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Willi Schlage vs Richard Reti
Berlin BSG (1928), Berlin GER, rd 11, Feb-17
Sicilian Defense: Nimzowitsch. Closed Variation (B29)  ·  0-1

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a
1
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
White to move.
ANALYSIS [x]
Notes by Stockfish 9 v010218 (minimum 6s/ply)better is 19.Bc3 b6 20.Kf1 e5 21.Ra1 Rc4 22.f3 e4 23.Re1 Rxa4 24.g3 = -0.29 (27 ply)better is 19...b6 20.Bc3 e5 21.Rd3 a6 22.Re3 Rc4 23.b3 Rc7 24.Kf1 ⩱ -0.94 (26 ply)= -0.33 (27 ply) 25.Kf1 Ra6 26.a5 b6 27.axb6 axb6 28.Be1 Ra1 29.Ke2 Rc1 = -0.14 (25 ply) ⩱ -1.07 (24 ply)better is 31.Rd1 Rxc2 32.Rd6+ Ke5 33.Rg6 Bf6 34.Rxh6 exf3 35.Bd6+ ⩱ -0.89 (25 ply) ∓ -1.56 (26 ply) 32.Rd5 Bb2 33.Bc5 b6 34.Bf2 Rc3 35.h4 gxh4 36.Bxh4 Rxb3 ⩱ -0.90 (24 ply) ∓ -2.00 (28 ply) 35...Bb6 36.Re8+ Kd4 37.a5 Bc7 38.Rf8 Kxe4 39.Rf7 Kf3 -+ -2.57 (26 ply) 36.Re8+ Kd4 37.Be7 Kxe4 38.Bxg5+ Kf3 39.Ke1 Ba5+ 40.Kd1 ∓ -1.71 (23 ply) 36...gxh4 37.Rxh4 Bb6 38.Rh7 f3 39.Rf7 Kxe4 40.Re7+ Kf4 ∓ -2.47 (26 ply) 37.Be1 gxh4 38.Rxh4 Rc1 39.Kf2 Kd3 40.Rh7 Bb6+ 41.Kf3 ⩱ -1.27 (25 ply) ∓ -2.42 (27 ply) 38.Ba3 f3 39.Rc8 Rf2+ 40.Kg1 Bh2+ 41.Kh1 b6 42.Bc1+ Kxe4 ∓ -2.44 (27 ply)-+ -132.68 (35 ply)-+ mate-in-7 after 41...Bg3 42.bxa5 Rf2+ 43.Kg1 Ke2 44.Rh2 Rxh2 45.Bc548.Rf6 Ke3+ 49.Kg3 Qxf6 50.a5 Qf2+ 51.Kh3 Qh2# -+ mate-in-40-1

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
FEN COPIED

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Given 6 times; par: 98 [what's this?]

Annotations by Stockfish (Computer).      [35434 more games annotated by Stockfish]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Apr-21-05  avidfan: 36...Ke5-d4 instead of Kxe4 allows the White pawn at e4 to act as a screen from rook checks (clever idea) while the Black king advances and eventually helps in promoting the f-pawn.
Aug-27-07
Premium Chessgames Member
  Peligroso Patzer: This game is annotated as Game #36 in "The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played", by Irving Chernev (Dover Publications, 1992, pp. 153-155) [original copyright 1965; original publisher: Simon & Schuster].
Mar-22-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  Peligroso Patzer: <avidfan: 36...Ke5-d4 instead of Kxe4 allows the White pawn at e4 to act as a screen from rook checks (clever idea) while the Black king advances and eventually helps in promoting the f-pawn. >

In his notes to this game: Capablanca vs Tartakower, 1924, Reti comments upon a similar maneuver by Capablance at move 39.

Apr-11-11  estrick: 45 ... Black to move might make a good Tue/Wed POTD.

Or perhaps backing up several moves,

36 ... Black to move would be suitable for a later in the week POTD.

Mar-31-18  Retireborn: One of my favourite Reti games, if only because the checkmate after 48.g8Q Kf3 is very elegant.

Schlage had lost a famous long game in this line to Nimzowitsch in the 8th round, so he cannot have been delighted to see it coming up again in this 11th round game.

It's difficult to see where White goes wrong; surely the endgame after 21...Ke6 must be drawn? It seems his rook moves Rh3-g3 were a bad idea and with 27...f5 Reti is already threatening to break through with ...e4, and 28.g4 just makes things worse.

Houdini identifies 38.Rh3+ as the losing move, although it thinks White is also struggling after 38.Ba3 f3 39.Rc8 Rf2+ 40.Kg1 Bh2+ 41.Kh1 Rg2.

The story of 3.Nc3 d5 doesn't end there, as the 13th and last round saw this:-

P F Johner vs Tartakower, 1928

Indeed it seems it was Tarta who was mostly responsible for this line having a vogue in 1927/1928. Modern examples are harder to find, because White usually prefers 3.e5 of course.

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