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

CHAMPIONS PLAY CHESS.
STEINITZ SCORES A FINE GAME.
GUNSBERG BEATEN AT ALL POINTS - HIS OPPONENT SHOWS HIM HOW 
TO DEFEND A RUY LOPEZ.
:
    The result of Tuesday’s game in the match between Steinitz and Gusnberg, which is being played at the rooms of the Manhattan Chess Club, gives the contest at once an increased interest for chess players.  The innovation introduced by Steinitz, coupled with the smart defence which Gunsberg set up, were also important factors in augmenting the interest of the encounter.
    When Gunsberg yesterday, somewhat contrary to general anticipation, made a Ruy Lopez opening, curiosity to see the manner in which he would conduct it was added to the already aroused interest, and just before the adjournment of the afternoon session the moves were being closely followed by a large number of spectators in the club-room where they were being recorded on the big diagram board.  At this time it was readily seen from the position that Gunsberg had a very bad game.  Indeed, on all hands it was confidently declared to be a won game for Steinitz, and in some quarters surprise was expressed that Gunsberg did not resign, instead of allowing the game to be adjourned from 5 till 7 o’clock.  Of course this latter was a prejudging of the case, for it was just possible, though by no means probable, that Gunsberg saw a way out of his difficulties.
    As the result showed, however, it would appear as if he pursued the game in the hope of something good suggesting itself by which he could bring about a draw.  On the resumption of play most of the moves were made rapidly, and almost every move of White that was sent down the bearer was asked if he had yet resigned.
    Dr. F. Mintz, the president of the Tournament and Match Committee, who has control of the match arrangements, desires The Tribune to publish the appended statement which he makes on behalf of the club: “One of the city papers having severly commented upon the exclusion of reporters from the room of play, the officials of the Manhattan Chess Club desire to state that they have arranged for this match for the benefit of the members and the subscribers to the match fund and have granted to the players the sole right of publication of the games.  It must be distinctly understood that neither we nor the members derive any monetary benefit whatever from the affair, and that we have arranged for the contest and subscribed $1,050 for the sole purpose of giving our members an interesting and instructive entertainment.  The nature of the game is such that when played in a comparatively small room we are compelled to exclude reporters from the actual room of play, which in this case is a small one.  We have, however, put up in our large club-room a giant diagram board on which the moves are recorded as they are made, and press representatives are at liberty to enter the club and watch the progress of the game on this board and to write whatever they choose for their respective papers so long as they do not print the scores of the games, which are the absolute property of the players.”
    To deal more fully with the play.  It will be seen that Steinitz played right away in due observance of the principles which he has laid down in his chess works, by defending this opening (the Ruy Lopez) by playing P-Q 3 as his third move.  Gunsberg now followed by taking up one of the leading variations exemplified in Steinitz’s works, viz., 4 P-Q B 3, and anticipating the probability of Gunsberg’s having come prepared with something on this particular line of attack, the “great theorist” at once turned his attention to other tactics that have hitherto remained without analysis and are comparatively new to the chess world.  He adopted a plan of development on his fifth move which was originally introduced in the Sixth American Chess Congress by Martinez.  Gunsberg’s seventh move clearly showed that he was entering into a defence upon the blocking plan, which is frequently adopted by first-class masters, because it sometimes evolves a brilliant game.  According to Steinitz’s theories, however, it compromises the ending. 
    The next few moves saw a development of the King’s side, on the part of Black, in preparation for castling, while an attempt was made by White to work his Kt in at K 3, with the ultimate idea of occupying a strong position at K B 5.  On the tenth move Black entered on a counter demonstration, which may be said to resemble in some respects that of Gunsberg in the first game, attacking the adverse K P with his Kt. After defending here, White took an early opportunity to attack the Kt with his Q Kt P, but then Black’s piece gained strong entrance into the “hole” at Q R 5.  Later Black effected a long prepared breach in the centre by advancing his K B P.  After his seventeenth move, Black proceeded to force the exchange of Q’s, and by clever manipulation of the rooks on the open files he greatly improved his position, and at the adjournment threatened to occupy the strong post at Q 7 with one of his rooks.  After a gallant fight to no purpose, on the part of Gunsberg, Steinitz captured the pawn, and being the exchange ahead, he easily forced a win after forty moves on each side.  Gunsberg deliberated fifteen minutes before he decided to resign.
New-York Daily Tribune, 1890.12.12

