Chess is a scientific game and its literature ought to be placed on the basis of the strictest truthfulness, which is the foundation of all scientific research. W._Steinitz

The Gunsberg-Steinitz Match,
World Championship 1890-91
Researched by Nick Pope

THE FOURTH DRAWN GAME.
A GREAT CONTEST OVER THE CHESS BOARD.
STEINITZ AND GUNSBERG EXCITED OVER A 
GAME WHICH NEITHER COULD WIN.
:
     The match for the chess championship was resumed at 1:30 p.m. yesterday in the rooms of the Manhattan Chess Club, and the game was far more interesting than that of Saturday.  Steinitz, having the move, played a Kt to K B 3 opening, which was a favorite with his old antagonist, the late Dr. Zukertort.  Steinitz is apparently satisfied with the Queen’s gambit after his decisive victory of a week ago.  The game developed rapidly and after ten moves the position seemed to be pretty even.
    Both players castled respectively on the eighth and ninth moves on the K side, and at this stage neither of them had a majority of pawns on either wing, while the attitude of both armies gave the board a very symmetrical appearance.  The play was very slow for some six or seven moves, both masters evidently playing for position only.  At length Steinitz began aggressive operations on the Queen’s side, but on his twentieth move he gave up a pawn which was declared to be a blunder on his part.  After this he proceeded with an attack on the enemy’s Q Kt pawn.  The immediately succeeding moves made it evident that the sacrifice of the pawn was a mistake.  Gunsberg assumed a superiority of position, and securing the whip he prosecuted his advantage with vigor and ability. First of all he carefully protected his Q Kt P, and then took up the aggressive by playing his Queen on the enemy’s Q R file, and at the same time threatening to gain another pawn with an additional improvement of position.
    When Gunsberg sealed his twenty-ninth move at the adjournment he had by far the best of the direction of playing for a draw.  This he proceeded to do when play was resumed.  Gunsberg was obliged to give up the exchange he had just won, and thereupon followed a further exchange of pieces, the Hungarian coming out of the general slaughter still a pawn to the good. This advantage, however, did not suffice to win the game.  Play was continued up to the eightieth move, which shows that the veteran made a tremendous fight before he could effect a draw.
    Some rapid moves were made toward the close, and both players were in a state of great excitement, which in a smaller measure was shared by the crowd of spectators assembled in the room.  The game was declared a draw just upon the time for adjourning the evening sitting.  The score now stands: Steinitz 3, Gunsberg 2, drawn 4.
New-York Daily Tribune, 1890.12.30

CHESS GIANTS AT PLAY.
THE NINTH GAME ENDS IN A DRAWN
BATTLE AFTER EIGHTY MOVES.
Steinitz Blundered and Gunzberg [sic] Ought to 
Have Won at Once - Still the Veteran 
Struggled Hard and Got on Even Terms 
After the Toughest Fight of the Series.
:
    The ninth game in the championship chess contest between Steinitz and Gunsberg, which has now been going on for about three weeks in this city, was opened yesterday afternoon, and it was not long before the members and visitors at the Manhattan Chess Club were provided with something entertaining as well as instructive.  It will be remembered that Steinitz, on each of four the previous occasions when he has had the opening move, has offered a Queen’s Gambit.  The first two were drawn, the third was cleverly won by Gunsberg, and the fourth counted as a brilliant victory for Steinitz.
    At an early stage in the match Steinitz had said he would play the same opening until he won it.  This he succeeded in doing.  In yesterday’s game he gave a welcome variety, “Nothing so common as a Queen’s Gambit,” said an interested onlooker when the “great theorist” started out with an opening which the late Dr. Zukertort repeatedly played, and which commenced with Kt-K B 3.  Pawns were exchanged on the fifth move and the game was very quickly developed.
    In the early part of the game the play was apparently conducted by both masters with a view of securing a good position, but ultimately Steinitz initiated an aggressive movement on the queen’s side.  After making what subsequently proved to be a blunder by sacrificing a pawn on his twentieth turn, he proceeded with an attack on the opposing pawn on the Q Kt’s file. This pawn the Hungarian first put beyond the reach of danger, and then quickly assumed a distinct superiority of position, threatening at the same time to capture another pawn.  After twenty-six moves had been recorded on both sides the spectators all agreed that Gunsberg had by far the best of it, and some ventured the opinion that he had a won game.
    For the sixth time Gunsberg was the player to seal his move on the adjournment of the afternoon sitting [...]
    On the resumption of play at 7 o’clock it soon became manifest that Steinitz was playing hard for a draw, and his efforts in this direction were pronounced, after four or five moves, to be tending with some little chance of success.  At the same time it was declared that if he were to succeed in bringing about a draw he would be a “good one.”  He fought on and on, though his efforts were generally thought to be useless. Ultimately, however, affairs took a favorable turn for the “great theorist.”
    Meantime the number of spectators in the club room had increased until the scene was one of great animation, while a profound interest was evinced in the progress of the play.  Finally it was seen that Steinitz was gradually but surely extricating himself from the difficulties which surrounded him, and a few minutes after 10:30 o’clock, the time for adjourning for the day, the announcement came down that a draw had been agreed upon.  It will be seen that Steinitz consumed nearly double the time occupied by Gunsberg.
The Sun, New York, 1890.12.30

