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 seventh game, played at the St. George’s, on Monday, the 11th inst.  This game, which was due to be played on the previous Saturday, was adjourned to the above date in consequence of Mr Blackburne having felt indisposed.  By the rules of the match each player is entitled to claim two days’ exemption within eight weeks ; but we understand that Mr Zukertort agreeably consented not to count this postponement ; and thus each player retains his full privilege for two adjournments.
    The usual dull and heavy French defence adopted by Blackburn [sic] led this time to early complications of an interesting character.  The first critical situation arose on the eleventh move, when Zukertort left himself open to his K B P being doubled by taking the Kt.  It has always been one of the most difficult points in this opening to decide when such an exchange may be allowed ; for the player who permits his pawns on the K side to be thus weakened, obtains often a strong attack with his rooks on the open K Kt file, and retains two bishops.  When, however, as was here the case, the Q could already gain early entrance on the K R file, and White would have been forced to block one of the two bishops by the compulsory advance of the K B P, we believe that Black would have had the best of the struggle with his two knights, as he could soon bring over the Q Kt to the K side viá K 2.  Blackburne, however, made a strong preparatory move, whereupon White, of course, withdrew the K Kt to R 4, and soon obtained an attack by the advance of the K B P.  The chief crisis then came on Black’s sixteenth move, when Blackburne, in his usual attacking style, decided on giving up a P in the hope of recovering it with an augmented position.  Mr Blackburne’s anti-drawing inclination makes him one of the most dangerous rivals in tournaments where the draws count half ; but the same characteristic places him at great disadvantage in a single-handed match, more especially when he stands already behind in the score.  In such a case it is most dangerous policy to try to force a win at some hazard, for this amounts actually to giving the large odds of the draw, which, in the opinion of some authorities, is equivalent to pawn and move, while it is clearly the wiser plan for the party who stands at a disadvantage in the score to take such odds for himself by keeping on the defensive, and watching for more positive opportunities of increasing his score.  This is proved by the experience gained from previous great contests, and the famous match between Harrwitz and Lowenthal furnishes an extraordinary example.  The winner of the first eleven games was to be declared victor, and at one time Harrwitz had only won two games, while Lowenthal already scored nine.  The final issue was the almost incredible event that Harrwitz won the match, and, in the opinion of good authorities, his victory was chiefly due to his having mostly adopted purely defensive tactics.  Another most remarkable case in point is the match between Kolisch and Paulsen for the first eleven games up, in which the latter stood at once time with five games against one ahead in the score.  Kolisch then contented himself to draw game after game, occasionally adding a victory, until at last the match was given up as undecided, with the final score of—Paulsen 7, Kolisch 6, and 17 drawn.  However, it should be pointed out that the two above-named contests occurred before the introduction of the time limit, and it is difficult to say how far the modern time restriction would interfere with such defensive tactics, which seem also not to be congenial to Blackburne’s style.
    Under any circumstances, we do not think that Blackburne’s sacrifice of the P was sound, though we do not approve of the mode which his opponent chose for retaining it, and much prefer the process indicated below in our notes.  For, as it happened, Blackburne had an excellent opportunity on the 24th move of fully equalising the game by P to B 4.  He, however, missed that, and later on, on the 29th move, he became still more flurried under the pressure of time limit.  He had then a fine prospect of saving the game by Kt to B 4 ; but, instead of adopting this salvation resource, he actually committed a blunder in retreating the Kt to Kt 4, at the cost of his protective P on the K side.  Blackburne resorted to Kt to B 4 at the wrong time on the 31st move, and his opponent made a good enough answer with Q to R 3, though he could have won the game more elegantly and in a shorter way by B to R 6.  After one more ingenious but futile attempt to retrieve himself on the next move, by leaving the Q en prise and threatening to recover with the check of the Kt at B 7, to which Zukertort gave the proper repartee Black’s defence broke down completely, and the game ended by Zukertort announcing mate in five moves.  Duration four hours and a half.
The Field, London, 1881.07.16
Zukertort,JH — Blackburne,JH
(7)
C01/03
French: Exchange (Svenonius)
1881.07.11
GBR London (St. George’s Chess Club)
Annotations by Wilhelm Steinitz
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.exd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Bd6 6.Bd3 0-0 7.0-0 Nc6
** The best theoretical authorities, including Zukertort, consider this the strongest defensive development at this point.
8.Bg5 Bg4 9.Kh1
** In order to capture the d-pawn without remaining subjected to the answer of ...Bxh2+.
9...Be7 10.Be3
** White has obtained a change of post for his bishop, which, in the opinion of Zukertort, is of some importance for his development.
10...Qd7 11.Qd2
** Questionable.
11...Bd6
** For we think that Black’s having developed the queen at d7 makes a material difference in enabling him now to capture the knight with advantage (see introduction). The game might then have proceeded thus: 11...Bxf3 12.gxf3 Qh3 13.Be2 Bd6 14.f4 Ne7 15.Rg1 Nf5 with a good game.
