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-Steinitz Match,
London 1876
Researched by Nick Pope

    Saturday’s game was opened by Steinitz with the Vienna opening.  Blackburne defended on the second move by K Kt to B 3, and then on the fourth move introduced the novelty of K B to Q Kt 5, followed by the sacrifice of the K Kt, which gave him a fearful counter-attack. Steinitz, being thus early put on the defensive, conducted his game on the principle which prevails in the gambit named after him, namely, of marching out with his king to the front as far as possible, and then to endeavour to exchange queens, when, having brought his king towards the middle of the board, and therefore more favourably placed for the end game.  Mr Blackburne, by a fine manoeuvre, took the first opportunity of driving the hostile king back, and then offered to exchange queens, which offer, if accepted, would have probably led to a draw.  Steinitz immediately changed tactics, refused the exchange, and entered for a hard tussle of the middle game.  Blackburne soon gave up a pawn in order to free his game a little, and after that Steinitz slowly gained ground, until it came to a general break-up of Black’s game on the 26th move, whereby Steinitz gained two pawns, and had afterwards easy work to win the game.
The Field, London, 1876.03.04
Steinitz,W — Blackburne,JH
(5)
C29/01
Vienna Gambit: Steinitz (Blackburne)
1876.02.26
GBR London (West-End Chess Club)
Annotations by Blackburne & Steinitz
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4 d5 4.d3 Bb4
** This rarely adopted variation transfers to the second player the attack, which is, however, a short-lived one if properly defended.
5.fxe5 Nxe4
** This sacrifice of the knight is a novel introduction.  5...d4 is generally preferred at this point, and is usually continued thus: 5...d4 6.exf6 dxc3 7.b3 Qxf6 8.Nf3 Bg4 9.Be2 Nc6 etc., and most practitioners pronounce the game even.
6.dxe4 Qh4+ 7.Ke2 Bxc3 8.bxc3 Bg4+ 9.Nf3 dxe4 10.Qd4
** The saving clause which redeems Whites game, and leaves the opponent no option but to lose a move with the only piece he has got in play besides his queen.
10...Bh5
** Black would have lost a piece if he had taken the knight with the pawn checking, for White would have simply retaken with the pawn, and Black would have been compelled to sacrifice the pinned bishop for the adverse f-pawn, and then Whites king would have easily reached a safe goal after a few checks from the opponent.
11.Ke3
** A number of ingenious traps were laid for White by Blacks last move.  Had he now moved 11.Kd2, the reply would have been 11...Qg4; and if White attacked the queen by 12.h3, Black would have checked with the queen at f4, followed by 13...Qg3+, if 13.Ke1 or, in the other alternative, if 13.Kd1, he would have won, by 13...exf3, followed by 14...fxg2+, in answer to 14.Bxf4 etc.  Again, if White now moved 11.Kd1 at once, Black might have sacrificed the queen by 11...exf3; for, if 12.Qxh4 in reply, he could also proceed to leave the bishop en prise by 12...fxg2+, winning the rook and making a new queen.
11...Bxf3 12.Bb5+
** The only move to prevent an immediate draw, which Black would have obtained by checking backwards and forwards with the queen at e1 and h4, if White had captured the bishop at once with the pawn.  White wished to avoid that contingency, relying upon his king getting into the middle of the board, ready to support the pawns of both wings, if he succeeded in exchanging queens, which would be more favorable to him in the endgame.
12...c6 13.gxf3 cxb5 14.Qxe4 Qh6+
** Much superior to exchanging queens at once, whereupon White would have retaken with the king.  Whites king is now driven more to the rear and the exchange can be afforded more conveniently on the next move.  If White in reply move 15.f4, Black would obtain a good game by 15...Nc6.
15.Kf2 [1:00-?:??] 15...Qc6 16.Qd4 Na6
** Black chose this mode of development for the knight with the object of getting rid of the hostile bishop as early as possible.  16...Nd7 would have led to various complications of a character which must have made Blacks game exceedingly difficult, for White would have replied 17.Rg1 attacking the g-pawn, which could not be defended by 17...g6 or 17...0-0, on account of the rejoinder 18.e6.
