The eleventh game played on Friday, the 15th
inst.,
at the St. Georges Chess Club. Our report of this game in our last
weeks
issues was necessarily brief, as it was only finished a short time
before
our going to press. We have to correct a misstatement in reference to
its
duration appearing in our last number, owing to a clerical error, for
the
game only lasted four and a half hours. |
As regards the progress of the game, we notice a
feature in the play of the two parties, which is also strongly marked in
several previous games of this contest. So long as the placement of the
heavy pieces is masked by the movements of pawns, it requires great
delicacy
of judgment to place especially the rooks, on posts whence they may
ultimately
be brought into proper action. Though we have never observed it before,
we find, from the present and other games of the match, that
Blackburnes
play seems to suffer from a peculiar weakness in handling the rooks, and
he often shifts then about on different files and rows in a helpless
manner.
On the other hand, Zukertort posts his rooks generally on squares on
which
they become soon useful, and rarely changes their position, even for
purposes
of manuvring. |
Blackburnes fatal recapture of the R with
the Q
on the 21st move seems to have been the result of a miscalculation, in
which his opponent had reckoned deeper. Most probably Blackburne had
left
himself open to the advance of P to Kt 5, and on the misapprehension
that
he could capture it, and if the opponent took the B he would regain the
piece by Q to B 2, after exchanging rooks. If we are right in this
assumption,
it is quite clear that he overlooked the force of the answer Q to Q sq,
which kept the piece. Blacks game was lost after that, though he
tried
to retrieve his fortunes by some clever schemes, which were, however,
frustrated
by the adverse deep manuvres. Notably there was a great deal of
meaning
in the advance of P to K R 3 on both sides on the 24th move, as will be
shown below ; and Whites 32nd move comprised a very ingenious
trap, which
Blackburne saw through and avoided. Blackburne fought the game out
tenaciously
on some chance of an error ; but he had to resign when his opponent had
placed his K out of all possible danger, and doubly attacked
Blacks last
passed P on the Q R file, which would leave White with a piece and
several
pawns ahead. |
The Field, London,
1881.07.30
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Zukertort,JH Blackburne,JH
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(11)
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A13/01 |
English: Agincourt
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1881.07.15 |
GBR London (St. Georges Chess
Club)
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Annotations by Wilhelm
Steinitz
1.c4 e6 2.e3 Nf6 3.Nf3 b6 4.a3 Bb7 5.Nc3 d5 6.d4 Nbd7
7.b3
7.b4 would be premature, on account of the reply 7...a5. |
7...Bd6
We think that the f-bishop should be placed at d3 for the attack,
and
at e7 for the defense. As remarked last week, the respective positions
of the bishops were reversed in this game. |
8.Bb2 0-0 9.Be2
He might have gained a move here by 9.b4, which would have compelled
the adversary to capture the c-pawn. |
9...Re8
In conjunction with the pursuance of the plan of advancing the
e-pawn
after exchanging c-pawn for d-pawn, this would be feasible. But his
subsequent
hesitation to adopt that measure makes the move of the rook
useless. |
10.0-0 Nf8
The maneuvering of this knight to the kingside has no object in this
opening, where the battle is usually fought on the other wing.
Consistent
with his previous placement of the rook, he should have taken 10...dxc4,
followed by 11...e5. |
11.Rc1 c6
Worse than unnecessary. We fail to see any object in blocking up the
bishop. |
12.b4
Promptly getting the best of the position. Black must now capture
the
c-pawn, which threatens to advance to c5 with a powerful attack on the
queenside. |
12...dxc4 13.Bxc4 Ng6 14.Bd3 Qe7
Even now we should have preferred an attempt to open the game by
14...e5.
