Richard Reti vs Savielly Tartakower
Vienna, 1910 · result 1-0 · source: chess1/Stockfish 18 (depth 12)
Opening: Caro-Kann Defense — this game followed that line's move order.
Richard Reti faced Savielly Tartakower in Vienna, 1910. Richard Reti won. The game lasted 11 moves. The opening was the Caro-Kann Defense.
White castled queenside on move 8; Black did not castle. The first capture came on move 3.
The final position is checkmate: the losing king has no legal move out of check.
Alternative: The Caro-Kann handshake: c6 is the modern choice, e6 the level alternative at +0.3. Tartakower picks the move he trusts — trust will be tested shortly. Best was e6.
Alternative: Nc3 develops toward the centre; e5 was actually the machine's preferred strike at +0.5. The polite move is on the board — the position is about to stop being polite. Best was e5.
Inaccuracy: e5?! grabs the centre and pays rent from move one: the evaluation drifts from +0.2 to +1.0. Tartakower wants complications, and the position supplies them in full — aimed the other way.
Brilliancy: Qd8+!! is the move every anthology prints: the queen walks into the king's residence with nothing to show for it, and the engine's answer is already #2 for White. Taking is the only legal reply — and the capture escorts the king to the exact square the next move wants.
Excellent: Bg5+! is the thunderclap: a double check — rook and bishop answering together — and there is exactly one reply, since Nf3 already loses to -2.9. The engine reads #1; the game is over in spirit. Best was Nf3.
Checkmate: The finish: Bd8# — the bishop lands next to the king, covered by the rook whose file the queen's sacrifice opened. The quiet piece behind it all is the castled rook that never left d1.
Key moments
Alternative c6
The Caro-Kann handshake: c6 is the modern choice, e6 the level alternative at +0.3. Tartakower picks the move he trusts — trust will be tested shortly. Best was e6.
Alternative Nc3
Nc3 develops toward the centre; e5 was actually the machine's preferred strike at +0.5. The polite move is on the board — the position is about to stop being polite. Best was e5.
Inaccuracy e5
e5?! grabs the centre and pays rent from move one: the evaluation drifts from +0.2 to +1.0. Tartakower wants complications, and the position supplies them in full — aimed the other way.
Brilliancy Qd8+
Qd8+!! is the move every anthology prints: the queen walks into the king's residence with nothing to show for it, and the engine's answer is already #2 for White. Taking is the only legal reply — and the capture escorts the king to the exact square the next move wants. It gives check. Black is up 3 points of material after the move.
Excellent Bg5+
Bg5+! is the thunderclap: a double check — rook and bishop answering together — and there is exactly one reply, since Nf3 already loses to -2.9. The engine reads #1; the game is over in spirit. It gives check. Black is up 12 points of material after the move. Best was Nf3.
Checkmate Bd8#
The finish: Bd8# — the bishop lands next to the king, covered by the rook whose file the queen's sacrifice opened. The quiet piece behind it all is the castled rook that never left d1. It is checkmate. Black is up 12 points of material after the move.
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