By October Steinitz had become involved in a number of spats that tried the nerves of even his supporters to the point that he returned to the US where he spent the rest of his life.
In January of 1885 he began publishing the International Chess Magazine which became very popular. One of the attributes was the manner in which he spewed out venomous content against his detractors.
Steinitz retained his world championship title after defeating Russia's Mikhail Chigorin in a match in 1889. After his loss Chigorin published analysis in which he claimed two of Steinitz' opening lines were actually dead losses and even put up $1,000 to play two correspondence games to prove his point.
Steinitz finally took up the challenge, but apparently couldn't raise the $1,000 so they ended up playing for $750. Both games were played simultaneously with the moves being transmitted by telegraph at the same time.
By the end of the 19th century, British, French, German, and American-owned cables linked Europe and North America in a sophisticated web.
Each played was allowed 48 hours reflection time and they were allowed to consult with other players. They were allowed six timeouts of 2-3 days. Steinitz was playing in New York City and Chigorin in St. Petersburg, Russia.
The match began on October 13, 1890 and the referee was philanthropist and chess patron Isaac Rice.
At the beginning of the match, Steinitz told a reporter, "I am guided by the position judgment in the main, and generally do not proceed with the examination of details until after my opponent has actually made his move. You see, I am an old master of the young school and Chigorin is a young master of the old school. If I don’t commit an error, I fancy I shall win both games because I have a pawn to the good in either and according to the principles I laid down, I must win."
Steinitz was wrong and on April 28, 1891 he resigned both games.
Garry Kasparov analyzed the Evans Gambit game in My Great Predecessors, but not the Two Knights Defense which is the featured game in this post. Steinitz' innovation was 9.Nh3 and in 1963 Bobby Fischer resurrected it against Arthur Bisguier in the New York State Open Championship.
Wilhelm Steinitz - Mikhail Chigorin
Result: 0-1
Site: Telegraph match
Date: 1890
Two Knights Defense
[...] 1.e4 e5 2.♘f3 ♘c6 3.♗c4 ♘f6 In his day Steinitz considered this to be an unsound line. 4.♘g5 A duffer's move said Tarrasch and the Soviet master Panov considered it primitive. Fischer claimed that there is no other way for white to try for an advantage. 4...d5 5.exd5 Black has a couple of interesting possibilities here. 5...♘a5
6.♗b5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.♗e2 h6 9.♘h3 Apparently because of Steinitz' loss in this game this move was not to be seen again in GM chess until Bobby Fischer played it against Arthur Bisguier in 1963. 9...♗c5 As can be seen from the Fischer-Bisguier game ...Bxh3 is not to be feared by white.
20...♕xd4 White could resign here except that it would be too embarrassing! 21.♔f1 Apparently Steinitz though he had a decent position here although Komodo's evaluation puts him at about -1.75 Ps. Steinitz explained that the text is better than 21.a3 because he is luring Chigorn's center forward and thereby making it easier to attack. Bizarre! 21...f3 22.gxf3 exf3 23.♗xf3 ♗f5 Also good was 23...Nxc4 24.♘e4 Chigorin now rightly decides to part with his Q in order to get three very active pieces. 24...♗xe4 Excellent!
5...b5 Fischer considered this old move of Olaf Ulvestad unsound, but in my database it gives black considerable success. 6.♗f1 This is the most often seen move.
6.♗xb5 is vary rarely seen, but it looks OK for white after 6...♕xd5 7.♗xc6+ ♕xc6 8.O-O ♗b7 9.♕f3 ♕xf3 10.♘xf3 e4 (10...♗xf3 11.gxf3 is about equal.) 11.♘e5 ♗c5 black is well developed, but white's position has no weaknesses.
6...♘d4 is not good. 7.c3 ♘xd5 8.cxd4 ♕xg5 9.♗xb5+ white is better. 5...♘xd5 6.d4 This is a solid reply that should leave white with a slight advantage.
6.♘xf7 This is the Fried Liver (or the Fegatello Attack, an Italian term which means dead as a piece of meat). 6...♔xf7 7.♕f3+ ♔e6 white has good prospects.
6...♘xd4 7.c3 b5 8.♗d3 h6 9.♘xf7 ♔xf7 10.cxd4 exd4 11.O-O White is better 9...♗d6 was suggested by Steinitz and Fischer thought it worth considering. 10.d4 Chigorin's move. 10...e4 Fischer's move. 11.♘f4 It appears that the immediate 11.O-O is also playable. 11...O-O 12.O-O ♕c7 13.g3 and the chances are even.
10.d3 Best according to Fischer.
