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 Gunsberg-Steinitz Match,
World Championship 1890-91
Researched by Nick Pope

PLAYING A DRAWN GAME.
STEINITZ STILL AHEAD OF GUNSBERG.
THE SEVENTEENTH IN THE SERIES FOR THE 
WORLD’S CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP.
:
    The seventeenth chess game in the match between Steinitz and Gunsberg, for the championship of the world, was played yesterday at the Manhattan Chess Club in this city. On account of the bearing which this game would have upon the final issue of the contest, its result was anxiously looked forward to by the spectators who had gathered in the club-house, and no doubt a similar feeling would be experienced by all chess players who are watching the encounter.
    Another Queen’s Gambit was offered yesterday by Steinitz and declined by Gunsberg in a rather novel fashion by Kt-K B 3.  Queens were exchanged at a very early stage, and Steinitz got slightly the advantage.  On the fifteenth and sixteenth moves Steinitz sacrificed two pawns for a Knight with the object of breaking through the defence on the King’s Knight’s row, but the admirable defence set up by Gunsberg frustrated this attempt on the part of the veteran, whose Knight got into a position where it was shut up for some time.
    A study of the moves from the twelfth up to the twenty-sixth, when an adjournment was made, will disclose to the chess-player a series of incidents of a very interesting character. White appeared to have very good chances before him after Black’s twenty-fourth move, but moving rather hastily, he threw them away.  The complicated position at the adjournment after twenty-six moves had been made will be found below. Steinitz sealed his twenty-seventh move, and when play was resumed after the recess Gunsberg found it necessary to deliberate half an hour on his reply.
    Both players had now to move rapidly under time pressure, and several exchanges which followed considerably cleared the field, each player being left with one Rook and a Bishop on opposite colors.  Steinitz had the advantage of two pawns to one, and as one of then [sic] was a passed pawn many of the onlookers thought this might possibly give him the chance of a win.  The majority, however, pronounced it to be a drawn game, and this it resulted after fifty-six moves.
    Altogether the game was one of the finest of the series.  The score is now:  Steinitz 5, Gunsberg 4, drawn 8.
New-York Daily Tribune, 1891.01.18

Steinitz,W — Gunsberg,IA
(17)
D06/01
Queen’s Gambit: Marshall
1891.01.17
USA New York, NY (Manhattan Chess Club)
Annotations by Steinitz
1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nf6
** Not a good way of declining this gambit.
3.cxd5 Nxd5 4.e4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 [0:04-0:06]
** As will be seen, Black gets the worst of the position in consequence of this advance.
6.dxe5
** Stronger than 6.d5.
6...Qxd1+ 7.Kxd1 Ng4 8.Nd5
** White obtains now an attack, which ought to have yielded more profit than it did.
8...Kd7 9.Nh3
** 9.Bf4 Nxf2+ 10.Ke1, followed by 11.Rd1, had its points, but Black, by then bringing out 10...Bc5, would have obtained a defensible game.
9...c6 10.Nc3
** 10.Ne3 was much stronger.
10...Nxe5 [0:41-0:20] 11.f4 Ng4 12.Be2 Ke8 13.Kc2 Bc5 14.f5 Ne3+ 15.Kd3
** The attack here obtained is worth the pawn given up.
15...Nxg2 [0:51-0:33] 16.b4
** This was hardly as good as 16.Na4.
16...Bxb4 17.Rg1 Nh4 18.Rxg7 Ng6
** 18...Nxf5 19.exf5 Bxf5+ 20.Kc4 Bxc3 21.Kxc3 Bxh3 22.Bh5 or 22.Bc4 would have given White an excellent attack, although he was three pawns behind.
19.fxg6 hxg6 20.Ng5 Be7 [1:14-1:00]
** A very fine move, which is extremely difficult to answer.
21.Rh7
** Probably best. If 21.Rxf7 Bxg5 22.Rc7 Na6, etc.
21...Rxh7 22.Nxh7 f6 23.Bf4
** Here 23.e5 at once was much better play.
23...Kf7 24.Rg1 Na6 25.e5
** Inferior to 25.Kc2.
25...Bf5+ [1:43-1:20] 26.Kd2
** 26.Kc4 was now a much better defense.
26...Bb4 (Adjourned) 27.Rg3(Sealed) 27...Nc5 28.Kc1 Ba3+ 29.Kd1 g5 30.Bc4+ Ne6 [2:16-2:20] 31.Nxg5+ fxg5 32.Bxg5 Rg8 33.h4 b5 34.Nxb5
** There was no necessity for this and White could have kept up the pressure by 34.Bb3, threatening Ne2 or Rf3 with a fine attack.
34...cxb5 35.Bxe6+ Kxe6 [2:25-2:25] 36.Rxa3 Kxe5 37.Rxa7 Bd3 38.Kd2 Bf1 39.Kc3 Rc8+ 40.Kb4 Rg8 [2:30-2:40] 41.Ra5 Ke4 42.Ra6 Kf3 43.Rf6+ Kg2 44.Rf5 Be2 45.Be3 Bd3 [2:35-3:05] 46.Rf2+
** 46.Rd5 was much stronger.
46...Kg3 47.Rd2 Rg4+ 48.Kc5 Bc4 49.h5 Kf3 50.Bd4 Rg5+ [2:45-3:13] 51.Kb4 Rxh5 52.a4 Ke4 53.Bc5 Bd3 54.axb5 Rh1 55.Rb2 Kd5 [2:50-3:33] 56.Bf2 Rb1 ½-½.
New-York Daily Tribune, 1891.01.18

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