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 Rosenthal-Zukertort Match,
London 1880
Researched by Nick Pope

    THE seventh game, played on Wednesday, the 19th inst. - This is an extraordinary match.  No other single-handed contest on record has been so evenly fought at starting.  The opening was again a Ruy Lopez, and Zukertort introduced on the 8th move a form of attack which turned out as weak as it is comparatively unknown.  As far as we can make sure in the short time at our disposal for the examination of the line of play suggested in our notes below, we should think that the bold sacrifice of the Kt for the BP would have led to a winning position for Black.  But so much had the postion of the attacking player been misjudged that even the slow and steady process adopted by the French champion gave him the patent superiority, and it will be a matter of astonishment that such a master of the openings like Zukertort should have been in such a sad plight so early in the game as first player in a Ruy Lopez.  On the 15th move Rosenthal had exchanged all the opponent’s active pieces on the K’s side; and while Zukertort’s Q side was quite undeveloped the French champion brought all his own pieces into full battle order, and mostly in a threatening attitude.  But his tenacity gave way on the 19th move, and, instead of continuing to exercise a slow and sure pressure on the opponent’s development, by P to Q Kt 4, which we believe must have ultimately ripened into a winning advantage, he impulsively sacrificed a piece in a situtation which could only lead to a draw by perpetual check.
The Field, London, 1880.05.22
Zukertort,JH — Rosenthal,S
(7)
C65/01
Spanish: Berlin (Nyholm)
1880.05.19
GBR London
Annotations by Wilhelm Steinitz
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.O-O Be7 6.e5 Ne4 7.Nxd4 O-O
** It is evident he could not take the e-pawn on account of the reply 8.Re1.
8.Re1
** See our introductory remarks. 8.Nf5 seeems to us a more feasible way of continuing the attack, but we do not think it would lead to more than an even position, e.g., 8.Nf5 d5 9.Nxe7+ Nxe7 10.f3 c6 followed by 11...Qb8+.
8...Nxd4
** We believe that Black might have ventured on the sacrifice of the knight, for which he would have obtained sufficient attack, e.g., 8...Nxf2 9.Kxf2 (If 9.Nxc6 Black may retake with the d-pawn, and he will retain the pawn.) 9...Bc5 10.c3 [or 10.Bxc6 Qh4+ 11.Kf1 (If 11.Ke3, then follows 11...Bxd4+; and if 11.Ke2, then Black takes the bishop with the d-pawn, threatening ...Bg4+, with greatest effect; and should White then attempt 12.Be3, then follows 12...Rd8, recovering the piece, for White must guard against ...Bg4+, winning the queen.) 11...Bxd4 12.g3 (If 12.Qd2, then Black takes the bishop with the b-pawn, threatening ...Ba6+.) 12...Qxh2 13.Qxd4 dxc6 14.g4 f5 15.g5 (Best) 16...f4 15.e6 (Best) 16...Qh3+, followed by 17...Bxe6, remaining with three pawns for the piece and a strong attack.  Besides that, Whites g-pawn should also fall soon.  We cannot possibly enter into a more exhaustive analysis, and give the above variations only as example; but we feel satisfied of the strength of Blacks postion.] 10...Qh4+ 11.Kg1 Nxd4 12.cxd4 Bxd4+ 13.Kh1 Bf2 14.Re3 (Best; if 14.Re2, Black answers 14...Bg3 followed by 15...d5, which threatens ...Bg4.) 14...Be3 15.Bxe3 Re8 16.Qd4 (If 16.B-d4, Black goes on in the same way by ...c6 and ...d6.) 16...Qxd4 17.Bxd4 c6 18.Bd3 (It will avail him nothing to retreat the bishop to f1, for Black will also answer 18...d6, and if 19.exd6, the rook attacks at e1.) 18...d6, and either Black wins a third pawn for the exchange, or if 19.exd6, the rook checks at e1 and Whites pieces remain confined while Black will gain the d-pawn by ...Be6 and ...Rd8, remaining with two pawns for the exchange and a very fine game.
9.Qxd4 d5 10.exd6
