[Event "New York"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1924.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Reti,R"]
[Black "Maroczy,G"]
[Result "1/2"]
[Annotator "Lopez "Battle Royale""]
[ECO "A37"]
[PlyCount "69"]

1. Nf3 { Reti begins in the usual hypermodern style, developing a piece instead of a without pawn. The Knight controls d4 and e5, preventing Black from playing without e7-e5. } 1... c5 { Maroczy chooses not to develop a center pawn, instead advancing a flank pawn. without The pawn on c5 prevents White from playing d2-d4, and allows the Black Queen without unrestricted access to the Queenside. } 2. g3 { In the hypermodern opening style, players choose to control the center with without flanked pieces. Reti proceeds in this vein, advancing the pawn to allow a without Kingside Bishop fianchetto (Bf1-g2). } 2... Nc6 { Maroczy advanced the c-pawn before playing this move so as not to block it without in. Now he's strengthened his control over the center (especially without d4). } 3. Bg2 { Reti continues to play the opening that's named after him. The Bishop exerts without control over e4 and d5. In hypermodern openings, the center isn't occupied without by pawns, but controlled by the influence of flanked pieces. } 3... g6 { Maroczy advances this pawn to enable him to later fianchetto his Bishop. BOTH without players are playing hypermodern chess! } 4. c4 { Reti advances this pawn for the same reason that Maroczy advanced his c-pawn: without he intends to play Nc3 without trapping his c-pawn behind the Knight. This without flank pawn advance also inhibits Black from playing d7-d5. } 4... Bg7 { As expected, Maroczy fianchettos the Kingside Bishop. This Bishop now without commands the long a1-h8 diagonal, and the potential threat to the b2-pawn without makes it hard for White to effectively develop his c1-Bishop (which must without guard the pawn). } 5. Nc3 { Reti develops his Knight and blocks the threat against the b2-pawn. It would without be unwise for Black to play ...Bxc3, giving up the very strong Bishop and without surrendering control of the long diagonal! } 5... d6 { Maroczy makes another preparatory pawn move: this time he opens up a diagonal without for the development of his light-square Bishop. } 6. d3 { Reti follows suit, preparing to develop his dark-square Bishop along the without c1-h6 diagonal. } 6... Bd7 { Maroczy gets his Bishop off of the back rank, to a square where it doesn't without block any future pawn advances (as it would on e6 or f5). } 7. O-O { Reti completes his Kingside development by castling. Now the King is safer without than it was in the middle of the board and the Rook is much more actively without placed than it was on h1. } 7... Rb8 { Maroczy gets his Rook off of the dangerous a8-h1 diagonal (dangerous because without of the latent power and influence of the White g2-Bishop). He also prepares without a possible later advance of the b7-pawn. } 8. Be3 { Reti prepares a series of moves designed to exchange off the mighty Black without Bishop on g7. He begins by getting his own dark-square Bishop off of the without back rank. } 8... Nd4 { Maroczy posts his Knight in the heart of White's territory! This move looks without dangerous for Black, but the Knight is (temporarily) quite safe. See the without variation to White's next move. } 9. Qd2 { Instead of trading on d4 (see the variation), Reti continues on his original without course. He plans (after Black develops his g8-Knight) to play Bh6 and without attempt to force the exchange of the powerful g7-Bishop. } ( 9. Bxd4 { NOT 9.Nxd4, because 9...cxd4 forks the White Knight and Bishop and forces without further trades on d4. Instead White begins with Bxd4, which is still bad for without White, because he gives up a Bishop for a Knight. } 9... cxd4 { The Black pawn merely recaptures. White can't play 10.Nxd4 Bxd4 (that just without loses material), so he's forced to move the threatened c3-Knight. } 10. Ne4 { The menaced Knight leaps out of