10.O-O This move was played by Steinitz in his 1892 match with Chigorin. Steinitz gave Fischer many opening ideas which he managed to use to great effect, but in this game Bisguier wasn't impressed and succeeded in getting a strong initiative only to miss several good opportunities later. 10...O-O 11.d3 ♗xh3 12.gxh3 ♕d7 13.♗f3 ♕xh3 14.♘d2 ♖ad8 15.♗g2 ♕f5 16.♕e1 ♖fe8 17.♘e4 ♗b6 18.♘xf6+ ♕xf6 19.♔h1 c5 20.♕c3 ♘c6 21.f4 ♘d4 22.♕c4 ♕g6 23.c3 ♘f5 24.fxe5 ♖xe5 25.♗f4 ♖e2 26.♗e4 ♖xb2 27.♗e5 ♖e8 28.♖xf5 ♖xe5 29.♖xe5 1-0 Robert J. Fischer-Arthur Bisguier/Poughkeepsie, NY 1963
10...O-O 11.♘c3 ♘d5
11...♘b7 is also feasible. 12.O-O ♘d5 13.♗f3 ♗b6 14.♕e2 ♖e8 Chandler,M (2585) -Speelman,J (2615)/Hastings 1989
12.♘a4 This is questionable as black now gets the initiative.
12.♗d2 ♗xh3 13.gxh3 ♕h4 Here white should castle when the chances would be equal. Instead he commits a slight inaccuracy. 14.♘e4 ♗b6 15.O-O f5 16.♘c3 ♖ad8 Praczukowski,S (2091)-Prydun,A (2097)/Lvov 2017. Black has a promising position.
12...♗d6 13.♘g1 This N is doomed to remain where it is until the end of the game. Black's advantage now begins to grow. However, Steinitz explained his reasoning. According to his theory the six unmoved Ps are an endgame advantage and "not a single piece of mine will be within reach of either of my opponent's Ps for a long time to come." Of course Chigorin is ahead in space and development...Steinitz' game is playable, but difficult.
13.O-O as we have previously seen, white need not have any great fear of ...Bxh3 13...♗xh3 14.gxh3 ♕h4 15.♘c3 This N has to be centralized which could also have been done on move 13. As it is white can afford to give back the P to get his N to a better location. 15...♕xh3 16.♘e4 ♗c7 17.♗g4 ♕h4 18.♕f3 white's K is safe and he has a potential attack on the g-file.
13...f5 14.c3 ♗d7 15.d4 e4 16.c4 ♘e7 17.♘c3 ♗e6 18.b3 ♗b4 19.♗b2 f4 White's position is becoming precarious mostly because his K is not safe in the center and he can't get his K-side pieces into play. 20.♕c2 After this black is lost. Onw wonders if Steinitz made a recording error and intended to play 20.Qd2.
20.♕d2 ♖c8 21.h4
21.O-O-O is out of the question because of 21...♘d5 22.♔b1 ♗f5 and white is in serious trouble.
21...♘f5 22.O-O-O Now that ...Nd5 isn't possible this move is possible, but black maintains the edge after 22...c5 23.♕xf4 (23.d5 ♘d4 24.dxe6 ♘dxb3+ wins) 23...♘xc4 24.bxc4 ♕a5 25.♕xe4 ♗xc3 26.♕xe6+ ♔h8 27.♖h3 ♗xb2+ 28.♔xb2 ♘xd4 black is a piece down, but white's K is fatally exposed. For example... 29.♕d529.♕e3 ♖b8+ 30.♔c1 (30.♔a1 ♘c2#) 30...♕xa2 mates in two.
29...♖b8+ 30.♖b3 ♘xe2 31.♘xe2 ♖bd8 32.♖f3 ♖g8 33.♘c3 ♖xd5 34.cxd5 Black is slightly better, but white can put up stiff resistance. 24...♕d7 This retreat allows white to equalize with 25.♖d1 ♕e6 26.a3 ♗xe4 27.♗xe4 ♗c5 28.f3 (28.b4 is a losing blunder. 28...♖xf2+ 29.♕xf2 ♗xf2) 28...♘f5 29.♕c3 (29.b4 ♘e3+) 29...♕xe4 (29...♘e3+ 30.♔e2 ♕e7 is equal. 31.♖d3) 30.fxe4 ♘e3+ 31.♔e2 ♖f2+ 32.♔xf2 ♘xd1+ 33.♔g2 ♘xc3 34.♗xc3 ♘xb3 with only a microscopic advantage.
25.♕e2 This loses quickly.
25.♗xe4 ♖xf2+ 26.♕xf2 ♕xe4 and the R on h8 is a goner. 27.♗xg7 ♕xh1 28.♗xh6 ♕e4 At least here white could play on even if ultimately it;'s a hopeless cause.
25...♗xf3 26.♕e6+ ♔h7 27.♗xd4 ♗xh1 White has bagged the Q, but the swarm of black pieces is too much to handle. 28.♕h3 ♘f5 29.♗e5 ♖ae8 30.♗f4 ♘d4 A splendid coup which reduces white's forces and disorganizes his game - Steinitz. 31.♕d3+ ♗e4 32.♕xd4 ♖xf4 33.f3 ♖ef8 34.♕xa7 c5 35.♕c7 ♘c6 36.a3 ♖xf3+ 37.♘xf3 ♖xf3+ 38.♔g1 ♗d2 Steinitz resigned.
38...♗d2 39.♕g3 ♗e3+ 40.♔g2 ♖f5+ 41.♔h3 ♖h5+ 42.♔g4 ♘e5+ 43.♕xe5 ♖xe5 Threatening mate by ...Rh5+ so... 44.h4 h5+ 45.♔h3 ♗d4 and black has a mate in 14 moves after the best reply of 46. Ra2
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