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 tenth game was played on Thursday, the 27th inst.  By mutual agreement, play had been put off over the Derby Day, and the tenth meeting of the two masters took place on the Thursday.  Rosenthal had the move, and again played a Ruy Lopex, with the continuation 5. P to Q B 3, already adopted in the fourth game of the match, making however, an alteration in the final placement of the KB, which he retreated to QN3.  Strange to say, Zukertort committed a regular blunder as early as the 8th move, whereby he lost a P, without hope of delaying the ending game, for the opponent was enabled to exchange queens simultaneously.  Rosenthal had then an easy game, and had only to exercise common circumspection to maintain his superiority.  Zukertort’s defence would have been worthy of a better cause, but naturally had only a dilatory effect.  Nothing remarkable occurred until the 28th move, when Rosenthal, by a fine coup, forced an exchange of pawns most favourable to himself, for he drew an adverse isolated P into his own quarter, where it would soon be reached with his K.  Rosenthal then effected an exchange of pawns on the Q side, which left him free on the other wing for approaching with his K the unprotected hostile pawns.  The position at the time of adjournment left Rosenthal with two combined passed pawns ahead - all other pawns being exchanged - and just when Rosenthal was on the point of writing down his move for the purpose of handing it over to the secretary, his opponent announced his resignation.  This makes the score: Zukertort two; Rosenthal one; drawn seven.
The Field, London, 1880.05.29
Rosenthal,S — Zukertort,JH
(10)
C77/08
Spanish: Morphy (Anderssen)
1880.05.27
GBR London
Annotations by Wilhelm Steinitz
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 d6 5.c3 a6 6.Ba4 g6 7.d4 b5 8.Bb3
** In the fourth match game he played 8.Bc2.  This is more immediately aggressive.
8...Bg7
** An extraordinary blunder to make at such an early stage.  He loses now a clear pawn, and must besides submit to the exchange of queens.  Of course, he ought to have taken the d-pawn first with the e-pawn.
9.dxe5 Nxe5
** Nor did he make the best choice in accepting the loss.  It was clearly better to take with the pawn, e.g., 9...dxe5 10.Qxd8+ Nxd8 11.Nxe5 Nxe4 12.Nxf7 (if 12.Bd5, Black answers 12...Bb7) 12...Nxf7 13.Bd5 and, though White will remain a pawn ahead, his position is not so strong as it came out by the move in the text, which leaves Black with the cumbersome weak e-pawn to defend, and with less pieces on the board to make a fight, besides having forfeited the right of castling.  He could, however, not escape the exchange of queens, for, wherever the f6-knight moves, White won by the answer 9.Qd5.
10.Nxe5 dxe5 11.Qxd8+ Kxd8 12.Bxf7 Bb7 13.f3 Ke7 14.Bb3 h6 15.Be3 Rhd8 16.a4 g5 17.axb5 axb5 18.Rxa8 Rxa8 19.Na3 Bc6 20.Kf2 Bf8 21.Nc2 Ke8 22.Nb4 Bb7 [?:??-1:00] 23.Rd1 Be7 24.Nd5 Nxd5 25.Bxd5 c6 26.Be6 Bc8
** The exchanges weaken him, of course; and, though he was much limited in his defensive moves, we should have preferred waiting as long as possible before submitting to, much less offering, a reduction in forces.
27.Bxc8 Rxc8 28.h4
** An excellent move (see diagram).  Black must take, or else, after the exchange of pawns, his g-pawn will become untenable.  The effect of the exchange of pawns is to draw the adverse h-pawn nearer to his own king, and therefore easier within reach of capture in case he succeeded in exchanging rooks.
28...gxh4 29.Bxh6 [1:00-?:??] 29...Kf7 30.Be3 Ke6 31.Ra1 Rg8 32.b4 Rc8 33.Ra6 Kd7 34.Ra7+ Ke6 35.Bc5 Bg5 36.Be3 Be7 37.Ra6 Kd7 38.Kg1
** He hits on the right plan after having lost some moves with his rook.  The king must be brought round on the h-file in order to secure victory.
38...c5
** The game could not have been saved under any circumstances, and this was about as good as anything else, though its immediate effect is to release White from any apprehension respecting the pawns on the queenside, and to allow him to devote his fullest energy to clearing the road on the other wing.
39.Rb6 cxb4 [?:??-2:00] 40.cxb4 Rc3 41.Bh6
** The best move to avoid subsequent molestation.  Wherever else the bishop went, the adverse rook could either harass the king with checks, or attack the bishop.
41...Bxb4 42.Rxb5 Bc5+ 43.Kh2 Bf2 44.Kh3 Bg3 45.Bg5 Rc2
** It was altogether hopeless now, and quite irrelevant what he did.
46.Bxh4 Bxh4 47.Kxh4 Rxg2 48.Rxe5 1-0.
**
The Field, London, 1880.05.29

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