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 Queens
Gambit
Declined Gunsbergs 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 yesterdays 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 yesterdays 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 Queens 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 queens 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 Steinitzs treatment was that he did
not
allow his queens 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 queens 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 queens 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 blacks king,
which
threatened to cross over and protect his own Kts P, while
whites 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 whites last move, for blacks rook
had to intercept
whites passed pawn, and then an exchange of whites Q R P for
blacks
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. Gunsbergs 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 Steinitzs
Queens 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 Queens Gambit
Declined. After
the thirteenth move of White Q-Kt 3 it appeared as though White had the
best of it, as Blacks 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 |
Queens 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 Blacks
28th move.-[Pope] |
|
The Sun, New York,
1891.01.04
|
The World, New York,
1891.01.04
|
New-York Daily Tribune,
1891.01.04
|
|
|
Return to Match
Index
|