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

    Third game, played at St. George’s Club.—The match was resumed yesterday, at two o’clock, at the rooms of the St. George’s.  Blackburne, as usual, adopted the Sicilian, and Zukertort this time resorted to Paulsen’s treatment of this opening by turning it into the K fianchetto.  Blackburne on his part then played the fianchetto on both wings.  At six o’clock, the time for the adjournment, the game presented the position shown on the subjoined diagram.  It was White’s turn to play on the thirty-third move, and Zukertort had consumed 1h. 45min. of his time allowance ;  while Blackburne’s stop watch showed a consumption of 2h. 16min.  The game was to finished last evening, and the match will be proceeded with to-day (Saturday) at Simpson’s Divan.
BLACK  (Mr  Blackburne).

WHITE  (Mr  Zukertort).
The Field, London, 1881.07.02

THE MATCH BETWEEN MESSRS BLACKBURNE AND
ZUKERTORT.
    THE Third game played at the St. George’s on Friday, July 1st.—There was a slight inaccuracy in our preliminary report of last week in reference to the opening.  The turn into the K fianchetto was given by Blackburne as second player on the second move, but we have nothing to retract as regards the name of the author of this form of opening, for, as it happens, Paulsen first introduced the K fianchetto in the Sicilian, both for the first and also for the second player.  Black seemed to have a fair game up to the 15th move, when Blackburne chose an unfavourable plan of developing his K R in order to bring his K B to the Q side, in lieu of Kt to B 2, which, in our opinion, gave him a fair game.  Zukertort doubled his rooks in a clever manner, and designedly lost a move in accomplishing his object.  The result of his arrangement was that, after the exchange of queens, which was soon offered by Blackburne, the latter’s pieces became hampered, and were divided on the two wings, with little chance of co-operation.  We believe that on the 21st move, by playing K Kt to K 2, White would have been enabled to confine the adverse pieces still move, which avoided the necessity of exchanging, and enabled him to pursue the plan of throwing Black’s pieces back to his own lines, and preventing the adverse K from crossing towards the weakest point in his game, viz., the Q centre, with much required the protection of the K.  On the 33rd move Zukertort did not choose the right R for the attack, and this might have made a considerable difference if Blackburne had not adopted a clumsy defence, which only left him the remote prospect of trying fortunes by the sacrifice of a piece.  This contingency ultimately arose ;  and, owing to want of precision on White’s part, Blackburne seemed to have obtained great relief, and a fair chance of drawing.  But on the 51st move Zukertort pounced upon him with a series of checks, beginning with an ingenious one, which enabled White to keep a well-protected passed P in combination with the piece ahead, while Black’s passed pawns on the K side, which Blackburne had gained in he meanwhile could be stopped in their progress and fell one by one.  Blackburne resigned after about seven hours’ play.
    We take this opportunity of adding to our last week’s report, that the first game of the match lasted four hours, and the second five hours.
The Field, London, 1881.07.09
Zukertort,JH — Blackburne,JH
(3)
B23/10
Sicilian: Closed (Zukertort)
1881.07.01
GBR London (St. George’s Chess Club)
Annotations by Wilhelm Steinitz
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 g6
** First introduced by Paulsen in a game against Steinitz in the London International Tournament of 1862.  It also occurs in a very fine consultation game played on the same occasion between Kling, St. Bon, and Steinitz (White) against Deacon, Medley, and Walker (Black).  Both games are published in Lowenthal’s Book of the Chess Congress of 1862; but the move has since fallen into desuetude.
3.f4
** We prefer reserving this move, as in the fifth game of the match.  If adopted at once, it should be with the intention of developing the knight to f3, and not to e2.
3...Nc6 4.g3 Bg7 5.Bg2 b6 6.Nge2 Bb7 7.d3 Nh6 8.0-0 f5
