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

GUNSBERG WINS AGAIN.
THE FIFTH GAME OF THE CHESS MATCH.
STEINITZ FOR THE THIRD TIME PLAYED THE 
QUEEN’S GAMBIT - AN INTERESTING CONTEST.
:
    Play in the Steinitz-Gunsberg chess match, which is taking place in this city under the auspices of the Manhattan Chess Club, was temporarily suspended on Wednesday at the request of the New-York player, who telegraphed from his home early that morning, stating that he was suffering from a severe cold.  He did not appear to be completely recovered when play in the fifth game began at the usual hour yesterday afternoon.
    It was Steinitz’s turn to play, and there was no little astonishment when for the third time he offered a Queen’s Gambit, which Gunsberg this time did not decline.  The persistency of Steinitz in making this opening, after he had twice tried it and only been so far successful as to bring about a draw in each occasion, cannot but be admired by chess-players. Whether he expected Gunsberg, however, to accept the proffered gambit or to reject it as he had previously done, is a matter for speculation.  Be that as it may, the Anglo-Hungarian showed himself a formidable antagonist on this occasion, and he succeeded in producing in the course of his play some exciting specimens of his powers of position judgment which cannot fail to prove attractive to the student.
    The spectators at an early stage were aroused from a comparatively passive interest into one of unusual keenness, and a disciple of the principle of playing an open game at an early stage in defending predicted on the third or fourth move a victory for Gunsberg.  As it happened, this premature prediction did finally meet with a fulfilment.
    Gunsberg’s defence was based on the principles of the old masters in this opening, particularly so with reference to his third move, P-K 4. Instead of proceeding in the customary way by 4 B x P, Steinitz wiped out the opposing K P with his Q P, thus enabling his antagonist to effect an exchange of Queens and neutralize the advantage of the opening move.  By the time the 10th move was completed on both sides, Gunsberg had a slight advantage of postion, to which he soon afterward managed to add the extra advantage of winning a Pawn by a very well wrought-out idea.  Steinitz’s  eleventh move was a weak one, and shortly after this Gunsberg managed to effect such a distinct improvement in his game that it was seen that all he required to do to become the master of the situation was to play with care.  This he did by repelling in an admirable manner the repeated  onslaughts of his opponent on the sixteenth, eighteenth and twentieth moves, and after clever play he announced “mate in five” on his twenty-fifth move, Steinitz resigning at his twenty-ninth turn.
    It will be seen by chess-players who study the game that Steinitz again played in opposition to his own clearly defined principles by allowing his rival to obtain the majority of Pawns on the Queen’s side.
New-York Daily Tribune, 1890.12.19