12.Nh4
** The knight was bound to remove now, and this was the best plan, in order to avoid an offer of exchange by 12...Bf5.
12...Rae8 13.f3 Be6
** 13...Qd8, though tempting, would have been bad, e.g.: 13...Qd8 14.fxg4 Ne4 (if 14...Nxg4, the answer is 15.Nf5) 15.Nxe4 dxe4 (if 15...Qxh4, the answer is obviously 16.Nxd6) 16.Bg5, and wins; for, in reply to 16...f6, he first checks with 17.Bc4+.
14.f4 Qd8 15.Nf3 Bb4 16.f5 Ne4
** See introduction. 16...Bc8 was the proper play. If White then pinned the knight by 17.Bg5, he could reply 17...Be7; and, though his position would have become cramped, it apparently only called for exercise of patience, and he had nothing in reality to fear.
17.Bxe4 dxe4 [?:??-1:00] 18.fxe6 exf3 19.exf7+ Rxf7 20.Rxf3 Rd7
** Exchanging rooks, followed by ...Bxc3, and afterwards ...Qd5, would have afforded him no compensation for the pawn lost, for White would retake the knight with the queen, followed by Bg1, and he would have ample time for advancing the a-pawn, and then protecting his f-pawn with the rook, if necessary, when doubly attacked.
21.Rf4 [1:00-?:??]
** An awkward sort of defense, which should only have led to an even game while we believe that the advantage gained could have been better secured by 21.Bg1, e.g.: 21.Bg1 Ne5 (This seems best; if 21...Nxd4 the answer is 22.Rd3, followed by Rd1; and, though Black will in the meanwhile protect the knight by ...c5, he will not gain sufficient time to extricate both the e8-rook and the queen from the pinning action of the adverse pieces, and White will ultimately win by the advance of the a-pawn, followed by b4, and ultimately Nb5) 22.Rh3 c5 (best; if 22...Nc4, of course White wins by 23.Qd3 threatening Qxh7+) 23.a3 Ba5 (This seems best; though it apparently loses time, for he gains his object of compelling the adverse d-pawn to advance and loosen it from its pawn support. 23...cxd4 is obviously inferior; and, if 23...Bxc3, the pawn retakes and White then threatens to remove the queen to e2, which will have the effect of compelling Black either to exchange pawns, or else to abandon another pawn on the c-file. White, in the latter case, ought to be able to bring his two pawns ahead to account in the ending, albeit, their being trebled on one file) 24.d5 Bxc3 25.Qxc3 b6 26.Re3, and Black dare not capture the d-pawn, or White will bring the other rook at e1, and afterwards the bishop to bear upon the knight.
21...Ne7 22.Qd3 Bxc3 23.bxc3 Nd5 24.Rf3 Rde7
** 24...c5 was now the correct move to equalize the game, for we cannot see how White could keep any advantage after that.  25.Qc4 would be bad in reply, as Black could attack the queen by 25...b5.  If 25.Rd1, Black could also reply 25...b5; and, if 25.Bf2, the knight would retreat to b6, followed by ...c5; and, subsequently, as soon as Black’s c-pawn is unattacked or sufficiently protected, the knight would gain an unassailable position at d5, which, in combination with the pressure of the knight against the adverse front c-pawn, would make the game quite even.
25.Bd2 Qd6 26.Raf1 Nf6 27.Bf4 Qd5 28.Be5 Ne4 29.Rf4
** 29.Rf5 at once would have compelled the advance of 29...g6, which would have apparently weakened Black’s position on the kingside.  But on the other hand it would give Black opportunities of reaching g7 with his knight via e6, after resorting to ...Nc5, which he had always at his disposal, even if his own queen were in the meanwhile to be attacked by c4.
29...Ng5
** A flagrant error which loses his most important pawn, and disintegrates his position on the kingside.  29...Nc5 would have enabled him to make a good fight for a draw, whether White offered the exchange of queens at f3 or not.
30.Rf5
** Promptly taking advantage. After this Black’s game becomes hopeless.
30...Ne6 [?:??-2:00] 31.Bxg7 Nc5
** Much too late now.  White was not likely to submit to the exchange of queens.
32.Qh3
** This wins no doubt, but 32.Bh6 threatening mate with the doubled rooks, and also 33.Qg3+, was more precise, and finer style. We give a diagram of the position.
32...Ne4
** Just on the chance that White would take the queen at once which led to mere exchange by the answer 33...Nf2+.
33.Be5 Rxe5 (# in 5), 1-0.
** Commencing with 34.Qg4+.  The knight must then interpose, and the queen takes, followed by 36.Rf8+.
The Field, London, 1881.07.16

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