** Inconvenient as this is, it was his best.  To allow the opponent four pawns against three on the queenside, while his fixed e-pawn at e5 could at any time be exchanged by ...f6, thus opening the adverse f-file for the rook, would have been still worse.
10...Nxd6 11.Bd3
** Inch by inch he is driven back.  He would have lost a clear pawn had he brought out the knight to c3, thus: 11.Nc3 Bf6 12.Qd3 (Best) 12...Bf5 13.Qe2 Bxc2 14.Qxc2 Bxc3, etc.
11...Bf6 12.Qb4 Re8 13.Qd2 Rxe1+
** Though this has the effect of releasing the bishop, we cannot suggest anything better, and Black certainly obtained a strong advantage after the exchange.
14.Qxe1 Bf5 15.Bxf5
** It was dangerous to allow the d-pawn to be isolated by bringing out the knight, e.g., 15.Nc3 Bxd3 16.cxd3 Nf5 17.Qf1 (This seems to be the best retreat for the queen) 17...Bxc3 18.bxc3 Qd5, with the superior game.
15...Nxf5 16.c3
** No choice.  He was bound to guard against ...Nd4, and to postpone his development in consequence.  If he brouught out the knight to c3, then the bishop would take, creating an ugly doubled pawn, and if 16.Nd2, then followed 16...Nd4, which made 17.Qd1 compulsory; Black could afterwards play ...Qd7, and ...Re8, with a fine develpment, and by retreating the knight to c6 when attacked by the pawn, he could again shut in all the white pieces.
16...Qd7 17.Nd2 Re8 18. Qf1 Nh4 [?:??-1:00]
** A fine move, which not alone prevents the adverse knight from gaining a convient post at f3, but also other ample attacking purposes, as will be seen.
19.Nc4 [1:00-?:??] 19...Nxg2
** We give a diagram of this position.  By this sacrifice Black throws away a very good prospect of winning the game.  The correct move was 19...b5, as pointed out by Zukertort.  White then had nothing better than to retreat the knight to e3, otherwise Black would sacrifce the knight for the g-pawn with much greater force.  Whites bishop remained in that case shut up, and Black had certainly the much superior game.
20.Kxg2 Qg4+ 21.Kh1 Qf3+ 22.Kg1
** The same two moves were repeated twice more, and then the game was abandoned as drawn.  He could not afford to continue the attack by 22...Re4, for White would consolidate his forces by 23.Ne3, followed by 24.Ng2, and would win.  But it was not easy to draw if he now played 22...Re2, threatening to win the knight by ...Qg4+.  If White defended by 23.Ne3, the winning answer was 23...Bh4.  Again, if he retreated 23.Nd2, the game might have proceeded thus: 22...Re2 23.Nd2 Qg4+ 24.Kh1 (Best; if the queen interposes mate follows in three moves by 24...Re1+; 25...Rxf1+; and 26...Qd1#.) 24...Be5 (Threatening ...Qh4) 25.f4 Rxh2+ 26.Kxh2 Bxf4+, and White must sacrifice the queen; for if 27.Kh1, then follows 27...Qh4+, 28...Qg3+, and 29...Qh2#.  But the only move to draw in answer to 22.Re2, is, as pointed out by Zukertort, 22...Bf4.  If Black then checks with the queen at g4, then White is compelled again to move the king; but White then threatens either 25.Bg3, or 25.Ne3, or 25.f3, according to circumstances, and Black has therefore no time to regain the piece, and must therefore draw by perpetual check.
22...Qg4+ 23.Kh1 Qf3+ 24.Kg1 Qg4+ 25.Kh1 Qf3+ 26.Kg1 ½-½.
**
The Field, London, 1880.05.22

Return to Match Index

[Excavations] [Library] [Museum] [Journal] [Market] [Openings]
© 1999 Jacques N. Pope. All Rights Reserved.