danger. While it's true that Black now has without doubled d-pawns, they're not really weak since the g7-Bishop protects one of without them. The trade of Bishop for Knight wasn't worth it for White. } ) 9... h5 { Maroczy safeguards against any possibility of a Bishop exchange by advancing without his h-pawn, allowing his h8-Rook to provide additional control over h6. Now without he can even safely advance his Bishop to h6 if he wants to! } 10. Rab1 { Reti removes his Rook from the long a1-h8 diagonal, getting it away from any without possible danger from the g7-Bishop. The Rook also defends the b2-pawn, without allowing the c3-Knight to move with out the loss of the b2-pawn. } 10... Bc6 { Maroczy's Bishop, protected by the b7-pawn, disputes White's control of the without other long diagonal (a8-h1). Little by little, the Hungarian is carving out without a spatial advantage for himself. } 11. b4 { Reti does some carving of his own. He threatens both 12.bxc5 (opening the without b-file for his Rook) and 12.b5 (driving the Black Bishop off of the long without diagonal and gaining a little more space for his Rook). } 11... Nxf3+ { Maroczy decides to clarify the situation in the center. He could also have without played 11...b6 here (see the variation). In the actual game line, White is without about to get stuck with doubled pawns. } ( 11... b6 { Here, in a variation by Alekhine, we'll look at what might have happened had without Black decided to support his c-pawn with 11...b6. } 12. Nxd4 { White embarks on a variation that will leave Black with an inferior pawn without structure. He begins by capturing the central Black Knight and uncovering an without attack on the Black c6-Bishop. } 12... Bxg2 { Rather than just retreat his Bishop and abandon the long a8-h1 diagonal, without Black says, "If I can't have it, no one can!" He trades off the powerful without Bishops on the long diagonal. } 13. Ne6 { White surprises by moving his threatened Knight -- and attacking the Black without Queen! } 13... fxe6 { Black must either capture the Knight or lose a piece (to 14.Kxg2) if he moves without his Queen. Obviously, he retains the piece by capturing the Knight. } 14. Kxg2 { White maintains the material balance by capturing the Bishop. } 14... Nf6 { Black develops his remaining Knight. Although his position isn't exactly bad, without the doubled e-pawns are a liability. In the moves that were actually played without in the real game, it's White who gets stuck with doubled pawns. } ) 12. exf3 { This is much better than 12.Bxf3 Bxf3. Here, White blocks in his g2-Bishop (a without situation that's remedied by a later f3-f4). But at least he keeps it, without rather than trading it off. } 12... b6 { Maroczy advances the pawn to allow his c6-Bishop a retreat to b7 or a8; this without also allows him to keep the center closed after bxc5 bxc5. } 13. d4 { Reti piles up on the c5-pawn. Now the Queens may be exchanged after a massive without pawn swap on c5. } 13... cxd4 { Maroczy pre-empts the pawn swap and Queen exchange by initiating an exchange without himself on d4. See how the pawn forks both the White Bishop and Knight! Now without White is forced to respond! } 14. Bxd4 { The only move that doesn't lose material. Now Reti's Bishop threatens the without powerful g7-Bishop. It's move it or lose it or... } 14... Nf6 { ...BLOCK IT! Now Maroczy has kept his Bishop on the long diagonal (although without it's now blocked for awhile) and managed to develop his Knight at the same without time! } 15. Nd5 { Reti puts the squeeze on Black's position, knowing that it's to Black's without disadvantage to take the Knight (15...Bxd5 gives up the long a8-h1 diagonal, without while 15...Nxd5 hangs the other Bishop). } 15... O-O { Now that the Kingside minor pieces have finally been developed, Maroczy tucks without his King away on the flank by castling. } 16. Nxf6+ { "Turnabout is fair play," Reti thinks as he snaps off the Black Knight. Now without 16...Bxf6 gives up the powerful