Third game, played at St. Georges
Club.The match
was resumed yesterday, at two oclock, at the rooms of the St.
Georges.
Blackburne, as usual, adopted the Sicilian, and Zukertort this time
resorted
to Paulsens treatment of this opening by turning it into the K
fianchetto.
Blackburne on his part then played the fianchetto on both wings.
At six oclock, the time for the adjournment, the game presented
the position
shown on the subjoined diagram. It was Whites turn to play
on the
thirty-third move, and Zukertort had consumed 1h. 45min. of his time
allowance
; while Blackburnes stop watch showed a consumption of 2h.
16min.
The game was to finished last evening, and the match will be proceeded
with to-day (Saturday) at Simpsons Divan.
BLACK (Mr
Blackburne).
WHITE (Mr
Zukertort).
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The Field, London,
1881.07.02
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THE MATCH BETWEEN MESSRS BLACKBURNE AND
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ZUKERTORT.
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THE Third game played at the
St. Georges on Friday, July 1st.There was a slight
inaccuracy in our
preliminary report of last week in reference to the opening. The
turn into the K fianchetto was given by Blackburne as second player on
the second move, but we have nothing to retract as regards the name of
the author of this form of opening, for, as it happens, Paulsen first
introduced
the K fianchetto in the Sicilian, both for the first and also for the
second
player. Black seemed to have a fair game up to the 15th move, when
Blackburne chose an unfavourable plan of developing his K R in order to
bring his K B to the Q side, in lieu of Kt to B 2, which, in our
opinion,
gave him a fair game. Zukertort doubled his rooks in a clever
manner,
and designedly lost a move in accomplishing his object. The result
of his arrangement was that, after the exchange of queens, which was
soon
offered by Blackburne, the latters pieces became hampered, and
were divided
on the two wings, with little chance of co-operation. We believe
that on the 21st move, by playing K Kt to K 2, White would have been
enabled
to confine the adverse pieces still move, which avoided the necessity of
exchanging, and enabled him to pursue the plan of throwing Blacks
pieces
back to his own lines, and preventing the adverse K from crossing
towards
the weakest point in his game, viz., the Q centre, with much required
the
protection of the K. On the 33rd move Zukertort did not choose the
right R for the attack, and this might have made a considerable
difference
if Blackburne had not adopted a clumsy defence, which only left him the
remote prospect of trying fortunes by the sacrifice of a piece.
This
contingency ultimately arose ; and, owing to want of precision on
Whites part, Blackburne seemed to have obtained great relief, and
a fair
chance of drawing. But on the 51st move Zukertort pounced upon him
with a series of checks, beginning with an ingenious one, which enabled
White to keep a well-protected passed P in combination with the piece
ahead,
while Blacks passed pawns on the K side, which Blackburne had
gained in
he meanwhile could be stopped in their progress and fell one by
one.
Blackburne resigned after about seven hours play. |
We take this opportunity of adding to our last
weeks
report, that the first game of the match lasted four hours, and the
second
five hours. |
The Field, London,
1881.07.09
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Zukertort,JH Blackburne,JH
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(3)
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B23/10 |
Sicilian: Closed (Zukertort)
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1881.07.01 |
GBR London (St. Georges Chess
Club)
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Annotations by Wilhelm
Steinitz
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 g6
** |
First introduced by Paulsen in a game against Steinitz in
the London International Tournament of 1862. It also occurs in a
very
fine consultation game played on the same occasion between Kling, St.
Bon,
and Steinitz (White) against Deacon, Medley, and Walker (Black).
