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 MATCH BETWEEN MESSRS ROSENTHAL AND ZUKERTORT.
    THE 15th game was played on Saturday, the 12th inst. The finest game of the match, and really one of the finest actual ending games on record, ensued this time from a close opening adopted by Zukertort. As in the 11th game, Kt to K B 3 was his first move, and the struggle developed itself on both sides on the principles on which the 9th and 11th games were conducted. Some alterations occurred in the order of moves, which were treated in the routine style by the first player, who pursued the usual course, while we believe White could have obtained a strong array of pawns on the Q side as early as the 5th move, by P to B 5, after Black had brought out the B to Q 3 untimely, thus allowing the advance of the hostile P, with the gain of a move for the opponent. White’s attack on the Q side soon assumed the threatening aspect usually obtained in this opening, and Black ought to have sought compensation by breaking through on the other wing, but missed this opportunity on the 14th move, when we believe he could have advanced the K P with advantage. Again, on the 19th move, Rosenthal, much to his own disadvantage, altered the course he had adopted in the 9th game, and captured the advancing hostile Q Kt P, thus opening the Q R file, of which the opponent could retain full possession. Black had then already the inferior game ; but his best chance of fighting for a draw consisted in capturing the Kt P too, instead of which Rosenthal allowed the latter to advance, and to block up the black K B completely. Zukertort had thus planted a forest of pawns from K 3 up to Kt 6, indestructible for the enemy, and covering the movements of his own pieces, for which he had retained freedom of action, and sufficient access on the Q side for a final break through. Rosenthal apparently did not suspect his insecurity in that quarter, and his movements were of a waiting nature, while his opponent executed a series of masterly manœuvres with the object of being enabled to exercise a pressure alternately on either wing. Rosenthal’s 25th move was faulty, and certainly assisted the adverse design. Later on, Black might have blocked the K side in order to concentrate his attention on the defence of the other wing. But we allowed the advance of the hostile K R P to R 5, which Zukertort accomplished by a well-calculated system of moves of hs R for gaining time. Rosenthal was then reduced to a mere spectator of what the opponent was going to do, and made several moves with his R and Q of an insignificant character, altering the squares on which he posted the two pieces evidently only for the purpose of avoiding flagrant repetition moves. A curious question might have here arisen if Rosenthal’s choice of squares had been more limited. He would have been deprived of the benefit of the repetition moves for the time limit after the third occasion, and the opponent, besides being able to claim a draw, could slowly prepare the attack in hand, altering the course at his own convenience, and might ultimately speculate on the enormous advantage of time pressure in framing the final assault. This would have been a great hardship in the present case, and appears quite unjust on principles. We think that the rule in future should be altered to the effect that competent umpires should decide whether the repetition moves are compulsory or not. The plot thickened from White’s 26th move up to his 36th move, and it became evident in the meanwhile that Zukertort aimed at the exchange of queens, and to manœuvre his K to the other side in support of an ultimate attack on the root of Black’s position, the Q Kt P. When the plan was fully divulged on the 45th move, at which point Zukertort offered a beautiful sacrifice of the K B, the scheme had been prepared with the utmost exactitude in the position of White’s pieces, and Black could find no means of escape on either wing. His movements with the B to gain the K Kt P came too late, and Zukertort increased the advantage obtained on the Q side with a beautiful sacrifice of the exchange, which gave him a well-supported passed P. A few elegant and vigorously executed manœuvres with his K and the two bishops ended in the gain of a clear piece, and ultimately White had also a passed B P which could go straight to queen, whereupon Rosenthal resigned. Duration, six hours.
The Field, London, 1880.06.19
Zukertort,JH — Rosenthal,S
(15)
D06/01
Queen’s Gambit: Grau
1880.06.12
GBR London
Annotations by Wilhelm Steinitz
1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Bf5 3.e3 e6 4.c4 Nf6 5.a3
** The position is only slightly altered from the eleventh game of the match; and we cannot therefore alter our opinion that this is loss of time.
5...Bd6
** Wrong, we have no doubt. Even in close game he cannot afford to lose moves so early.
6.Nc3
** It was quite good enough to advance 6.c5 at once, followed by 7.b4. However much Black might have struggled to break the pawns by ...b6 and ...a5, he could never get rid of the phalanx, if White only brought out the bishop to b2, and Blacks game was badly blocked at once.
6...c6 7.b4 a6 8.Bb2 Nbd7 9.Be2 Ne4 10.Nxe4 Bxe4 11.c5 Bc7 12.0-0 0-0
** He could have equalized the game now by 12...Bxf3, followed by 13...e5. White could then hardly allow the e-pawn to advance further, as the opponent, who had not yet castled on the same side, would obtain afterwards the usual sort of attack, viz., ...Qh4, and the subsequent pushing of the pawns on the kingside.
13.Nd2 Bg6 14.a4 Nf6
** At any risk, we should have preferred attempting a diversion in the center by 14...e5 at this point. The game might then have proceeded thus: 14...e5 15.dxe5 Nxe5 16.f4 Nd3 17.Bc3 d4, and whether pawn or bishop takes, the answer would be 18...Nxf4, with a good game.
