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 Blackburne-Zukertort Match,
London 1881
Researched by Nick Pope

    The eleventh game played on Friday, the 15th inst., at the St. George’s Chess Club. Our report of this game in our last weeks issues was necessarily brief, as it was only finished a short time before our going to press. We have to correct a misstatement in reference to its duration appearing in our last number, owing to a clerical error, for the game only lasted four and a half hours.
    As regards the progress of the game, we notice a feature in the play of the two parties, which is also strongly marked in several previous games of this contest. So long as the placement of the heavy pieces is masked by the movements of pawns, it requires great delicacy of judgment to place especially the rooks, on posts whence they may ultimately be brought into proper action. Though we have never observed it before, we find, from the present and other games of the match, that Blackburne’s play seems to suffer from a peculiar weakness in handling the rooks, and he often shifts then about on different files and rows in a helpless manner. On the other hand, Zukertort posts his rooks generally on squares on which they become soon useful, and rarely changes their position, even for purposes of manœuvring.
    Blackburne’s fatal recapture of the R with the Q on the 21st move seems to have been the result of a miscalculation, in which his opponent had reckoned deeper. Most probably Blackburne had left himself open to the advance of P to Kt 5, and on the misapprehension that he could capture it, and if the opponent took the B he would regain the piece by Q to B 2, after exchanging rooks. If we are right in this assumption, it is quite clear that he overlooked the force of the answer Q to Q sq, which kept the piece. Black’s game was lost after that, though he tried to retrieve his fortunes by some clever schemes, which were, however, frustrated by the adverse deep manœuvres. Notably there was a great deal of meaning in the advance of P to K R 3 on both sides on the 24th move, as will be shown below ; and White’s 32nd move comprised a very ingenious trap, which Blackburne saw through and avoided. Blackburne fought the game out tenaciously on some chance of an error ; but he had to resign when his opponent had placed his K out of all possible danger, and doubly attacked Black’s last passed P on the Q R file, which would leave White with a piece and several pawns ahead.
The Field, London, 1881.07.30
Zukertort,JH — Blackburne,JH
(11)
A13/01
English: Agincourt
1881.07.15
GBR London (St. George’s Chess Club)
Annotations by Wilhelm Steinitz
1.c4 e6 2.e3 Nf6 3.Nf3 b6 4.a3 Bb7 5.Nc3 d5 6.d4 Nbd7 7.b3 
7.b4 would be premature, on account of the reply 7...a5.
7...Bd6 
We think that the f-bishop should be placed at d3 for the attack, and at e7 for the defense. As remarked last week, the respective positions of the bishops were reversed in this game.
8.Bb2 0-0 9.Be2 
He might have gained a move here by 9.b4, which would have compelled the adversary to capture the c-pawn.
9...Re8 
In conjunction with the pursuance of the plan of advancing the e-pawn after exchanging c-pawn for d-pawn, this would be feasible. But his subsequent hesitation to adopt that measure makes the move of the rook useless.
10.0-0 Nf8 
The maneuvering of this knight to the kingside has no object in this opening, where the battle is usually fought on the other wing. Consistent with his previous placement of the rook, he should have taken 10...dxc4, followed by 11...e5.
11.Rc1 c6 
Worse than unnecessary. We fail to see any object in blocking up the bishop.
12.b4 
Promptly getting the best of the position. Black must now capture the c-pawn, which threatens to advance to c5 with a powerful attack on the queenside.
12...dxc4 13.Bxc4 Ng6 14.Bd3 Qe7 
Even now we should have preferred an attempt to open the game by 14...e5. If White then took 15.Bxg6, and drew the rook into the center by subsequent exchanges, it would only lead to an exchange of queens; and Black would suffer no inconvenience from the withdrawal of the adverse c-knight, though it unmasked the bishop. It also prevents f4, for the bishop could now take if that pawn advanced.
15.Ne4 Nxe4 16.Bxe4 Rac8 [?:??-1:00] 17.Qb3 
This is high-class judgment, besides a clever finesse. He spots the weak point on the other side, and prevents the advance of the c-pawn, against which he means to direct his attack. It is obvious that, if Black were now to push the c-pawn, White would exchange bishops first, followed by 19.bxc5, winning a clear pawn.