If White then took 15.Bxg6, and drew the rook into the center by
subsequent
exchanges, it would only lead to an exchange of queens; and Black would
suffer no inconvenience from the withdrawal of the adverse c-knight,
though
it unmasked the bishop. It also prevents f4, for the bishop could now
take
if that pawn advanced. |
15.Ne4 Nxe4 16.Bxe4 Rac8 [?:??-1:00]
17.Qb3
This is high-class judgment, besides a clever finesse. He spots the
weak point on the other side, and prevents the advance of the c-pawn,
against
which he means to direct his attack. It is obvious that, if Black were
now to push the c-pawn, White would exchange bishops first, followed by
19.bxc5, winning a clear pawn. |
17...Rf8 18.Ne5 Nxe5
Which causes him loss of important time. 18...Bxe5, followed
by 19...Qc7, was the proper play. If White then protected the e-pawn,
without
capturing the knight with the bishop, the knight could be brought into
good play immediately, viá e7. In the other alternative,
bishops of opposite colors remained, with an even game. |
19.dxe5 Bb8 20.Rfd1 Rfd8
This costs a pawn under any circumstances. |
21.Rxd8+ Qxd8
A gross miscalculation apparently. Retaking with the rook would have
given up the inevitably lost pawn in a much less dangerous way, and he
would have had a fair prospect in playing subsequently for a draw by
...Qd7,
followed by ...Qd2 in reply to the rook retreating to f1. The move in
the
text enables White to fix a passed pawn at c6. |
22.b5
We give a diagram of this most interesting position. |
22...Qe8
In all probability he had previously speculated on now capturing the
b-pawn followed by exchanging rooks and ...Qc7. On discovering that
White
will in that case retain the piece by the ultimate answer Qd1, he
injudiciously
desists from that course, which, in our opinion, was still the best
under
the circumstances, e.g.: 22...cxb5 23.Bxb7 Rxc1+ 24.Bxc1 Qc7 25.Qd1 f6
(better than 25...f5 in some contingencies where the king requires room
to come out at g6, viá f7) 26.Ba6 Qxe5 27.f4 Qc5, and,
with
two pawns for the piece, he ought to have been able to make a much
better
fight for a draw than he did in the actual game, which was hopeless
after
Whites pawn entered at c6. |
23.Qd1 [1:00-?:??]
Correct and precise. To prevent Black from relieving himself by
23...Rc7,
in which case White would still capture the pawn, and Black could not
capture
thrice on account of the impending mate by Qd8. |
23...h6
23...g6 would have served his object better; for he would then
obtain
two passed pawns for the piece by ...Rc7, as will be explained in our
next
note. |
24.h3 Rd8
Whites last move was, we believe, also best against 23...g6
proposed
in our last note, and he could then obtain some compensation at this
juncture
by 24...Rc7, while, as it stands, this plan is not available, as White
will ultimately win another pawn, either on the kingside or on the
queenside,
e.g.: 24...Rc7 25.bxc6 Bxc6 26.Bxc6 Rxc6 27.Rxc6 Qxc6 28.Qd8+ Kh7 (it
would
make all the difference now if the g-pawn had advanced on the 23rd move,
and the king could play to g7) 29.Qxb8 Qc2 30.Bd4 Qc1+ 31.Kh2 Qxa3
32.Qb7
Kg8 33.Qa8+ Kh7 34.Bxb6, and wins easily. |
25.Qc2 Bc8
25...Bc7 or 25...Ba8 would have gained a move which might have been
of some importance. |
26.bxc6 Bc7 27.f4 a5 28.a4 Ba6 29.Ba3 b5 30.axb5 Bxb5
31.Bd6 Bb6 [?:??-2:00]
Obviously he could not take twice, for White would advance c7,
followed
afterwards by Bb7, in case the queen tried to stop the pawn at c8. |
32.Qb3 f5
32...a4 might have led to the following fine variation: 33.Qxb5
Bxe3+
34.Kh1 Bxc1 35.c7 Rc8 36.Bc6, and wins the queen. |
33.Bxf5 a4 34.Qxe6+ Kh8 35.Qxe8+ Rxe8 36.Kf2 g5 37.fxg5
a3 38.c7 Ba6 39.c8Q Bxc8 40.Bxc8
Black makes the most of his defense, though, owing to the nature of
the game, this does not amount to much. It is obvious that White could
not retake with the rook, or Black would exchange, and queen his a-pawn
without obstacle. |
40...a2 41.Bb7 Bc7
To prolong the fight by 42...Re7, recovering the piece if White
takes. |
42.Ra1 Rb8 43.Bd5 Rb2+
Just on the last chance that the king might retreat to the last row,
whereupon the rook would check at b1. |
44.Kf3 1-0.
The Field, London,
1881.07.30
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