MARK RUBERY CHESS
One of the most original thinkers of his time was Richard Reti (1889-1929) who pioneered the hypermodern movement that stated, among other things, that one need not occupy the centre in order to control it. A cultured and educated man he regarded chess as an art and some of his studies rank among the very best of their kind. Reti was a great expert in the field of blindfold chess and broke the world record in Sao Paulo in 1925 when he played 29 such games simultaneously. He was also a journalist and author of note with his acclaimed ‘Masters of the Chessboard’ being published a year after his death from scarlet fever. Perhaps his most enduring claim to fame is the Reti Opening (1 Nf3) which he first played against Grunfeld in Margate 1923.
Capablanca’s famous ten year unbeaten streak came to an end when Reti was able to demonstrate his grasp of hypermodern ideas to great effect.
Reti,Richard - Capablanca,Jose Raul [A15]
New York, 1924
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.b4 Bg7 4.Bb2 0–0 5.g3 b6 6.Bg2 Bb7 7.0–0 d6 8.d3 Nbd7 9.Nbd2 e5 10.Qc2 Re8 11.Rfd1 a5 12.a3 h6 13.Nf1 c5 14.b5 Nf8 15.e3 Qc7 16.d4 Be4 17.Qc3 exd4 18.exd4 N6d7 19.Qd2 cxd4 20.Bxd4 Qxc4 21.Bxg7 Kxg7 22.Qb2+ Kg8 23.Rxd6 Qc5 24.Rad1 Ra7 25.Ne3 Qh5 26.Nd4
Bxg2 27.Kxg2 Qe5 28.Nc4 Qc5 29.Nc6 Rc7 30.Ne3 Ne5 31.R1d5 1–0
One of the top players in the world during the 1910s and 1920s, he began his career as a fiercely combinative classical player, favoring openings such as the Kings Gambit before switching to the more oblique style of hypermodernism.
Reti,Richard - Tartakower,Saviely [B15]
Vienna, 1910
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4
Nf6 5.Qd3 e5 6.dxe5 Qa5+ 7.Bd2 Qxe5 8.0–0–0 Nxe4? (Alarm bells should be ringing considering that such an accomplished player as Reti had left a piece hanging)
WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN
Now we appreciate that what affords us so much enjoyment in chess is really the same thing for all of us, be it the layman who sees nothing finer in chess than the sacrificial combination or be it the expert who marvels at the far-reaching scheme of the game. It is the triumph of the intellect and genius over lack of imagination; the triumph of personality over materialism - Richard Reti