Democratic Underground - Steinitz - Chigorin, Havana, 1892

Wilhelm Steinitz became the first world chess champion by defeating Johannes Hermann Zukertort in a match in 1886 which was advertised as being for the "World Championship of Chess." Steinitz was very active in defending his title, successfully fighting off Mikhail Chigorin (twice, in 1889 and 1892) and Isidor Gunsberg (1890) before losing the title to Emanuel Lasker in 1894.

Wilhelm Steinitz
Photo: Wikipedia (Public Domain)

Wilhelm Steinitz - Mikhail Chigorin
Match for the World Title, Round 4
Havana, 5 January 1892

Spanish Petit Royal Game: Gothic Defense (Berlin Defense)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3

More common is 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6. See Istratescu-Breder, Op 0910, Hastings, 2009.12)

4...d6

If 4...Bc5 5.c3 0-0 6.0-0 d6 7.Nbd2 a6 8.Ba4 Ba7 9.h3 Ne7 10.Re1 Ng6 11.Nf1 b5 12.Bb3 Re8 13.Ng3 Bb7 14.Be3 Bxe3 15.fxe3 d5 16.exd5 Bxd5 17.e4 draw (Anand-Kramnik, Tal Mem Blitz, Moscow, 2007).

5.c3 g6 6.Nbd2

If 6.0-0 Bg7 7.Nbd2 0-0 8.Re1 Bd7 9.Nf1 then:

9...Qe8 10.Ng3 Kh8 11.Ba4 Ng8 12.Bc2 Nge7 13.d4 Bg4 14.d5 Nb8 15.h3 Bc8 16.Nh2 gives White a small advantage in space (Langrock-Howell, EU Ch, Liverpool, 2008).
9...Nh5 10.Ba4 transposes to Xie Jun-Ruan Lufei in the note to White's seventh move.

6...Bg7 7.Nf1

7.0-0 0-0 8.Re1 Bd7 9.Nf1 Nh5 10.Ba4 Qe8 11.Bb3 Kh8 12.d4 Bg4 13.d5 Ne7 14.a4 f5 is equal (Xie Jun-Ruan Lufei, Chinese ChT, Wuxi, 2005).

7...0-0 8.Ba4

If 8.Ng3 a6 9.Ba4 b5 10.Bc2 d5 then:

11.0-0 h6 12.h3 Be6 13.Be3 dxe4 14.dxe4 Qxd1 15.Rfxd1 draw (Fedorowicz-Kaidanov, US Ch, Tulsa, 2008).
11.exd5 Nxd5 12.0-0 f5 13.Re1 f4 14.Ne4 gives White the nod defensively since Black can do little but wait for White to break up the center with the advance of the d-pawn (Allies-Schiffers, Consultation game, St. Petersburg, 1895).

8...Nd7!?

If 8...d5 9.Qe2 Qd6 then:

If 10.Bc2!? then:

If 10...b6!? 11.Ng3 then:

If 11...Ba6 12.0-0 dxe4 13.Nxe4 Nxe4 14.Qxe4 Bb7 15.Qh4 Ne7 16.Ng5 h6 17.Ne4 then:

If 17...Qd7?! then after 18.Bxh6! White went on to win (Steinitz-Chigorin, World Ch Match Rd 14, Havana, 1892).
17...Qe6 18.f4 Nf5 19.Qg4 Nd6 20.Qg3 remains equal.

11...d4 12.0-0 Bb7 13.Bg5 Rfd8 14.Rfc1 a5 is equal.

10...d4! 11.Ng3 Rd8 12.Ba4 dxc3 13.bxc3 Bg4 gives Black stronger pawns.

10.Bxc6 bxc6 11.exd5 cxd5 12.Nxe5 Re8 13.d4 leaves White's center immobile.

9.Ne3

The game is equal.

9...Nc5 10.Bc2 Ne6 11.h4 Ne7?

Black's plodding Knight maneuvers in his back ranks are getting him nowhere.
If 11...Nf4 12.g3 Nh5 then:

If 13.Nd5 Bg4 14.Ne3 Be6 15.Ng5 Bd7 remains equal.
13.d4 exd4 14.cxd4 Re8 15.a3 d5 16.e5 f6 gives Black the opportunity to break up White's pawn center.

BLACK: Mikhail Chigorin
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WHITE: Wilhelm Steinitz
Position after 11...Nc6e7

12.h5!

White's attack anticipates the boilerplate assault on the Sicilian Dragon.

12...d5

12...g5 13.Nf5 Nxf5 14.exf5 Nf4 15.g3 Nd5 16.Nxg5 gives Black the advantage on the King's wing.

13.hxg6!

As Fischer said of this kind of maneuver against the Dragon, "Push, push, sac, mate."
Also good is 13.exd5 Nxd5 14.Nxd5 Qxd5 15.hxg6 hxg6 16.Qe2.

13...fxg6 14.exd5 Nxd5 15.Nxd5 Qxd5

BLACK: Mikhail Chigorin
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WHITE: Wilhelm Steinitz
Position after 15...Qd8d5:N

16.Bb3!

White gains time on the Queen and pins the Knight.

16...Qc6 17.Qe2 Bd7

17...Rd8 18.Bh6 e4 19.Qxe4 Qxe4+ 20.dxe4 Bxh6 21.Rxh6 gives White a won game.

18.Be3!?

White is being a little too slow now.
If 18.Nxe5 Qxg2 19.Nxd7 Qxh1+ 20.Kd2 then:

If 20...Kh8 21.Bxe6 Rfe8 22.Ne5 Re7 23.Nf7+ Kg8 24.Ng5+ gives White an embryonic attack on the Black King.
20...Rf4? 21.Bxe6+! Kh8 22.Kc2 Qf3 23.Qxf3 Rxf3 24.Be3 wins.

18...Kh8 19.0-0-0

Before starting the final assault, Black moves his King to safety.
19.Bh6 Rf5 20.Bxg7+ Kxg7 21.Bxe6 Qxe6 22.Qe3 is nowhere near as effective.

19...Rae8 20.Qf1 a5 21.d4!

White has refrained from making this advance until now, when it immediately decides the game.

21...exd4 22.Nxd4 Bxd4

22...Qa6 23.Qxa6 bxa6 24.Nxe6 Bxe6 25.Bxe6 Rxe6 26.Rd7 cleans up Black's queenside pawns.

23.Rxd4!!

White starts the decisive combination by sacrificing the exchange.
23.Bxd4+ Nxd4 24.Rxd4 Re7 25.f3 Rfe8 26.Qf2 leaves White better, but it;'s still a long, grinding road to a win.

23...Nxd4

BLACK: Mikhail Chigorin
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WHITE: Wilhelm Steinitz
Position after 23...Ne6d4:R

24.Rxh7+!!

The sacrifice forces mate.

24...Kxh7 25.Qh1+ Kg7

25...Bh3 would only prolong the game by one whole move.

26.Bh6+ Kf6 27.Qh4+ Ke5 28.Qxd4+ 1-0

If 28...Kf5 then 29.g4#.
Mikhail Ivanovich resigns.

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