A LONG, DRAWN BATTLE.
MR. STEINITZ SURPRISES HIS LONDON
OPPONENT AT CHESS.
Over Six Hours at the Board and at 
the Adjournment Mr. Gunsberg Had 
the Advantage, but Mr. Steinitz 
Finally Fought the Contest to a 
Draw - Notes of the Sporting World.
:
    The ninth game, the longest and most stubbornly contested in the chess match, caused by its changes and vicissitudes no end of excitement.  The well-conducted game was only marred by an oversight or miscalculation on the part of the first player in the twentieth move.  The numerous and illustrious crowd which thronged the Manhattan Chess Club-rooms, among them such expert players as Mr. Phil Richardson and Mr. E. Delmar, discounted black’s win befor [sic] the adjournment.  Then to the general surprise, Mr. Steinitz prolonged the struggle, and by 10 o’clock seemed to have achieved a drawing position.
    Mr. Steinitz, who had the move, slightly altered his previous course by beginning with (1) Kt to K B 3, which, however, results but in a modification of the Queen’s gambit.  The reader will find sufficient comment on this move, which the Austro-American champion invariably adopted in his match with Tschigorin in the notes to the appended game. Mr. Gunsberg emerged out of this opening with a slight superiority of position, as he could first take possession of the open Q R file with his rook.  On the twentieth move the veteran left a pawn en prise under the impression to win afterwards the Q Kt P with his rook, which would have given him a decided advantage.  His scheme was, however, frustrated by Black’s correct defense.  Just before the adjournment Mr. Steinitz brought a highly ingenious sacrifice at the exchange which he recovered on the 33d move.  But he was still a pawn behind, and had to submit to the exchange of queens.  The remainder of the game was fought by Mr. Steinitz with his persistent tenacity, wherein he was somewhat aided by Black’s line of play, which did not make the most of the position, enabling White to obtain chances for a draw.
    On the sixty-third move Black, who saw a well-deserved and valuable victory slip from his grasp, made a bold and determined effort to carry the day by abandoning his K P, thus giving his opponent a formidable passed pawn on the K file.  Mr. Steinitz with great glee captured the pawn and smilingly asked his opponent whether it was worth while to carry on the battle, to which Gunsberg responded with a grim and determined, “I think so.”   Steinitz, after a series of checks, had to give up his R for the adverse passed R P, but his own pawn became so strong that Gunsberg had to submit to a draw.
    The game lasted nearly six hours, of which four hours and twenty minutes were consumed by the first player.
The World, New York, 1890.12.30

