Reti’s Mate

Reti’s Mate is a checkmate pattern that uses the X-Ray ability of a bishop (or queen). The examples below will demonstrate the pattern.

Reti’s Mate Example

This example is from the game Richard Reti vs Savielly Tartakower, Vienna, 1910:

Reti's Mate Example 1

Diagram above: 1.Bd8# A distinct feature of this checkmate pattern is that the bishop also covers b6 through its X-Ray ability. This checkmate is further made possible by the fact that black’s own pawns on b7 and c6 obstructs their king.

Interesting Notes on Reti’s Mate

Reti’s Mate is named after a famous game between two chess legends, Richard Reti and Savielly Tartakower. You can see the original game on