CHESS STRATEGISTS AT PLAY.
GUNSBERG LEADS STEINITZ BY THE ODD GAME.
The Hungarian Added Another Masterpiece to the 
Record - His “Mate in Five” Was Brilliant - Steinitz was Nowhere.
:
    Any one entering the Manhattan Chess Club just before 1 o’clock yesterday afternoon would have found the two chess masters, Steinitz and Gunsberg, seated in friendly communion over a chess board in the club room, examining the position in the Evans game which Steinitz is playing in his  cable match with the Russian champion Tschigorin.  Steinitz did not, by any means, look bright; there were distinct traces remaining of the indisposition which prevented his playing on Wednesday.
    The opening of yesterday’s game was another surprise to few early arrivals who were watching the movements on the big club room board.  In the first place Steinitz for the third time offered a Queen’s Gambit, which this time, by the way of a change, Gunsberg accepted.  A pleasant variety was thus introduced, which was augmented by Gunsberg’s promptly hewing down the pawn.  After the two previous games in which he made a Q P opening had been drawn, Steinitz showed yesterday, in again making the same opening, a perseverance which would suggest either that he thought he had discovered really this time a solution which would enable him to win instead of  drawing, or that he was determined to play the same opening until he does win.
    Gunsberg, however, with a wisdom which is very commendable, declined to give his antagonist the opportunity of again testing the Queen’s Gambit declined, by accepting the proffered gambit.  The new turn which was thus given to affairs rapidly developed new and interesting features.  Upon the third move of black a strong amateur player who was present said that this playing an open game by Gunsberg was an excellent policy, and he would predict right off that the Hungarian would win.  This, of course, was rather a premature prophecy, but immediately afterward queens were exchanged.  Then Gunsberg once again put into practice the principles of his opponent by acquiring a majority of pawns on the Queen’s side, and he was soon generally pronounced to have by far the best position.
    It will be seen on reference to the score of the game that Steinitz used twenty-three minutes in considering his eleventh move, and it was decidedly entertaining to watch him while he pondered over the board.  At the beginning he complacently puffed his cigar and toyed with the smoke as it curled upward from his lips, but after a while he didn’t seem quite so easy.  Meanwhile Gunsberg gazed on with that appearance of comfortable equinimity which one can always enjoy when witnessing the difficulties of an adversary.  At last, when twenty-three minutes had been remorselessly ticked off by the eloquent little clock on his left, Steinitz pushed forward his K Kt and relighted his cigar.
    When the fourteenth move of white had been made his position was declared to be an extremely bad one, and it was confidently predicted that Gunsberg had a win clearly before him.  A member, who is not considered by any means a strong player, after consulting the board at this position said, “I think I shall have to finish this match for Steinitz.  He cannot play any more.”  Matters went on in the same way for some time longer, Steinitz’s position becoming more and more hopeless as the game proceeded.  The excitement of the spectators grew with the increasing difficulties of the great theorist and the corresponding improvement in the Hungarian’s prospects until at last the climax came on Gunsberg’s twenty-ninth move, which was accompanied by the announcement that he had declared his intention of mating in five moves.  Suffice it to say that Steinitz resigned on his twenty-ninth move, with a mate pending in two moves.
    After the conclusion of the game, which was brought about after 2 hours and 5 minutes play, Steinitz was heard to declare his intention of playing the same opening again on Monday when his turn comes, and in fact again and again until he wins it.
    A more particular description of the play is as follows: Steinitz opened again the Queen’s Gambit, which was accepted by Gunsberg, who defended in accordance with the theories laid down by the old masters, principally so by advancing on his third move P-K 4.  Steintiz instead of proceeding in  the usual way by 4 B x P, chopped off the opponent’s K P at K 5, thereby enabling Gunsberg to exchange queens and neutralize the advantage which a player, as a rule, possesses by having the opening move.  On his fourth move Gunsberg castled on the Q side with a check, and his opponent then found a retreat for his king on B 2.  After this the Hungarian proceeded discreetly to the development of his pieces Steinitz’s eleventh move, Kt-B 3, over which he spent a great deal of time, was rather weak one, and on the twelfth move Gunsberg had a little the better position of the two. Soon after this the latter, by a very well conceived move, succeeded in winning a pawn, and he soon improved his game so as to get a very good grip on his opponent.  He never relaxed after once he had gained the material advantage.  He retailiated in a beautiful manner to the repeated sorties of Steinitz - 16. Kt-R 4, 18. P-K B 4, 19. P-B 5, 20. P-K Kt 4. All these aggressive movements were of no avail for the great theorist; they were first quietly conteracted, and then assuming a powerful attack, Gunsberg reached the culminating point of his clever play by announcing at his twenty-fifth turn ‘mate in five.’  His play for the mate proved as sound and brilliant as his whole game, and Steinitz resigned when there was a mate in two moves.
The Sun, New York, 1890.12.19

GUNSBERG WINS AGAIN.
NOW LEADING IN HIS MATCH WITH MR. STEINITZ
Brilliant Contest, in Which the English Player Announced a 
Mate in Five Moves - The Score Now Is: Gunsberg, Two; Steinitz, 
One - The Next Game Saturday.
:
    Mr. Steinitz put in an appearance yesterday in good time at the Manhattan Chess Club.  He explained that, having a slight cold, he did not care to venture out of the house yesterday on account of the severe weather which raged in Upper Montclair, N.J., the place of his residence.  He seemed, however, to be in good form and in his usual tenaciously combative mood.  In spite if the fact that in the first and third game, wherein he adopted the Q gambit, he could not make much headway, he nevertheless persisted in playing this opening to-day, which, to tell the truth, was generally expected by those who know him well.  As on previous occasions, Gunsberg has shown that he is entirely independent of any particular line of play or studied analysis of the opening by again varying his line of defense as he accepted the proffered gambit pawn.  In consequence of the line of play pursued by Steinitz, Gunsberg, with good judgment, effected advantageous exchange of queens, thereby forcing white to move his king, while black himself castled on the ninth move.
    The position that resulted from the opening manoeuvres brought white’s king to QB2 on the tenth move.  From that point, with every succeeding move, black developed his pieces in a telling way and brought increased and menacing pressure to bear upon the exposed adverse king.
    On the fifteenth move, by a combination of his minor pieces and probably also by an error of judgment on the part of his opponent, black won a pawn.  White did not obtain the relief which he expected.  On the contrary black directed his forces against the exposed king with such effect that after twenty moves the coming catastrophe could be foretold.
    On the twenty-fourth move black saw winning chances, which he grasped, and playing with great precision he obtained a position on the twenty-sixth move where, by a brilliant coup, he was enabled to announce a mate in five moves.
    Needless to say there was great pleasure and rejoicing among the chess connoisseurs of the Manhattan Chess Club who had the privilege of witnessing this fine game.  The prophets, both on this and the other side of the Atlantic, will have to find a new occupation.  They ventured to predict - and Mr. Steinitz’s reputation and great achievements certainly warranted the forecast - that the veteran, as in past matches, would have matters all his own way with the English player, but the result shows that Gunsberg was too lightly reckoned and that once more he is following up his former brilliant achievements by making such a bold stand against the undefeated hero of twenty-five years’ battle.  Whatever the final result now may be the brave fight will reflect honor on the younger player.
    The sixth game will be played on Saturday.  Gunsberg will have the move and great anxiety prevails among the chess community whether now, with the score in his favor, he will play an Evans gambit.
The World, New York, 1890.12.19

