Ep. 5: Back in the Game

Checkmaya · 7 of 27

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Real Chess Corner

Réti vs Tartakower, Vienna 1910: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Qd3 e5 6.dxe5 Qa5+ 7.Bd2 Qxe5 8.O-O-O Nxe4?? 9.Qd8+!! Kxd8 10.Bg5+ Kc7 11.Bd8#. Maya borrowed the finish of one of the most famous short games ever played.

Why it works: Black grabbed a knight with 8...Nxe4, but the d-file was wide open. The queen sacrifice drags the king to d8. Then 10.Bg5+ is a double check - from the bishop AND the rook on d1 - so the king must move, and 11.Bd8# ends it.

Lesson: Before you grab a free piece, check what your opponent's queen, rooks and bishops can do on open lines.

Winning is fun. Having a friend to play with every day is even better.

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