CHESS MASTERS MEET AGAIN.
STEINITZ DRAWS FIRST BLOOD IN AN EXCELLENT MANNER.
Gunsberg’s Attack Was Weak and to No Purpose, While the Champion 
Made a Beautiful Defence in the Spanish Game.
:
    When play was resumed yesterday in the championship chess match at the Manhattan Chess Club there was not so large an attendance of members as on the opening day, but as evening drew near the club room began to assume a more animated appearance, and the game provided a fund of interesting points for discussion and comment. 
    Despite the fact that Steinitz for several reasons did not begin the day in a settled frame of mind, it will be seen from the character of the game that this did not militate against his powers of play. Before the opening of the game he entered an opposition to the objection made by Gunsberg, which resulted in the total exclusion of reporters from the room, and ultimately, as the result of his efforts, Gunsberg assented to the admission of one or two special chess reporters, including the representative of THE SUN, on the understanding that they should not write out their reports in the room, which he considers too small for the purpose. 
    By many it was expected that Gunsberg would offer an Evans gambit to his opponent, who, it may be remembered, stated some time ago that he would undertake to play the defence in the Evans’  four times with Gunsberg from a certain position which at that time had been reached in his game with Tschigorin.  Several persons expressed, with some confidence, the opinion that Gunsberg would take up this challenge, if challenge it may be called; but a few moves soon showed the spectators that he had selected the Ruy Lopez.  It is only fair to say, however, that Gunsberg has never been known to play the Evans Gambit in match games.  It is a pity that he did not offer Steinitz a chance to redeem his declared intention, for then we should have had a revival of the old interest which was evinced in the Evans cable game when it was adjourned.  It would really have been like a continuation of the cable fight.  As the game progressed it took little penetration to see that Gunsberg was making a weak development of his pieces and the climax of his bad play wa reached when, on his eighteenth move, he made a blunder which gave his antagonist the advantage of the exchange, and before the adjournment it was equally clear that nothing short of the intervention of a miracle would prevent Steinitz from winning easily. 
    Steinitz played in accordance with the theory laid down in his book - defending the Ruy Lopez by 3...P-Q 3 - whereupon Gunsberg started one of the leading variations from the same work, viz., 4 P-Q B 3, and Steinitz, not knowing whether his opponent had anything of a special nature prepared  in that particular line of attack, immediately adopted other tactics which have not yet been analyzed.  On the fifth move he adopted a plan of development for the K Kt at K 2, which, in a similar position, was first introduced by Martinez of Philadelphia in the sixth American Congress.  On the seventh move Gunsberg’s plan of action was declared, and his defence of P-Q 5 showed that he was playing for the crowding and blocking system, which, according so Steinitz’s theories, somewhat compromised the ending, but us nevertheless often made use of by first-class masters, as it  sometimes leads to brilliant games. 
    During the next few moves black simply developed the king’s side ready for castling, while white tried to manoeuvre his Kt into the centre at K 3 with a view to keeping the strong post at K B 5.  Black on the tenth move entered upon a counter demonstartion in the centre, attacking the adverse  K P with his Kt, and white, after defending, took the earliest opportunity to attack that Kt with his Q Kt P, but black’s pieces then gained strong entrance into the “hole” at Q R 5.  White proceeded with the advance of pawns on the Q side, while black on the fourteenth move effected a long prepared breach in the centre with the advance of his K B P.  After some moves for the development and preparation of an attack by black, who had evidently the pull on both wings, the crisis came on his seventeenth move, which threatened a dangerous exchange that would have allowed black’s Kt to jump in at the “hole” at white’s K B 4. 
    In trying to avoid that white lost the exchange.  After this black proceeded to force the exchange of queens and then to get strong entrance with his rooks, first on the open K B file and afterwards in the Q file. At the time of adjournment, it being white’s twenty-seventh move, which he sealed, black threatened to occupy the strong post at Q 7 with one of his rooks, which seemed to win a pawn. 
    On play being resumed at 7 o’clock black succeeded in capturing the pawn, and being the exchange ahead, it only became a matter of time.  Steinitz pressed the pace and Gunsberg resigned at his forty-first move after taking fifteen minute’s consideration. 
The Sun, New York, 1890.12.12

STEINITZ’S FIRST GAME.
THE ENGLISH CHESS-PLAYER RESIGNS AT FORTY-ONE MOVES.
He Adopted the Ruy Lopez at the Opening of the Second Game 
at the Manhattan Chess Club Rooms - Remarkable Judgment Displayed 
by Mr. Steinitz - Many Spectators.
:
    The undecided result of Tuesday’s battle has apparently whetted the appetite of chess amateurs, as was plainly shown yesterday by the rooms of the Manhattan Chess Club being crowded.  Gunsberg was credited with having achieved a moral victory in the last fray, and so the spectators looked eagerly forward to the events of the day.  The Anglo-Hungarian player, having the move, cautiously adopted a Ruy Lopez, to which his antagonist replied with P-Q3 on his third move.  Mr. Steinitz had this move first adopted against Senor Golmayo and other amateurs in Havana, and has recommended it, together with the continuation B-Q2, both in his books and in analytical notes.  The first player might have transformed, now, the game into a well-known variation of the Philidor defense by playing his pawn to Q4, which is considered by all the authorities as in white’s favor.  He, however, moved contrary to his usual agressive style - P-QB3. Later on he pushed his QP to Q5 and a position ensued similar to what is known as the Hungarian game.  White temporarily was compelled to retire his QKt home but the advanced QP proved subsequently a source of weakness. In the tenth move Mr. Steinitz displayed his remarkable judgment of position by posting his Kt at QB4, which proved to be a thorn in the opponent’s side.
    On the other hand Gunsberg, laboring under the disadvantage of a cramped position, made a few aimless moves which enabled black, by a brilliant stroke, to win the exchange.  On the twenty-sixth move the game was adjourned and, after resumption, white continued the hopless struggle against numerical force up to the fortieth move, when he resigned after nearly four hours’ play.
    The next game will be played next Saturday at 1:30 P.M.
    An erroneous report has been circulated that Mr. Gunsberg objects to the presence of reporters during play.  The representatives of the press are welcome to be at the Manhattan Chess Club all day and to do their work there.  As to their entrance into the players room, Mr. Gunsberg is not only not opposed to it, but will be pleased to see them. 
The World, New York, 1890.12.12

