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

FEW BRILLIANT PLAYS.
A DRAWN GAME IN THE CHESS MATCH.
THE SCORE NOW: STEINITZ, 4; GUNSBERG, 2; 
DRAWN, 5.
:
    Steinitz and Gunsberg yesterday played the eleventh game in their contest for the chess championship of the world at the rooms of the Manhattan Chess Club in this city.  After three hours’ play the game was abandoned as a draw on the proposition of Steinitz, and although one or two good features are to be found in it, taken as a whole this game will perhaps rank as one of the tamest which these two masters have yet fought.
    Steinitz made what is commonly known as a Zukertort opening, by playing Kt-K B 3, and Gunsberg responded in the most approved style.  In fact after the game had been turned into a Queen’s Gambit Declined Gunsberg’s defence was on lines similar to those which Steinitz himself adopted some years ago against the late Dr. Zukertort, and consisted in pushing forward his B to K 2, and then proceeding with an attempt to get rid of the centre pawns.
    This led to a quick development of pieces and likewise to a rapid exchange of both knights.  Gunsberg castled on his fifth turn, but White continued to develop his minor pieces before castling, which he did on his tenth move.  Exchanging still remained a feature of the game, being freely  indulged in by both players.  After the fifteenth move even the Queens had disappeared from the field, and on the following move exchanges were once more the order of the day.
    An even position, devoid of complications of any serious nature, was arrived at after seventeen moves had been recorded, and the subsequent play still more simplified matters and rendered anything but a draw practically impossible.  This was proposed by Steinitz after his twenty-eighth move, and eventually accepted.  The score now is: Steinitz 4, Gunsberg 2, drawn 5.
New-York Daily Tribune, 1891.01.04

THE RIVAL CHESS MASTERS.
THE ELEVENTH GAME ENDS IN A 
DRAW. 
The Experts Discussed a Zukertort 
Opening - Neither Player Could Get an 
Advantage, and Honors Were Divided.
:
    The rival chess masters entered upon the second half of their contest  yesterday at the Manhattan Chess Club.  The first ten games, which, from present appearances, will form exactly half of the number which will be played in this match, have resulted distinctly in favor of Steinitz.  The result of yesterday’s game points still more clearly to the probability that before either player scores ten wins, the maximum of twenty will have been played, unless, of course, the unexpected happens and Steinitz makes a clear break and wins a sufficient number of games consecutively to bring him up to the much-desired point.  Judging from the nature of the play in the earlier games, such an eventuality may be looked upon as improbable, and yet taking a brief glance backward, it will be seen that in most of  his match encounters Steinitz has made out badly in the beginning, but has almost invariably improved as the fight progressed.  It remains to be seen whether the same thing will occur in this instance.
    Steinitz opened yesterday’s game with Kt-K B 3, which is popularly known as the Zukertort opening.  Gunsberg retorted in the most approved fashion, and the position of a Queen’s Gambit declined was evolved out of the original opening.  The game quickly developed, and pawns and pieces were exchanged at a very early stage.  So soon in the play as the tenth move a “knowing one” predicted that the issue would be a draw.  A few moves later this prophet found an adherent who expressed himself with even greater confidence in the same direction.  After the exchange of Queens on the fifteenth move another spectator exclaimed: “Steinitz has no advantage at all now.  It is a draw from Alpha to Omega.”
    The early exchanges which had marked the previous part of the game were continued on the sixteenth and seventeenth moves by an exchange of bishops.  Indeed this rapid slaughter on both sides formed quite a prominent feature in the game, and had the effect of very much shortening it.  A very simple position was now arrived at, and subsequent play was of a more or less dull and uninteresting character, although white succeeded  in somewhat improving his position by later exchanges.  This improvement, however, was of so unimportant a nature that it failed to lift the game from the “drawing” region, and ultimately Gunsberg accepted the proposal of his opponent on the twenty-ninth move, and the fifth draw was duly recorded.  The score now stands at 4 wins for Steinitz, 2 for Gunsberg, and 4 drawn games.
    Here is a more minute description of the play: Another Zukertort opening was started by Steinitz, and when the game turned into a queen’s gambit declined, his opponent defended virtually in the same manner as Steinitz had himself done against Zukertort viz. by bringing his B to K 2, and then trying to get rid of the two centre pawns on each side.  The difference in Steinitz’s treatment was that he did not allow his queen’s centre pawns to be isolated as Zukertort had done.
    The opening moves were marked by the exchange of the two Kts on each side, and then the struggle for position commenced on the queen’s wing.  White seemed to have a little the pull, but black defended excellently, and especially his thirteenth and fourteenth moves were very fine ones for defensive purposes.  On his seventeenth move Gunsberg remarked to his opponent: “Do you play to win this?” to which Steinitz answered: “I think I have slightly the best of it.”
    The game proceeded, and white tried to break into the adverse game by advancing the pawns in the queen’s wing.  He had to make preparations, and as his king was also far off he could not sufficiently support his attack in the face of the sturdy defence which his opponent made.  Black posted his rooks well and entered on a march with his king toward the centre, after protecting his K R P.  It came to the exchange of one of the rooks and of the bishops, and white maintained the passed Q R P, while black had a passed pawn on the Q Kt file.
    In view of the proximity of black’s king, which threatened to cross over and protect his own Kt’s P, while white’s king was too far off from his passed R P, Steinitz offered a draw.  Gunsberg then remarked, “I should like to make one or two moves.”  Thereupon Steinitz played P-R 6, and Gunsberg immediately consented to a draw, which was the obvious result of white’s last move, for black’s rook had to intercept white’s passed pawn, and then an exchange of white’s Q R P for black’s Q Kt P was sure to follow, after which either side could easily make his position unapproachable.
The Sun, New York, 1891.01.04