15.f3 Qb8
** A good move, which forces White to submit to a weak pint at e3.
16.f4 Ne4
** But now he could have better utilized his previous maneuver. He should have advanced 16...b5, and either he would soon create a block on the most vulnerable queens wing, or else obtain a good attack for himself, e.g.: 16...b5 17.cxb6 Qxb6 18.a5 (if 18.Qb3, Black would again attack by 18...Rab8, followed by 19...a5) 18...Qxb4 19.Ba3 Qc3 20.Bxf8 Qxe3+ 21.Kh1 Kxf8, winning another pawn for the exchange, with an excellent game.
17.Nxe4 Bxe4 18.Qd2 Qd8 19.b5 axb5
** Bad. As in the ninth game, he ought never to have taken, but should have moved  19...Qd7 at once.
20.axb5 Qd7
** Worse. Once he had captured, he was bound to exchange both pawns, and not to allow himself to be blocked in altogether. Under any circumstances, if he intended to allow the hostile advance, he should have moved 20...Qe7 at once, which saved him the trouble of gaining that post on the 23rd move.
21.b6 Rxa1 22.Rxa1 Bb8 23.Bc3 Qe7 24.Qb2
** This maneuver prevents the hostile plan of breaking through in the center with ...f6; for, even should Black support this attack once more by 24...Re8, White may keep him engaged by the answer 25.Ra8.
24...h6
** Some bolder course was now imperative. He ought to have advanced 24...g5; for White could not take without losing an important pawn. Black would, therefore, open the g-file, followed by ...Kh8 and ...Rg8 with some attack on the kingside as a set-off for his cramped position on the other wing.
25.Be1 Kh7 26.Bg3 f5 [?:??-1:00]
** Very feeble. He not alone blocks up his other bishop, but deprives himself of all chance of liberating himself in the center.  26...f6 was the right move, and would have kept most of Whites pieces engaged to prevent the advance of ...e5.
27.Bf1 Rg8 28.Qf2 [1:00-?:??] 28...Rf8 29.Be2 Rg8 30.Ra8 Rf8 31.Ra3
** The last two moves of the rook were superfluous. He might have advanced the h-pawn at once.
31...Rg8 32.h4 Qf7 33.Ra1
** But this time there is a great finesse in the movement of the rook. He wishes either the hostile rook or queen from their present respective positions, in order to advance the h-pawn, and then to be enabled to take with the f-pawn in case Black replied ...g5. At present he would be in danger if he pursued that plan—e.g.: 33.h5 g5 34.fxg5 Bxg3 35.g6+ Rxg6 36.hxg6+ Qxg6, threatening ...Qg5 and ...Qh4, with a winning attack.
33...Qe7
** See our opening remarks. We should have advanced 33...h5, blocking the kingside afterwards by ...g6, and he had then a fair prospect of drawing.
34.h5 Qf7 35.Bh4 Re8 36.Qg3
** An excellent move. After this Blacks game may be regarded as lost.
36...Rg8 [?:??-2:00] 37.Ra8 Re8
** He is hampered in every direction. It would have been useless to attempt  37...g5, for White could take  38.hxg6+; and if  38...Rxg6, he would give up the queen by 39.Rxb8. The b-pawn was bound to fall ultimately by Rc8 and Rc7, even if the queen kept defending it, and then the passed pawn would win. It is also plain that if 36...Bxf4, White would win a piece by the answer 37.Qg6+.
38.Kf2 Kg8
** White makes it somewhat easier for the opponent, who intended to exchange queens, having prepared a brilliant winning maneuver on the other wing.
39.Qg6 Qxg6 40.hxg6 Kf8 41.g3 Rc8 42.Ke1 Ke8 43.Kd2 Bg2
** Had he played 43...Kd7 the game might have proceeded thus: 43...Kd7 44.Bh5 Rf8 45.Bf6 gxf6 (if 45...Bd6 White may reply 46.Ra7) 46.g7 Rg8 47.Bf7 Rxg7 48.Rxb8, and wins, for Black dare not take the bishop, or else White takes 49.Rxb7+, and exchanges rooks, going afterwards to queen without hindrance.
44.Kc3 Bh3 45.Ba6
** A master coup, which decides the game. We give a diagram of the position:
45...Kd7
** He could not hope for the least relief by sacrificing the exchange—e.g.: 45...bxa6 46.b7 Kd7 47.bxc8Q+ Kxc8 48.Bf6 Kb7 49.Rxb8+ Kxb8 50.Bxg7, followed by 51...Be5+, and wins.
46.Bxb7 Re8 47.Kb4 [2:00-?:??] 47...Bg4 48.Ka5 Bh5 49.Ba6 Bxg6 [?:??-3:00] 50.Ra7+
** All this is in splendid style.
50...Bxa7 51.bxa7 Kc7 52.Be7
** Finis. After this fine stroke winning becomes a matter of course.
52...Ra8 53.Bd6+ Kd8 54.Kb6 Be8 55.Bb7 Rxa7 56.Kxa7 g5 57.Kb6 g4 58.Bxc6 Bf7 59.Bb5 1-0.
**
The Field, London, 1880.06.19

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