Gunsberg,IA — Steinitz,W
(2)
C62/01
Spanish: Steinitz
1890.12.11
USA New York, NY (Manhattan Chess Club)
Annotations by Gunsberg & Steinitz
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6
** Gunsberg: Steinitz recommends this move as the safest defense to the Ruy Lopez.
Steinitz: A defense that has been little thought of though occasionally tried by old masters.  Recently I gave it as the best in my “Modern Chess Instructor,” but there is still some opposition to it.
4.c3
** Gunsberg: Very tame and not suited to Whites character of play.  4.d4, as remarked above, would have led into a variation of Philidors Knight game, which, with the sole exception of Steinitz, is considered in favor of the first player.
Steinitz: A sort of Giuoco Piano attack which holds good in many variations in this opening.
4...Bd7
** Steinitz: 4...f5 is the answer given in the “Modern Chess Instructor,” but I considered the text move equally good.
5.0-0 Nge7 [0:05-0:05]
** Steinitz: If 5...Nf6 6.d3, etc.
6.d4 Ng6 7.d5
** Gunsberg: Although Black loses ground temporarily, the white queens wing is weakened by this advance.
Steinitz: A question of style, in which I am opposed to many masters.
7...Nb8 [0:15-0:15] 8.Bxd7+ Nxd7 9.Na3
** Gunsberg: This and the next move of the knight are pure loss of time.
Steinitz: 9.c4 followed by 10.Nc3, was, I believe, his best plan.
9...Be7 [0:19-0:19] 10.Nc2 Nc5 [0:19-0:26]
** Gunsberg: Black with tactical sagacity posts his knight where it does the most good.  Although it is self-evident that the subsequent entrance of this piece at c3 via a4 could not be foreseen at the present stage the second player shows his master hand by selecting the best spot available for his avant garde.
Steinitz: This knight is now strongly placed, for, as will be seen, it could not be dislodged without further disadvantage for White.
11.Qe2 Qd7 12.b4
** Gunsberg: This weakens his queens wing.  He had, however, to guard against ...Nf4, which would have forced him to give up his bishop for the knight, as well as against ...Qg4.
Steinitz: 12.b3 was, I think, much preferable.
12...Na4 13.Bd2 0-0 14.c4
** Gunsberg: Very weak.  14.g3 ought to have been played here.  Whites play is far below his usual standard.
14...f5
** Gunsberg: Black presses the attack with his noted vigor and precision.
Steinitz: Having arranged his pieces in battle order, Black proceeds with his attack against the obvious mark in the kings center.
15.exf5 Qxf5 [0:54-0:36] 16.Rac1 Rae8 [0:54-0:58]
** Steinitz: I studied twenty minutes for this move because 16...Nb2 seemed to yield some promise, but on consideration I concluded to make another strong developing move, which was sure to be useful in the end.
17.Nfe1
** Gunsberg: 17.Kh1 was better.
17...Bg5
** Gunsberg: An excellent move.  White cannot afford to take this bishop, as the adverse knight will finally enter at f4.
Steinitz: There is hardly any escape from this that I can see.
18.g3
** Gunsberg: Too late now.
Steinitz: If White had played 18.Bxg5 then 18...Qxg5, followed by 19...Nf4 or 19...e4, accordingly with an irresistible attack.
18...Nc3
** Gunsberg: A brilliant and suprising coup, which crushes Whites game entirely.
19.Bxc3
** Steinitz: Forced.
19...Bxc1 20.Ng2 Qf3 [1:24-1:29] 21.Qxf3 Rxf3 22.Nge3 Bxe3 23.Nxe3 Ref8 24.Kg2 c6
** Steinitz: This is the decisive move that breaks the pawns and gains entrance for Blacks rooks in the adverse camp.
25.Bb2 cxd5 [1:34-1:34] 26.Nxd5 Rd3 (Adjourned)
** Gunsberg: Threatening to win a pawn by ...Rc8.
27.Bc1 (Sealed) 27...b5 28.Ne3 bxc4 29.Nxc4 Rd4 30.Ne3 Rxb4 [2:04-1:34] 31.Rd1 Rb1 32.Ba3 Rxd1 33.Nxd1 Rd8 34.f3 d5 35.Nc3 d4 36.Ne4 Rb8 37.h4 h5 38.Kf2 Rb1 39.Bd6 Rb2+ 40.Ke1 Rxa2 [2:12-1:41] 0-1.
The Sun, New York, 1890.12.12
The World, New York, 1890.12.12
New-York Daily Tribune, 1890.12.12

Return to Match Index

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