ONE MORE DRAWN GAME.
Chess-Player Gunsberg Is Not Yet
Dismayed by Steinitz.
The American Began His Play with an 
Irregular Opening Again Yesterday 
- The Londoner Not Influenced by 
Theoretical Doctrines - The Next 
Game Will Be Played To-Morrow.
:
    The chess game yesterday, although it resulted in a draw, demonstrated that the younger player has not been dismayed by the unfavorable turn for him which the match has taken, and that he is resolved to make as hard a fight as ever.
    Mr. Steinitz, in all the games wherein he was first player, had failed to make an impression upon his opponent, who always managed to equalize matters if not to obtain the better position.  Mr. Gunsberg’s play is never influenced by what other chess-players have played before, much less by theoretical doctrines.  In playing he follows the inspiration of the moment.  It has been amply proved by the games in the pending contest that he does not limit himself to one line of defense.  For an instance, he met Steinitz’s Queen’s Gambits and (what is practically the same) irregular openings every time in a different way.  The eleventh game was irregularly opened by Mr. Steinitz with 1 Kt-KB 3 and gradually drifted into a Queen’s Gambit Declined.  After the thirteenth move of White Q-Kt 3 it appeared as though White had the best of it, as Black’s queen was seemingly subjected to an attack of both white rooks; but Black, by a well-conceived plan, not only averted all danger but forced White to exchange queens.  After this episode the game drifted into shallow channels, and, although Mr. Steinitz prolonged the fight up to the twenty-eighth move, he could not alter the legitimate result.  As Mr. Gunsberg remarked after the end of the game: “The time for miracles is over, and a win in an end game with even pieces cannot be forced.”  The game lasted three hours and forty-five minutes, of which Black consumed one hour.  The score is now: Steinitz, 4; Gunsberg, 2; drawn, 5.
The World, New York, 1891.01.04

