The fourth game
was played on Thursday. Blackburne, who had the first move,
repeated
the same attack of the Scotch gambit which he had tried on the previous
occasion. Steinitz this time, in the ninth move, adopted the
defence
of P to Q R 3, at once followed suit by Q to K 4 (on the Q Kt attacking
the Q), and afterwards P to Q Kt 4, which shuts out the K Kt from
action.
Blackburne developed his forces rapidly, regardless of the loss of the
piece threatened by Black advancing the P to Q Kt 5, to which he had at
any time a fine answer by Kt to Q 5. Steinitz kept himself
strictly
on the defensive, brought his Q R out of the range of the hostile B, and
developed at last the Q B by P to Q 3, followed by B to Q 2, as he had
nothing to fear from the hostile Q B P. Thus he stood resisting
the
attack which the opponent, who was a P behind, was bound to pursue
energetically.
The storm was at last on the 18th, commenced by Blackburne, who adopted
a ruse de guerre which has been often successfully tried by
Anderssen,
namely, of sacrificing a piece in order to complicate the position at a
point when his opponent was hard up for sufficient time to reflect upon
his moves. Steinitz hit upon a safe defence, which soon reduced
matters
to simplicity, and perceiving an opportunity of offering the exchange of
queens of the 26th move, which the adversary was obliged to accept,
unless
he was willing to submit to a harassing attack with a piece
behind.
After that exchange, Black remained with a clear piece ahead, and even
a weak move made in a hurry could not much hurt his prospects of
winning.
Having recovered time and breath on the 30th move, Steinitz proceeded
after
an hours adjournment to force the
gain of
pawns, and the exchange of one of the rooks, and the superiority of his
forces soon proved too much for Blackburnes
clever and obstinate resistance.
The Field,
London, 1876.02.26
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Blackburne,JH Steinitz,W
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(4)
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C45/04 |
Scotch: Pulling (Horwitz)
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1876.02.24 |
GBR London (West-End Chess
Club)
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Annotations by Blackburne &
Steinitz
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Qh4 5.Nb5 Bb4+ 6.Bd2
Qxe4+ 7.Be2 Kd8 8.0-0 Bxd2 9.Qxd2 a6
** |
This is superior to 9...Nf6,
adopted
by Steinitz at this point in the second game of the match. It has
the effect of blocking the kings
knight for
some time. |
10.N5c3 Qe5 11.Na3 b5
** |
Best at once, but not so much with
the view of attacking the two pieces as with the object of paralysing
the
action of one of the knights. |
12.Bf3 Nge7 13.Rad1 Qf5
** |
It may be observed, that on this
and
the previous moves Black had to avoid the temptation of forking the two
knights by ...b4, as on each occasion White could have obtained a
winning
attack by the reply of Nd5. |
14.Rfe1 Rb8 [?:??-1:00]
15.Qe2
** |
This was a loss of time; he ought
to have played 15.Qe3 at once. |
15...d6 16.Ne4 [1:00-?:??]
16...Bd7
17.Qe3 f6 18.g4 Qg6 19.Nxd6
** |
In match games regulated by time
limit
the expedient is often adopted, to try to confuse the opponent when he
is short of time, by raising complications even at great hazard.
The present incorrect, strictly speaking, sacrifice belongs to that
category.
The defense was extremely ticklish, and, as Steinitz had nearly
exhausted
his second hour, the chances were in favor of his not hitting always
upon
the right move in the course of the vehement attack to which the
sacrifice
gave rise. |
19...cxd6 20.Rxd6 Kc7 21.Bxc6
** |
This exchange gave the most chances
of continuing the pressure of a violent onslaught. Had he played
the 21.Qf4, Black might have replied 21...Ne5; for if 22.Rxe5, the pawn
would retake, attacking the queen. Blackburne informs us that at
the time he sacrificed the knight he contemplated at this point to move
21.Qc5, and, upon the opponent answering 21...Qg5, to leave the queen
en
prise, and take the e-knight with the rook, e.g: 21.Qc5 Qg5 22.Rxe7
Qxc5 23.Rexd7+ Kb6 24.Rxc6+ Qxc6 25.Bxc6 Kxc6 26.Rxg7; but he overlooked
that at this stage Black could force the exchange of rooks, with a
winning
position, by playing either rook to g8. |
21...Nxc6 22.Qg3 Kc8
** |
He could not capture the g-pawn
with
the queen, on account of the reply 23.Rxd7+, winning the
queen. |
23.Red1 Rb7 24.Qg2 Nb8
** |
Better than 24...Ne5, which would
have been of little use for aggressive purposes, while now the knight
affords
additional protection to Blacks
much-exposed
right wing. |
25.R1d4 h5 26.Qd5 Qg5 27.Qxg5 fxg5 28.Rg6 Bxg4 29.Rxg5
Re8 30.Kg2 [2:00-?:??] 30...Rf7 31.h3 Bd7
[?:??-2:00]
32.Kg3 Re2 33.Rxh5 Rexf2 34.Rc5+ Nc6 35.Rd3 Kc7 36.Nb1 Kb6
37.Rcd5
Nb8 38.Nd2
** |
White might have here won the
exchange,
but it would have simplified the position too much, e.g.: 38.Rxd7
Nxd7 39.Rxd7 Rxd7 40.Kxf2 Rd1 41.Nc3 Rd2+, winning easily. |
38...Bc6 39.Ne4
** |
Best. Had he moved the rook
at once, the answer of 39...Rg2+, would have been deadly. |
39...Re2 40.Nc3 Rxc2 41.Rd2 Rxc3+ 42.bxc3 Bxd5 43.Rxd5
Rc7 44.Rd3 Nc6 45.Kf4 Rf7+ 46.Ke4 [3:00-?:??]
46...Rf2
47.a3 Ra2 48.c4 bxc4 49.Rg3 Rd2 50.Rxg7 Rd4+ 51.Kf5 c3
0-1.
** |
There is no means of stopping the
pawn now, excepting at the cost of a clear rook. If 52.Rg2, the answer
is 52...Rd2; and if 53.Rg1 or 53.Rg3, with the intention of afterwards
stopping the pawn accordingly, either by 54.Rc1 or 54.Rc3, Black may
still
advance the pawn to c2, followed by 54...Rd1, for the rook will be lost
after taking the pawn by 55...Nd4+. |
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The Field, London,
1876.02.26
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