Both games are published in Lowenthals Book of the Chess Congress
of 1862;
but the move has since fallen into desuetude. |
3.f4
** |
We prefer reserving this move, as in the fifth game of
the
match. If adopted at once, it should be with the intention of
developing
the knight to f3, and not to e2. |
3...Nc6 4.g3 Bg7 5.Bg2 b6 6.Nge2 Bb7 7.d3 Nh6 8.0-0
f5
** |
A good move, though it allows White to block in the
g7-bishop,
for Black ought to be able to effect its liberation by the advance of
the
d-pawn to d6 sooner or later. |
9.e5 Na5 10.Bxb7 Nxb7 11.d4 cxd4 12.Nxd4 e6 13.Qf3 Qc8
14.Rd1 0-0 15.h3 Rf7
** |
A most awkward development for the rook. 15...Nf7
was the natural move, and he had nothing to fear from the reply
16.g4,
for he would then capture, and White would be bound to retake with the
queen, or else he would lose a pawn by 16...Nxe5, whereupon the knight
might return to a6 with the view of occupying f5. This plan also
gave him facilities of breaking through by ...d6 after due
preparations. |
16.Be3 Bf8 17.Rd3
** |
Finely played. Though he apparently loses a move
and
lets the adverse knight in, he has gained more in position than if he
had
played 17.Rd2 at once, to which Black might have answered 17...Bb4,
while
now the latter move would not be good, as White might answer 18.a3. |
17...Nc5 [?:??-1:00] 18.Rd2 Rb8 19.Rad1 Qb7 20.Qxb7
Rxb7
21.Nf3
** |
21.Nde2 was preferable. It would have obtained the
necessity of exchanging pieces which liberated Blacks bishop and
made
room for the king to come to the rescue. He also then threatened
to attack the adverse knight, which could not then enter at e4 without
a pawn being ultimately lost. |
21...Rg7 22.Bxc5
** |
Black now threatened 22...Ne4, followed by 24...Nf5, and
afterwards by ...Bc5, if White exchanged and then entered at g5 with the
knight. |
22...Bxc5+ 23.Kf1 [1:00-?:??] 23...Kf8 24.a3 Ke8 25.b4
Be7 26.Nb5 Nf7 27.c4 g5 28.Kf2 h6 29.Nd6+ Bxd6 30.exd6 Nd8 31.Nd4 Nc6
[?:??-2:00]
32.Nb3 a6 33.Rc1
** |
Playing the other rook would have left d2 open for the
immediate
action of the knight, which might have been wanted in case Black adopted
a different and better defense. |
33...Kf7
** |
33...Rb8 was the correct move, and, if we mistake not, it
would have been almost sufficient to deter White from the immediate
advance
of the b-pawn, for Black might then bring the knight to b7
viá
d8; and whenever Whites rook entered at c7, the answer ...Kd8
would immediately
threaten ...Nxd6, while Blacks rook had also some good prospects
of being
made available at a8. |
34.b5 axb5 35.cxb5 Na7 36.a4 gxf4
** |
Right enough if done with the view of retreating the rook
to g8, and bringing the same to the queenside; for otherwise White
would
exchange the f-pawn for g-pawn, and then obtain a dangerous passed pawn
on the h-file by h4. |
37.gxf4 Kf6
** |
All with the object of supporting a very inferior
defense. |
38.Rdc2 Rb8
** |
If there was any chance of retrieving the game it was
only
by 38...Rg8, and then ...Rgb8. If White then pursued the plan of
bringing his knight to c4, Black would ultimately defend by ...Nc8,
while
otherwise Black, after returning with the king to e8, would probably be
able to relieve himself by exchanging rooks. The defense actually
adopted leaves him almost no hope. |
39.Rc7 Ra8 40.Nd2 [2:00-?:??]
40...e5
** |
Desperate, but he had nothing better, as White threatened
to occupy e5 with the knight, viá c4 or f3
accordingly. |
41.fxe5+ Ke6 42.Rg1
** |
Good enough, but he might have settled the affair more
quickly
by 42.Nc4, which would win a piece soon, while Black would not obtain a
perpetual check with his two rooks, even if he sacrificed the knight,
for
the white king would be able to make good his escape to the
queenside. |
42...Rxg1 43.Kxg1 Nc8 44.Nc4 h5 45.Kf2 h4 [?:??-3:00]
46.Kf3
** |
Zukertort afterwards pointed out that he ought to have
played
46.Ke3, which brought him nearer to the queenside, with the same option
of occupying f4 if necessary. |
46...Nxd6
** |
What else could he do? His position was too
confined. |
47.exd6
** |
47.Nxb6, followed by 48.Nxd7, in reply to 47...Rb8, would
have left him with an easier game to win; for Blacks h-pawn would
subsequently
fall soon. |
47...Rxa4 48.Nxb6 Ra3+ 49.Kf4 Rxh3 50.Rxd7 Rb3
51.Re7+
** |
The initiation of an ingenious and surprising
maneuver. |
51...Kxd6 52.Nc8+ Kc5 53.Re5+ Kd4 54.Rxf5 h3 55.b6 h2
56.Rh5 Rb1
** |
He could not save the pawn by 56...Rb2, for the answer
57.Kg3
would still prevent the king from crossing; while, whenever the knight
is attacked, the b-pawn would advance, followed by Nd6, and ultimately
Rh8, after getting rid of the pawn. |
57.Rxh2 Kc5 58.Rh7 Rb4+ 59.Ke5 Kb5 60.Kd6 Rb1
[?:??-4:00]
61.Kc7 Ka6 62.Kb8 Rd1 63.b7 1-0.
** |
The Field, London,
1881.07.09
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