long-diagonal Bishop... } 16... exf6 { ...so Maroczy must recapture with the pawn, sealing in his g7-Bishop. Except without for the h-pawns, the White and Black Kingside positions look remarkably without similar! } 17. Be3 { Reti puts pressure on the Black Kingside, aiming at the hole on h6. Now, without after White plays Bh6, Black will be forced to trade off the dark-square without Bishops. } 17... Qd7 { Maroczy advances his Queen. Now the Queen controls more space on two without diagonals and supports the c6-Bishop. The Black Rooks are now connected as without well. } 18. Rfd1 { Reti forms a battery on the d-file, planning to win a pawn after 19.Qxd6 Qxd6 without 20.Rxd6. } 18... Rbd8 { Maroczy nips White's plan in the bud by shifting his Rook to the d-file. Now  without the d6-pawn is attacked twice and defended twice. } 19. b5 { Reti sees a way to grab some more space, squuezing Black even further. The without c6-Bishop is threatened and must retreat (as d5 and e4 are guarded by White without pawns). } 19... Ba8 { The Bishop withdraws to the corner (where it still controls the long a8-h1 without diagonal). Here it can be protected by a Black Rook (even if one of the without Rooks moves off of Black's first rank). } 20. c5 { Reti sees a way to trade off a pair of pawns, open lines for his pieces, and without crowd Black even further. He starts by advancing his c-pawn, hitting the without Black d6-pawn a third time and threatening to win it. } 20... bxc5 { Obviously NOT 20...dxc5 21.Qxd7 Rxd7 22.Rxd7, losing a Rook for Black. But without now White is behind by a pawn. How will he recover it? } 21. Bxc5 { WOW!! Who would have thought of this?!? Maroczy can't capture the Bishop (see without the note to Black's last move) and his d-pawn is threatened a third time! without How will the master of defense save it? } 21... Rfe8 { WHAT?? How does this save the d-pawn? For the answer, see the variations to without White's next move. } 22. Qa5 { Upon deeper observation, Reti sees that he can't win the d-pawn (see the without variations), so he attacks the a-pawn instead. } ( 22. Qxd6 { In this variation (by Alekhine), we see what happens to White if he captures without the Black d-pawn with the Queen: he loses the c5-Bishop! Watch... } 22... Qc8 { The Black Queen attacks the c5-Bishop, unveiling a discovered attack by the without d8-Rook against the White Queen! The White Queen must move, but it has no without squares to go to where it still defends the Bishop! The c5-Bishop is lost! } ) ( 22. Bxd6 { In this variation (by Alekhine), we see what happens if the White Bishop without captures the d6-pawn. } 22... Bf8 { Trying to bait White into giving up the Exchange. } 23. Bf4 { The Bishop pulls back to where it can help defend d2 (23.Bxf8 loses the without exchange; try it and see!). } 23... Qxd2 { Black simplifies by trading Queens. } 24. Rxd2 { White must recapture or be a Queen behind. } 24... Rxd2 { Black continues the simplification process. } 25. Bxd2 { Again, White must recapture or be behind materially. } 25... Re2 { The remaining Black Rook swoops in and attacks the White Bishop. } 26. Rd1 { White has to protect the Bishop. If the Bishop just moves away, then Black without will take the a2-pawn with the Rook! } 26... Bc5 { Black wins a pawn anyway! He threatens to capture the f2-pawn, against which without White has no defense! } ) 22... Qf5 { Maroczy defends by attacking! He threatens to win a pawn by 23...Bxf3 24.Bxf3 without Qxf3. } 23. Bxa7 { Reti clearheadedly examines the situation and determines that he has nothing without to fear from Maroczy's counterattack. He proceeds with his own plans to win without the a7-pawn. } 23... Bxf3 { The Black Bishop comes screaming down the long diagonal and kills the White without f3-pawn, avenging the sad demise of the Black a7-pawn. } 24. Bxf3 { Rather than wait for 24...Bxg2 25.Kxg2 Qe4+ (handing the initiative over to without Maroczy), Reti takes the bull by the horns and makes the capture himself, without knocking