Steinitz,W — Gunsberg,IA
(9)
D30/13
Queen’s Gambit Declined
1890.12.29
USA New York, NY (Manhattan Chess Club)
Annotations by Gunsberg & Steinitz
1.Nf3
** Gunsberg: This move has been introduced and frequently played by the late Dr. Zukertort, after whom it is sometimes called Zukertort opening.  In the correspondence match between the British Chess Club of London and the Chess Club of St. Petersburg the English players adopted it in the game wherein they had the move.  Steinitz, in his match against Chigorin, in Havana, 1889, limited himself solely to that opening, although he had declared it on previous occasions to be an indifferent move which leads to a variation of the Queens gambit declined by mere transposition of moves.  The course of the present game seems to corroborate that statement, for, as will be seen, after the fifth, eighth, ninth and tenth move, the game presents the exact position which arises from that variation of the Queens gambit declined, wherein the best recognized moves are made on both sides.
1...Nf6
** Gunsberg: This or 1...d5 is the best move for Black.
2.d4 e6 3.e3 c5
** Steinitz: New, but is does not make much difference in the development of the game.
4.c4 d5 5.dxc5
** Steinitz: White obtains a slight advantage after this, as he threatens with his next move to isolate the d-pawn, which gains time in the development.
5...Bxc5 [0:10-0:04] 6.Nc3 Bb4
** Gunsberg: In order to avoid the isolating of his pawn at d5.
Steinitz: This move is now forced, as he cannot well capture the pawn and allow the exchange of queens.
7.Bd2
** Steinitz: Here, and later on at the tenth move, 7.Qb3 was probably better.
7...dxc4 8.Bxc4 0-0 9.0-0 Nc6 10.Qe2
** Steinitz: Initiating a kingside attack, whereas his strength was on the other wing, as indicated above.
10...Qe7 [0:19-0:14] 11.e4 Bxc3 12.Bxc3 e5
** Gunsberg: A very good move, which frees his game considerable and prevents the advance of Whites pawn to e5, which would have confined his position.
13.Qe3
** Steinitz: Any attempt to pursue the kingside attack would probably have been a failure, if, for instance 13.Bb3 Bg4 14.Qe3 Rad8 with a very good game.
13...Be6 14.Be2
** Gunsberg: 14.Bxe6 Qxe6 15.Ng5 would only lead to an even game.  A very tempting continuation, instead of the move in the text, would have been 14.Bb5 Bd7 15.Bxc6 Bxc6, and White could not take the e-pawn without losing his own e-pawn.
Steinitz: A concentration on the kingside, with a view afterward of attacking on the other wing.
14...Ng4 15.Qc1 Rac8 [0:52-0:42]
** Gunsberg: Blacks game is now well developed.
16.h3 Nh6 17.Qe3 f6
** Gunsberg: An excellent move, which not only gives additional support to his e-pawn, but also opens an important square for his knight, which enables him afterwards to use it in time for the defense of his b-pawn.
18.a3
** Steinitz: For defensive purposes, as Black threatened ...Nb4, and also with the object of supporting the advance of the b-pawn.
18...Nf7 19.b4 a6 20.a4
** Gunsberg: This move was made probably under the impression that he could afterwards recover the b-pawn with his rook, which would have given him the advantage of position.
Steinitz: Simply an oversight.
20...Nxb4 [1:07-0:51] 21.Bxb4 Qxb4 22.Rfb1 Qe7 23.Rb6 Rc7 24.Rab1 Rfc8
** Gunsberg: Of course not 24...Rb8, because of 25.Rxa6.
25.Ne1 Nd8 [1:15-1:05]26.Nd3 Qa3
** Gunsberg: Again correctly played.
27.Kh2
** Gunsberg: In order to avoid an eventual check.
Steinitz: This was necessary in order to enable him to remove the knight without being subjected to exchanges by ...Rc1+.
27...Rd7
** Steinitz: Threatening ...Rc3, but 27...Bc4 was stronger.
28.Rxe6
** Gunsberg: An ingenious combination, which, however, is parried by Blacks correct defense.
Steinitz: The only way to release himself and giving White good attacking chances.
28...Nxe6 29.Bg4 (Adjourned) [2:06-1:27] 29...Re8 (Sealed)
** Gunsberg: This move was sealed by Gunsberg.  It is worthy of note that so far Steinitz has not sealed a move.
30.Bxe6+ Rxe6 [2:10-1:21] 31.Nc5
** Gunsberg: This regains the exchange, but White is still a pawn behind.
31...Qxe3 32.fxe3 Ree7 33.Nxd7 Rxd7 34.Kg3 Kf7 35.a5 Kg6 [2:17-1:46] 36.Kf3 Rc7 37.Rb2 Rc5 38.Ra2 Rb5 39.Ke2 Kf7 40.Kf3 Ke6 [2:28-1:33] 41.h4 h5 42.Ra1 g6 43.g4 hxg4+ 44.Kxg4 Rb4 45.Kf3 f5 [3:01-1:35] 46.exf5+ Kxf5 47.Rh1 Rb5 48.e4+ Kf6 49.Rd1 Rxa5 50.Rd6+ Kg7 [3:23-1:37] 51.Rd7+ Kh6 52.Rxb7 Ra3+ 53.Kf2 Ra5 54.Rb6 Kh5 55.Rf6
** 55.Rc6 is the move found in my database, but contemporary sources clearly state 55.R-KB6.-[Pope]
55...Ra4 [3:38-1:46] 56.Kf3 Ra3+ 57.Kf2 Kh6 58.Re6 Ra5 59.Kg3 Kg7 60.Kg4 Kf7 [4:02-1:55] 61.Rb6 Ra1 62.Rb7+ Kf6 63.Rb6+ Kg7 64.Re6 a5 65.Rxe5 a4 [4:10-2:14] 66.Ra5 a3 67.Kg5 a2 68.Ra7+ Kf8 69.Ra8+ Kf7 70.Ra7+ Ke6 71.Ra6+ Ke5 72.Ra5+ Kxe4 73.Ra4+ Kf3 74.Ra3+ Kf2 75.Kxg6 Rg1+ 76.Kf7 a1Q 77.Rxa1 Rxa1 78.h5 Rh1 79.Kg6 Rg1+ 80.Kf6 [4:24-2:34] ½-½.
The Sun, New York, 1890.12.30
The World, New York, 1890.12.30
New-York Daily Tribune, 1890.12.30

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