Black has managed to get a position is quite cramped and one in which the development of his Q-side pieces presents a a major problem. Unless he can safely play ...e5 or ...c5 his chances of survival are slim. 12.♗xc4 ♘d5 This is his best option.

12...b5 immediately is less good. 13.♗a2 ♕b6 14.♗b1 g6 15.O-O ♗b7 16.e4 and white is better. Gromovs,S (2154)-Varga,M (2011)/Lignano Sabbiadoro ITA 2019

12...c5 is the thematic attempt at freeing his position and is probably his best chance. 13.dxc5 ♕c7 14.b4 b6 15.♗g3 ♕c6 16.O-O ♗b7 and white is only slightly better.

13.♗g3 A general rule is when your opponent is cramped avoid exchanges, 13...♕a5

13...c5 This is no longer playable. 14.♗xd5 exd5 15.♘xd5 ♕a5+ 16.♖d2 ♗d8 preventing 17.Nc7 but after 17.O-O white has an excellent position.

14.O-O ♘xc3 15.bxc3 b5 16.♗a2 ♘f8 If Black captures the a-Pawn he will quickly get into serious trouble. (16...♕xa3 17.♖a1 ♘f6 18.♗b3 traps the Q)

16...♗xa3 17.♖a1 b4 18.♗b1 g6 19.cxb4 ♕xb4 20.h4 with a very promising K-side attack.

17.♘e5 ♗b7 18.f4 ♗f6 The further advance of the f-Pawn cannot be stopped. (18...g6 19.♘xf7 ♔xf7 20.f5 gxf5 21.♕xf5+ mates in 3)

18...c5 This freeing move is also insufficient as after 19.f5 ♕a4 20.♗b3 ♕xa3 21.fxe6 fxe6 22.♖a1 ♗e4 23.♖xa3 ♗xc2 24.♗xc2 white has won a piece.

19.f5 ♗xe5

19...♗c8 was not much better. 20.e4 ♗xe5 21.♗xe5 f6 22.♗d6 ♘h7 23.e5 with a crushing position.

20.♗xe5 ♕d8

20...♕xa3 is still no good. 21.♖a1 f6 (21...♕a5 and there is no answer to 22.fxe6) 22.♗xe6+

21.fxe6 fxe6 22.♖xf8+ This is more elegant than the materialistic engine way of finishing the game!

22.♖f4 This is the engine way, but it's not very pleasing. 22...c5 23.♗b1 ♕g5 24.♖df1 g6 25.h4 and wins.

22...♖xf8

22...♔xf8 23.♖f1+ ♔e7 24.♕g6 For the record this leads to a mate in 8 moves. 24...♔d7 25.♖f7+ ♕e7 26.♗xe6+ ♔d8 27.♕xg7 ♕xf7 28.♕xf7 ♖xe6 29.♗c7+ ♔c8 30.♗b6 ♖e7 31.♕xe7 ♔b8 32.♕c7#

23.♗xe6+ ♔h8 24.♗a2 The timing is important and this is a must because the immediate 24.Qg6 would result in white having to work harder at forcing the win.

24.♕g6 ♖f6 25.♕g4

25.♗xf6 After this white would have to play an arduous ending. 25...♕xf6 26.♕xf6 gxf6

25...c5 26.h4 a5 27.♗xf6 ♕xf6 28.♖f1 h5 29.♕xh5+ ♕h6 30.♖f5 cxd4 31.exd4 ♗e4 32.♖xb5 ♔h7 33.♕xh6+ ♔xh6

24...♕g5 25.♗b1 ♔g8

25...♖f5 This is a last effort to avoid the inevitable, but after 26.♕xf5 ♕xf5 27.♗xf5 the ending would be lost.

26.♕h7+ ♔f7 27.♗xg7 A nice finish. 27...♕xe3+ 28.♔h1 ♕e2 29.♗e5+ ♔e6 30.♕g6+ ♔e7

30...♔d7 31.♕d6+ ♔e8 32.♖g1 ♗c8 33.♕xc6+ ♔e7 34.♕c7+ ♗d7 35.♕d6+ ♔e8 36.♗g6+ ♖f7 37.♕f6 ♗e6 38.♕xe6+ ♔d8 39.♕xf7 ♕xe5 40.dxe5 ♖a7 41.♕xa7 b4 42.♖d1+ ♔c8 43.♗f5#

31.♕d6+ Black resigned.

31.♕d6+ ♔e8 32.♗g6+ ♖f7 33.♗xf7+ ♔xf7 34.♕f6+ ♔e8 35.♕e6+ ♔d8 36.♗f6+ ♔c7 37.♕xe2 ♖g8 38.♕e7+ ♔b6 39.♗e5 ♔a7 40.♖f1 ♖e8 41.♕xe8 a5 42.♕b8+ ♔a6 43.♖f7 a4 44.♕xb7+ ♔a5 45.♗c7#

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