17...Rf8 18.Ne5 Nxe5 
Which causes him loss of important time.  18...Bxe5, followed by 19...Qc7, was the proper play. If White then protected the e-pawn, without capturing the knight with the bishop, the knight could be brought into good play immediately, viá e7. In the other alternative, bishops of opposite colors remained, with an even game.
19.dxe5 Bb8 20.Rfd1 Rfd8 
This costs a pawn under any circumstances.
21.Rxd8+ Qxd8 
A gross miscalculation apparently. Retaking with the rook would have given up the inevitably lost pawn in a much less dangerous way, and he would have had a fair prospect in playing subsequently for a draw by ...Qd7, followed by ...Qd2 in reply to the rook retreating to f1. The move in the text enables White to fix a passed pawn at c6.
22.b5 
We give a diagram of this most interesting position.
22...Qe8 
In all probability he had previously speculated on now capturing the b-pawn followed by exchanging rooks and ...Qc7. On discovering that White will in that case retain the piece by the ultimate answer Qd1, he injudiciously desists from that course, which, in our opinion, was still the best under the circumstances, e.g.: 22...cxb5 23.Bxb7 Rxc1+ 24.Bxc1 Qc7 25.Qd1 f6 (better than 25...f5 in some contingencies where the king requires room to come out at g6, viá f7) 26.Ba6 Qxe5 27.f4 Qc5, and, with two pawns for the piece, he ought to have been able to make a much better fight for a draw than he did in the actual game, which was hopeless after White’s pawn entered at c6.
23.Qd1 [1:00-?:??] 
Correct and precise. To prevent Black from relieving himself by 23...Rc7, in which case White would still capture the pawn, and Black could not capture thrice on account of the impending mate by Qd8.
23...h6 
23...g6 would have served his object better; for he would then obtain two passed pawns for the piece by ...Rc7, as will be explained in our next note.
24.h3 Rd8 
White’s last move was, we believe, also best against 23...g6 proposed in our last note, and he could then obtain some compensation at this juncture by 24...Rc7, while, as it stands, this plan is not available, as White will ultimately win another pawn, either on the kingside or on the queenside, e.g.: 24...Rc7 25.bxc6 Bxc6 26.Bxc6 Rxc6 27.Rxc6 Qxc6 28.Qd8+ Kh7 (it would make all the difference now if the g-pawn had advanced on the 23rd move, and the king could play to g7) 29.Qxb8 Qc2 30.Bd4 Qc1+ 31.Kh2 Qxa3 32.Qb7 Kg8 33.Qa8+ Kh7 34.Bxb6, and wins easily.
25.Qc2 Bc8 
25...Bc7 or 25...Ba8 would have gained a move which might have been of some importance.
26.bxc6 Bc7 27.f4 a5 28.a4 Ba6 29.Ba3 b5 30.axb5 Bxb5 31.Bd6 Bb6 [?:??-2:00] 
Obviously he could not take twice, for White would advance c7, followed afterwards by Bb7, in case the queen tried to stop the pawn at c8.
32.Qb3 f5 
32...a4 might have led to the following fine variation: 33.Qxb5 Bxe3+ 34.Kh1 Bxc1 35.c7 Rc8 36.Bc6, and wins the queen.
33.Bxf5 a4 34.Qxe6+ Kh8 35.Qxe8+ Rxe8 36.Kf2 g5 37.fxg5 a3 38.c7 Ba6 39.c8Q Bxc8 40.Bxc8 
Black makes the most of his defense, though, owing to the nature of the game, this does not amount to much. It is obvious that White could not retake with the rook, or Black would exchange, and queen his a-pawn without obstacle.
40...a2 41.Bb7 Bc7 
To prolong the fight by 42...Re7, recovering the piece if White takes.
42.Ra1 Rb8 43.Bd5 Rb2+ 
Just on the last chance that the king might retreat to the last row, whereupon the rook would check at b1.
44.Kf3 1-0. 
The Field, London, 1881.07.30

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