Steinitz,W — Gunsberg,IA
(5)
D20/03
Queen’s Gambit Accepted
1890.12.18
USA New York, NY (Manhattan Chess Club)
Annotations by Gunsberg & Steinitz
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4
** Gunsberg: In the two former games played at this opening I declined the Queens Gambit by 2...e6.  This defense, in my opinion, leads to a close and often more interesting game than can be obtained by accepting the gambit.
3.e3
** Gunsberg: Usually prefered to 3.e4.  White may, however, simplify matters by 3.Qa4+.
3...e5
** Gunsberg: The best continuation at Blacks disposal.
Steinitz: Quit in the old style as played already by Labourdonnais and McDonnell.
4.dxe5
** Gunsberg: If now 4.Qa4+ Bd7 5.Qxc4 exd4 and Black obtains a speedier development for his pieces.
Steinitz: The above masters invariably played here 4.Bxc4 instead.
4...Qxd1+
** Gunsberg: This exchange gives Black a slight superiority.
5.Kxd1 Nc6 [0:04-0:02]
** Gunsberg: 6.f4 may be played but the white pawns in the center would be clumsily situated.
6.Bxc4 Nxe5 7.Bb5+
** Steinitz: This I already played against Chigorin in a consultation game; the object is not to allow the knight to go back to c6, but it is probably better to retreat the bishop to e2 at once.
7...c6 8.Be2 Be6 9.Nc3 0-0-0+ 10.Kc2
** Gunsberg: In hope of playing out his dark-square bishop and a-rook and retire his king to b1.
10...Nf6 [0:11-0:05] 11.Nf3
** Gunsberg: 11.f3 instead seems preferable, although it would retard the development of his g-knight.
Steinitz: 11.e4 or 11.f3 were the right moves at this juncture; and, in fact, the move made loses the game by letting too many of the adverse pieces in against the king.
11...Neg4 [0:34-0:09] 12.Rf1 Bf5+ 13.Kb3
** Gunsberg: It is already plainly evident that White will not be able to place his king in safety, as he imagined when playing 10.Kc2.
13...Nd7
** Gunsberg: The most forcible way to threaten with punishment the recklessly bold monarch.
Steinitz: A very fine move which forces the gain of a pawn.
14.e4
** Gunsberg: The result of a miscalculation.  White was of course bound to seek some opening for his pieces, but he must been under the delusion also that Black subsequently could not capture the pawn on account of the rejoinder 15.Nh4.
14...Nc5+ 15.Kc2 Nxe4 [0:38-0:19] 16.Nh4 Nxc3+ 17.Kxc3
** Gunsberg: Whites idea was probably to get rid of the troublesome adverse bishop, even at the cost of a pawn, but he probably overlooked the fact that if he now would take the bishop, Black would win a piece by 17...Nxe2.
17...Be6 18.f4 Nf6 19.f5 Bd5 20.g4
** Steinitz: This is a bad move, and 20.Nf3 at once was undoubtedly the proper play.
20...Be7 [0:46-0:29]
** Gunsberg: Threatening ...Ne4+, which would win a piece.
Steinitz: Also a very fine move.
21.Kc2
** Steinitz: Forced as Black threatened to win a piece by ...Ne4+; nor could the g-pawn advance, as it would be lost by the same sally.
21...Be4+ 22.Kb3 Nd7
** Gunsberg: Once more the self-same move comes in very forcibly.
23.g5 f6
** Gunsberg: Effectively stopping the desperate though harmless rush of these pawns.
Steinitz: Very fine play, as White cannot advance the pawn without creating an opening for the adverse rook that would be disastrous for him, and otherwise the whole of Whites attack on the kingside is completely stopped.
24.Bg4
** Gunsberg: A move wholly without effect in preventing the speedy dissolution of the game contemplated by Black.
Steinitz: 24.Be3 was now the only defense.  The text move draws White into the “mate” net.
24...Nc5+ 25.Ka3 Rd3+ [1:12-0:44] 26.b3
** Gunsberg: Black here announced mate in five moves.
Steinitz: As will be seen the mate is accomplished in a most ingenious manner.
26...Na4+ 27.Kxa4 Rd4+ 28.b4 Rxb4+ [1:15-0:50] 0-1.
** Gunsberg: If 29.Ka3, mate follows by 29...Rb5+ 30.Ka4 Bc2#. Or if 29.Ka5 b6+ 30.Ka6 Ra4#.
The Sun, New York, 1890.12.19
The World, New York, 1890.12.19
New-York Daily Tribune, 1890.12.19

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