off the Black Bishop on f3. } 24... Qxf3 { Maroczy, of course, has to recapture or fall behind by a Bishop. But now without Black has his pieces concentrated on the Kingside and has a pawn majority without there as well! } 25. b6 { Reti pushes his passed pawn. But can he get it through in time? Maybe Reti without should try to convert his advantage into a win by trading off pieces without instead. } 25... h4 { UH-OH!! RED ALERT!! Maroczy threatens to checkmate White in two moves: without 26...h3 followed by 27...Qg2#! Reti has to do something about this right without away! } 26. Rd4 { It may look funny to you, but this move saves Reti's bacon. Now he can play without 27.Qd5 to prevent the mate without having to worry about Black playing without ...Re1+ (see the variations). } ( 26. Qd5 { Here's why 26.Qd5 doesn't work. White hopes to avoid the mate threat by without trading off the Queens. } 26... Re1+ { But Black has a surprise for White: he checks with the Rook! Only one move without gets White out of check... } 27. Rxe1 { ...so White is forced to make it. Of course, the White Queen is now without hanging... } 27... Qxd5 { ...so Black grabs it and is ahead a Queen for a Rook. The game is far from without over, but (with proper play) the only way White can win is if a huge crack without appears in the earth and Black falls in. } ) ( 26. Qa6 { Here's another way that White could try to prevent the mate. The White Queen without shifts to a6 to prepare to move to f1. From f1, the Queen prevents a mate on without g2... } 26... Re2 { ...but Black's Rook just blocks the White Queen's path!! } ) 26... Re5 { Maroczy prepares to shift forces to the Kingside. From e5, the Rook can slide without over to the g- or h-files as needed. } 27. Qa6 { The White Queen prepares to take up a defensive post at f1. Now 27...Re2 without doesn't work because of 28.Rf4. } 27... hxg3 { Since the mate threat after h4-h3 is no longer valid, Maroczy begins to open without up lines for his attack by swapping off the White King's shielding pawns. } 28. hxg3 { Capturing with the g-pawn would open too many lines leading from the center without straight to the White King. Reti makes it tougher for Maroczy by capturing without with the h-pawn. Now Black must horn in from the flank... } 28... Rh5 { ...so Maroczy does just that. Now he threatens mate again (29.Rh1#)! } 29. Rh4 { Reti puts a stop to Black's latest mate threat by blocking the Black Rook. without Where does Black go from here? } 29... Rxh4 { Maroczy sees a way to force a draw. He starts by trading Rooks. } 30. gxh4 { Now White has left plenty of holes on the Kingside for Black to invade. The without problem for Black is lack of forces (a Queen can't mate by itself). } 30... Qg4+ { Maroczy could try to bring his remaining Rook into play on the Kingside, but without this would give White time to promote his b-pawn to a Queen. } 31. Kf1 { The White King avoids check. The White pieces on the Queenside are too far without removed to help the King by blocking check. } 31... Qh3+ { The Black Queen checks again. The White King has to move to escape check. It without could take cover at e2, but it would get chased to the center of the board without after 32...Re8+... } 32. Kg1 { ...so the King just returns to g1. } 32... Qg4+ { Maroczy, faced with the possibility of the b6-pawn promoting to a second without White Queen, is unable to bring up more forces for his attack. He has to without content himself with a draw. } 33. Kf1 { Reti could prolong the agony by playing 33.Kh1, but this game is headed for a without draw by threefold repetition no matter what. } 33... Qh3+ { Maroczy has no choice but to check again. } 34. Kg1 { Again, it would be a mistake for the King to head for the center of the board without (where it can be trapped and killed by the Black pieces), so Reti just without shifts it back to g1. } 34... Qg4+ { Maroczy checks again... } 35. Kf1 { ...and Reti evades again. The game is a draw by repetition of position. } 1/2