17.Ba3 b4 [?:??-1:00]
** Black could not afford to allow the bishop to be planted at d6, and the sacrifice of the pawn was quite judicious under the circumstances that Whites material advantage consisted afterwards in a doubled pawn.
18.Bxb4 Nxb4 19.Qxb4 Rc8 20.Rab1 b6
** Taking the c-pawn would have led to an exchange disadvantageous to Black, e.g.: 20...Qxc3 21.Qxc3 Rxc3 22.Rxb7 Rxc2+ 23.Ke3, and wins the a-pawn.
21.Rb3 Rd8 22.Re1 Rd5 23.Re4 Qh6
** The counter attack looked promising at first sight; but 23...Rc5, with the object of castling, was in reality safer play.  Whites best reply was then to challenge the exchange of queens by 24.Qa4, and he would have still retained the best of the game, but his chances of winning must have been considerably diminished in that case.
24.h4 g5
** “A desperate sortie, which involves the exposure of the K to a strong attack by Whites forcible reply.  Q to B 8 offered better chances of recovering ground, though White would even then have kept the attack in hand by Q to R 4, ch. followed either by Q takes R P, or by R to Kt 4, according to Blacks reply.”
25.e6 fxe6
** Black had nothing better, for White threatened an extremely harassing check at a4.
26.Qa4+ Ke7
** Again the only move.  Had he interposed the rook, White would have won as follows, supposing-26...Rd7 27.Rd4 Qg7 28.Rxb6 axb6 29.Qa8+ Ke7 30.Rxd7+ Kf6 (best; for if 30...Kxd7, White wins the queen by 31.Qa7+) 31.hxg5+, and wins; for if 31...Kf5, White would reply 32.Qe4+.
27.Qxa7+ Rd7 28.Qxb6 Rc8 [?:??-2:00] 29.Qe3 Kf7 30.Rb5 Rcd8 31.Rxg5 Rd2+ 32.Kg3 R2d6 33.Rf4+ [2:00-?:??]
** The following note leads me to suspect that Black’s 32nd move is actually 32...Rd1 (R-Q8 vs R-Q3 in descriptive).  If this is the case then the note dealing with the exchange of two rooks for queen begins to make sense (R to B 4, ch. being Rf5+ so the pawn can capture on f5!-[Pope]
“Here White missed the shortest way of winning the game right off.  He ought to have doubled the rooks by moving the same rook to K Kt 4, threatening Q to B 4, ch. followed by R to Kt 7, ch.  He might have also won here two rooks for the Q by R to B 4, ch.  Black had then nothing better than to capture the R with the P, for if he attempted to support the Q by K to Kt 3, R to B 6, ch. followed.  But the latter mode of play left, however, the chances of long protracted and perhaps complicated fight open, and the line of play in the text had therefore the preference of greater simplicity, though it was not as prompt and decisive as our first suggestion.”
33...Ke7 34.Qe5
** There was only one answer to this, and that was the one actually made.
34...Rd5 35.Rg7+ Ke8 36.Qf6
** 36.Qc7 would have been of no use, for Black would have replied with 36...R8d7.  The move in text forces the exchange, and leaves Black no game to fight with.
36...Qxf6 37.Rxf6 R8d6 38.Rxh7 Rc5 39.Rg6 Kf8 40.h5 Rdd5 41.Rxe6 Rxh5 42.Rxh5 Rxh5 43.a4 Rc5 44.Re3 Rc4 45.Kf2 Kf7 46.Ke2 Kf6 47.Kd3 Rxa4 48.c4 Ra1 49.c5 Ra4 50.Re4 Ra1 51.Kc4 Ra4+ 52.Kd5 Ra3 53.c6 1-0.
The Field, London, 1876.03.04

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