Steinitz,W — Gunsberg,IA
(11)
D40/01
Queen’s Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch
1891.01.03
USA New York, NY (Manhattan Chess Club)
Annotations by Gunsberg & Steinitz
1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.c4 Be7
** Gunsberg: In all close openings the kings bishop is posted best at e7 for the second player, as well as e2 for the first.
Steinitz: In conformity with the authorities and certainly superior to the experiments made by Gunsberg with his bishop in previous games of the match.
5.Nc3 0-0 [0:02-0:06] 6.Bd3 c5
** Steinitz: The defense, in its chief features, is altogether of the same description as was played by Steinitz against Zukertort in the match of 1886. It is an important point for Black to get rid of the two middle pawns.
7.cxd5 cxd4
** Steinitz: Best; for if 7...Nxd5 8.Nxd5 Qxd5 9.e4, gaining important time.
8.Nxd4 Nxd5 9.Nxd5
** Steinitz: White could not well allow the adversary to exchange and separate the pawns on the queens wing, nor could he afford to lose time to by either of the knights to e2.
9...Qxd5 10.0-0 Nc6 [0:10-0:17] 11.Nxc6
** Steinitz: As Black always threatened ...Bf6, which confined Whites queenside, it was again of no use to waste time by retreating that knight.
11...Qxc6 12.Bd2 Bf6 13.Qb3 Bd7
** Gunsberg: A very good move, which frees Black of all difficulties his queen might get involved in.
Steinitz: A very good move and the key to his best defense.
14.Rfc1 Qa4
** Steinitz: Undoubtedly the best way of offering the exchange which was unavoidable.
15.Qxa4
** Gunsberg: If 15.Qxb7 then 15...Rb8, and if 15.Rc7, instead of the text move, then 15...Qxb3, followed by 16...Bc6 and the rook is imprisoned.
15...Bxa4 [0:34-0:39] 16.Bc3
** Steinitz: White gradually improves his position by these exchanges.
16...Bxc3 17.Rxc3 Bc6 18.b4 a6 19.a4 Rfd8
** Steinitz: 19...Rfc8, which he had to adopt subsequently, was undoubtedly much better at this juncture.
20.f3
** Steinitz: It was necessary to give the king freedom. If, for instance, 20.Raa3 Kf8 21.b5 axb5 22.axb5 Be4 with a good game, for obviously White dare not take the bishop on account of the impending mate on his first row.
20...Kf8 [0:56-0:46] 21.Raa3 h6
** Steinitz: As Black intended to bring his king into the center, he could not afford long to leave that pawn unprotected, for, though he could confine the bishop afterward by ...g6, White might have had an opportunity of releasing himself with advantage by the advance of the h-pawn to h5, either before or after, supporting it by pushing pawn to g4 according to circumstances.
22.Kf2 Rdc8 23.b5 Bd7 24.Rxc8+
** Steinitz: Instead of the exchanges that follow White ought to have played 24.Ke2.
24...Rxc8 25.bxa6 bxa6 [1:27-1:02] 26.a5
** Gunsberg: If 26.Bxa6 Black recovers the pawn by 26...Ra8, as White cannot defend his pawn with 27.Bb5.
Steinitz: Obviously, if 26.Bxa6, Black recovers the pawn by 26...Ra8.
26...Bb5 27.Bxb5 axb5 28.Rb3 Rb8[2:00-1:40]
** Gunsberg: A draw was here agreed upon.
Steinitz: A long struggle would only ensue if White allowed Blacks king to come near the b-pawn; in fact it would be rather dangerous for the former. The draw is now easily effected by White advancing the pawn to a6, which will lead to an exchange of Whites a-pawn for Blacks b-pawn, and the passed pawns being out of the way each party can easily protect his own line with the rook and king.
29.a6 ½-½.
** From the description in The Sun it appears that Steinitz did play 29.a6 before the draw was agreed, although the gamescores from all three sources end with Black’s 28th move.-[Pope]
The Sun, New York, 1891.01.04
The World, New York, 1891.01.04
New-York Daily Tribune, 1891.01.04

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