** A good move, though it allows White to block in the g7-bishop, for Black ought to be able to effect its liberation by the advance of the d-pawn to d6 sooner or later.
9.e5 Na5 10.Bxb7 Nxb7 11.d4 cxd4 12.Nxd4 e6 13.Qf3 Qc8 14.Rd1 0-0 15.h3 Rf7
** A most awkward development for the rook.  15...Nf7 was the natural move, and he had nothing to fear from the reply  16.g4, for he would then capture, and White would be bound to retake with the queen, or else he would lose a pawn by 16...Nxe5, whereupon the knight might return to a6 with the view of occupying f5.  This plan also gave him facilities of breaking through by ...d6 after due preparations.
16.Be3 Bf8 17.Rd3
** Finely played.  Though he apparently loses a move and lets the adverse knight in, he has gained more in position than if he had played 17.Rd2 at once, to which Black might have answered 17...Bb4, while now the latter move would not be good, as White might answer 18.a3.
17...Nc5 [?:??-1:00] 18.Rd2 Rb8 19.Rad1 Qb7 20.Qxb7 Rxb7 21.Nf3
** 21.Nde2 was preferable.  It would have obtained the necessity of exchanging pieces which liberated Black’s bishop and made room for the king to come to the rescue.  He also then threatened to attack the adverse knight, which could not then enter at e4 without a pawn being ultimately lost.
21...Rg7 22.Bxc5
** Black now threatened 22...Ne4, followed by 24...Nf5, and afterwards by ...Bc5, if White exchanged and then entered at g5 with the knight.
22...Bxc5+ 23.Kf1 [1:00-?:??] 23...Kf8 24.a3 Ke8 25.b4 Be7 26.Nb5 Nf7 27.c4 g5 28.Kf2 h6 29.Nd6+ Bxd6 30.exd6 Nd8 31.Nd4 Nc6 [?:??-2:00] 32.Nb3 a6 33.Rc1
** Playing the other rook would have left d2 open for the immediate action of the knight, which might have been wanted in case Black adopted a different and better defense.
33...Kf7
** 33...Rb8 was the correct move, and, if we mistake not, it would have been almost sufficient to deter White from the immediate advance of the b-pawn, for Black might then bring the knight to b7 viá d8; and whenever White’s rook entered at c7, the answer ...Kd8 would immediately threaten ...Nxd6, while Black’s rook had also some good prospects of being made available at a8.
34.b5 axb5 35.cxb5 Na7 36.a4 gxf4
** Right enough if done with the view of retreating the rook to g8, and bringing the same to the queenside; for otherwise White would exchange the f-pawn for g-pawn, and then obtain a dangerous passed pawn on the h-file by h4.
37.gxf4 Kf6
** All with the object of supporting a very inferior defense.
38.Rdc2 Rb8
** If there was any chance of retrieving the game it was only by 38...Rg8, and then ...Rgb8.  If White then pursued the plan of bringing his knight to c4, Black would ultimately defend by ...Nc8, while otherwise Black, after returning with the king to e8, would probably be able to relieve himself by exchanging rooks.  The defense actually adopted leaves him almost no hope.
39.Rc7 Ra8 40.Nd2 [2:00-?:??]
** The winning coup.
40...e5
** Desperate, but he had nothing better, as White threatened to occupy e5 with the knight, viá c4 or f3 accordingly.
41.fxe5+ Ke6 42.Rg1
** Good enough, but he might have settled the affair more quickly by 42.Nc4, which would win a piece soon, while Black would not obtain a perpetual check with his two rooks, even if he sacrificed the knight, for the white king would be able to make good his escape to the queenside.
42...Rxg1 43.Kxg1 Nc8 44.Nc4 h5 45.Kf2 h4 [?:??-3:00] 46.Kf3
** Zukertort afterwards pointed out that he ought to have played 46.Ke3, which brought him nearer to the queenside, with the same option of occupying f4 if necessary.
46...Nxd6
** What else could he do?  His position was too confined.
47.exd6
** 47.Nxb6, followed by 48.Nxd7, in reply to 47...Rb8, would have left him with an easier game to win; for Black’s h-pawn would subsequently fall soon.
47...Rxa4 48.Nxb6 Ra3+ 49.Kf4 Rxh3 50.Rxd7 Rb3 51.Re7+
** The initiation of an ingenious and surprising maneuver.
51...Kxd6 52.Nc8+ Kc5 53.Re5+ Kd4 54.Rxf5 h3 55.b6 h2 56.Rh5 Rb1
** He could not save the pawn by 56...Rb2, for the answer 57.Kg3 would still prevent the king from crossing; while, whenever the knight is attacked, the b-pawn would advance, followed by Nd6, and ultimately Rh8, after getting rid of the pawn.
57.Rxh2 Kc5 58.Rh7 Rb4+ 59.Ke5 Kb5 60.Kd6 Rb1 [?:??-4:00] 61.Kc7 Ka6 62.Kb8 Rd1 63.b7 1-0.
**
The Field, London, 1881.07.09

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