[Event "GotM #31"]
[Site "Amsterdam"]
[Date "1920.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Euwe, Max"]
[Black "Reti, Richard"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C56"]
[Annotator "Connaughton, Ken"]
[PlyCount "44"]
[EventDate "1920.??.??"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 {Transposing to the Scotch Game} exd4 5.
O-O {White disregards his center and speeds ahead with development.} Nxe4 6.
Re1 d5 {[#] Both players are in a fighting mood, a tactical fire-fight is in
the offing.} 7. Bxd5 $1 {White says, "let's go!"} (7. Bg5 Be7 8. Bxe7 Nxe7 9.
Qxd4 Bf5 10. Nh4 Be6 11. Bxd5 Bxd5 12. f3 Be6 13. Qxd8+ Rxd8 $15) (7. Nxd4 Nxd4
8. Qxd4 Be6 9. Bxd5 Qxd5 10. Qxe4 Qxe4 11. Rxe4 Be7 12. Bf4 O-O-O 13. Nc3 a6
$15) 7... Qxd5 {Black says, "okay!"} 8. Nc3 Qa5 9. Nxd4 {What has White got
for his Bishop? Well hiss pieces seem to be better, he now has two open
central files with Queen and Rook bearing down on Black's King. The King still
needs a couple of moves to escape to the wing so his future is looking shaky.}
(9. Nxe4 Be6 10. Neg5 O-O-O 11. Nxe6 fxe6 12. Rxe6 h6 $11) (9. Rxe4+ Be6 10.
Nxd4 O-O-O 11. Be3 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 Qb4 13. a3 Qc4 14. b3 Qc6 15. Qe1 Bd6 $11)
9... Nxd4 10. Qxd4 (10. Nxe4 Ne6 11. Bg5 Bd7 12. Qg4 h5 13. Qh3 Bd6 14. Rad1
O-O 15. Bd2 Qxa2 16. Qxh5 Be7 17. Re3 f5 18. Nc3 Qc4 $19) (10. Rxe4+ Ne6 $19)
10... f5 {Holding the Knight for now.} 11. Bg5 (11. Bh6 Qb6 12. Bxg7 Rg8 13.
Nxe4 Qxd4 14. Bxd4 fxe4 15. Rxe4+ Kd7 $17) (11. Bf4 Qc5 12. Qa4+ Kf7 13. Nxe4
fxe4 14. Rxe4 Qd5 15. Qe8+ Kg8 16. c4 Qd7 17. Rae1 b6 $19) 11... Qc5 {Black
offers a Queen trade to take the pep out of White's attack.} 12. Qd8+ {[#] Not
surprisingly the exchange is rebuffed and White instead invades Black's camp.}
Kf7 {The f7-square turns out to be a good refuge for the King, it's difficult
for White to build pressure on him there with the e-file temporarily blocked
by the Knight.} 13. Nxe4 {White wants to open the center fully with this
exchange.} fxe4 14. Rad1 (14. Rxe4 Bf5 15. Qxa8 Bxe4 $19) 14... Bd6 {Another
sacrifice that most people would not conceive. Black wants to bring his Bishop
into the game and at the same time divert the White Queen away from the action.
The price is an exchange.} 15. Qxh8 Qxg5 {Black has given back material and in
doing so he has taken back control of his home rank. d8 which was not so long
ago firmly in White's possession is now once more under Black's jurisdiction.}
16. f4 Qh4 17. Rxe4 {Re-establishing a threat on Black's home rank. e8 is now
a problem the second player must address.} Bh3 {Black repeats the trick, this
time the price is a whole Rook.} 18. Qxa8 {Understandable but now it's a
forced #.} ({He had to play} 18. Rxd6 {to live longer but after} Rxh8 19. Rd2
Bf5 $19 {the result is in no doubt in any case.}) 18... Bc5+ {[#] Now the race
is on. Black has the initiative, his Bishop pair against the two White Rooks.
Both sides are closing in on the two Kings. The Black King has less cover so
he daren't hand the initiative to White. He must find the forcing line to
ensnare the King before White gets a chance to act.} 19. Kh1 (19. Red4 {
is no good as} Bxd4+ {is # on the next move:} 20. Rxd4 (20. Kf1 Qf2#) 20...
Qe1#) 19... Bxg2+ $3 {The decisive sacrifice. Black gives up a Bishop to
destroy the cover and draw out the King. Now there is no escape from the
remaining Black pieces.} 20. Kxg2 Qg4+ 21. Kf1 Qf3+ 22. Ke1 Qf2# {[#]} 0-1
