Some positions of Richard Réti

I like studies with few pieces. Richard Réti created some wonderful such studies.

Position 1. White to play and win.

1929

Solution: 1.Rf2 Kxe5 2.Kxe7 f4 3.Rf1 (see Position 2).

Position 2. White to play and win.

Münchner Neueste Nachrichten, 1 Jan 1928 (1, p. 30)

Solution: 1.Rd3! d4 2.Rd1! maintains the opposition. The white king will stay on the side opposite to the black king.

Position 3. White to play and win.

Kölnische Volkszeitung, Jan 1928

Solution: 1.Kf2! Ke4 2.Kxe2 Kd4! 3.Rg1 Ke4! (3...Kc3 4.Re1 Kb2 5.Kd2 Kb3 6.Rc1) 4.Re1! (key position) 4...Ke5 5.Ke3 Ke6 6.Ke4

An idea that shows itself only several moves later

White to play and win. This position was shown to me and some other friends by GM Spyridon Skembris several years ago in a chess club.

Elkies, Noam D. Shahmat. 3rd HM, Czerniak memorial Shahmat, 1986.

For example, if 1.Kg7 Nxh6 2.Kxh6 Ke3! 3.c5 bxc5 4.b6 c4 5.b7 c3 6.b8=Q c2, now 7.Qf4+ is of course impossible because of 7...Kxf4 (this is why 2...Ke3 was better than 2...Kd3) and there is no skewer in h6 after 7.Qh2 because the white king is on h6. After 7.Kg5 Qd2 Black manages to draw because of the Bishop pawn on c2. So the idea is to free the h6 square by playing 1.h7!! Nf6+ 2.Kg7 Nxh7 3.Kxh7 Ke3 4.c5 bxc5 5.b6 c4 6.b7 c3 7.b8=Q c2 8.Qh2 c1=Q 9.Qh6+.