Ludwig Bachmann

    Ludwig Bachmann(August 11,1856 – June 22, 1937, 80 years old) was a German chess author and chess historian. He worked for the Bavarian railway as a senior official. In his spare time, he collected information on chess events and put them in yearbooks (Schach-Juhrbuch), from 1891 to 1930. 

    He wrote 44 volumes of chess events and yearbooks and he was the first person to issue a yearbook on chess. He authored several textbooks in chess history, including biographies of Steinitz, Anderssen, Pillsbury, and Charousek. 

    He was born in Kulmbach in Bavaria, where his father practiced law, After completing his education, Bachmann, at the age of 21, entered the employ of the Railways Administration. As he was promoted he was successively stationed in several German cities before finally settling in Ludwigshafen where he was director of the railway system. On January 1st, 1923, Bachmann retired from service and moved to Munich, where he remained. 

    Backmann learned chess at the age of 14 from a comrade. His ardor for the game was stimulated when he became acquainted with the German Schachzeitung magazine and the games of Adolf Anderssen, with whom he actullay kept up a correspondence. Anderssen encouraged historian admirer by occasional presents of chess books. 

    As a player, Bachmann won many first place prizes in club tournaments in the cities in which he was stationed, but he was unable to participate in more important tournaments because of his professional duties. Because of his official duties, Bachmann decided early on to concentrate his interest in chess to the fields of chess literature and historical research and began collecting a large chess library. As a chess author, Bachmann also wrote a successful beginner's book and he also published some endgame studies and chess problems around the turn of the century. 

     Besides being an honorary member of several German chess clubs, Bachmann was awarded a Medal of Honor, a distinction which the German Chess Federation bestowed for exceptionally meritorious services to chess. 

 

[Event "Simul, Nuremberg"] [Site "?"] [Date "1887.12.08"] [Round "?"] [White "Ludwig Bachmann"] [Black "Dr. Siegbert Tarrasch"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C25"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "1887.??.??"] {C25: Vienna Game: Steinitz Gambit} 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. f4 exf4 4. d4 { This is not for the faint of heart..just watch what happens to white's King. That said, statistically (in my database) white has a win percentage of 57 percenmt while losing 29 percent (based on a scant 28 games).} Qh4+ {It's hard to imagine black playing anything else!} 5. Ke2 {This is only move that does not lose.} (5. Kd2 Nxd4 6. Nf3 Qf2+ 7. Be2 Bb4 8. Qe1 Qxe2+ 9. Qxe2 Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 Nxe2 11. Kxe2 {Black has a decisive advantage.}) 5... d5 {Black has also played 5...b6 and 5...d6} (5... Qh5+ {This is the engine recommended move. 0-1 (41) Maes,W (2318)-Hammer,J (2095) Vlissingen 2004 continued} 6. Nf3 g5 7. Nd5 {Now with 7....Kd8 black would have had a small advantage.}) 6. exd5 (6. Nf3 Bg4 7. Nxd5 {Taking with the P would have kept things equal. Now white loses quickly.} O-O-O 8. Bxf4 Nf6 9. Bg3 Qh6 10. Bxc7 Nxd5 11. exd5 Re8+ 12. Kf2 Kxc7 13. dxc6 Qe3+ 14. Kg3 Bd6+ 15. Kxg4 h5+ {0-1 (15) Sarkar,J (2350)-Tanenbaum,Z (2157) chess.com INT 2022}) 6... Bg4+ 7. Nf3 O-O-O {In spite of appearances if white replies properly he will have no mire than a slight advantage..} (7... Nce7 {Results in equality after} 8. Bxf4 O-O-O 9. g3 Qh5 10. Bg2) 8. Kd3 { [%mdl 8192] While this gets out of he pin it should lose.} (8. dxc6 {is the correct move.} Bc5 9. cxb7+ Kb8 10. Nb5 Nf6 11. Kd3 Qh5 12. Kc3 {Steinitz, W-Zukertort,J London 1872}) 8... Nb4+ (8... Qf6 {was even stronger.} 9. Qd2 Bxf3 10. gxf3 Qxd4+ 11. Ke2 Qe5+ 12. Kd1 Nf6 13. Qxf4 Nxd5 14. Qxe5 Nxc3+ 15. Ke1 Nxe5 16. bxc3 Nxf3+ {Black's advantage is decisive.}) 9. Kc4 (9. Kd2 { isn't any better.} Qf6 10. a3 Bxf3 11. Qxf3 Qxd4+ 12. Bd3 Nxd3 13. cxd3 Nf6 14. Rf1 g5 {and black is winning.}) 9... Qh5 10. h3 {White's K is doomed, but black's next move lets him off the hook.} Nxd5 {It's hard to believe, but after this move white's K is quite safe.} (10... Bf5 {is another story.} 11. Ne1 Qg6 12. a3 Nxd5 13. Nxd5 Rxd5 14. Kb3 Qb6+ 15. Ka2 Rxd4 16. Bd3 Be6+ 17. Kb1 Nf6 {White is helpless; all he can do is wait for the end.}) 11. hxg4 Nb6+ 12. Kb3 Qxh1 13. Bxf4 {With black's Q out of play and his K-side pieces unmoved his material advantage of only the exchange is meaningless. White's chances are at least equal.} Bd6 14. Bxd6 Rxd6 15. Nb5 {It seems obvious that white's only hope is to play for an attack, but 15.g5! was more promising.} ( 15. g5 Qh5 (15... Ne7 16. Ne4 Qh5 (16... Rdd8 17. Ng3 {Traps the Q.}) 17. Nxd6+ cxd6 {and white has somewhat better chances.}) 16. Ne5 Qxg5 17. Nxf7 Qf4 18. Qf3 Rxd4 {with equal chances. In Shootouts white scored +1 -1 =3.}) 15... Rd8 16. a4 a6 17. a5 Nd5 (17... axb5 {loses after} 18. axb6 cxb6 19. Ra8+ Kc7 20. Rxd8 Kxd8 21. Ne5 Nh6 (21... Ke7 22. Qf3 Nh6 23. Qxb7+ Kf6 24. Qf3+ Ke7 25. g5) 22. Qf3 Kc8 23. g5 Ng8 24. Qc3+ Kd8 25. Nxf7+) 18. Ne5 {This is as ggod a move as white has.} axb5 {This lets white off the hook.} (18... Nge7 {Black must get his remaining pieces into play/.}) 19. a6 bxa6 {[%mdl 8192] Allowing the a-file to be opened will prove fatal.} (19... b6 20. a7 Kb7 21. a8=Q+) (19... Kb8 {This defensive move is also satisfactory. White is held up on the a-file and has no really clear plan of attack, so the chances are even.} 20. Qe2 Nge7 21. Qxb5 b6 {This is safe because c6 is defended.} 22. Nc6+ Ka8 23. Re1 (23. Nxd8 {is a fatal trap.} Rxd8 {White is a piece down.}) 23... Rd6 24. Nxe7 Qh4 25. Nxd5 Qxe1 26. Qc4 Rc8 {with equal chances.}) 20. Rxa6 Ngf6 {[%emt 0:00:08] White now has a mate in 8.} (20... c5 {avoids mate, but still loses.} 21. dxc5 Qh2 22. Ra8+ Kb7 23. Rxd8 Qxe5 24. Qxd5+ Qxd5+ 25. Rxd5 Kc6 26. Re5 {with a won ending.}) 21. Qa1 (21. Qa1 Qh3+ 22. c3 Qxc3+ 23. bxc3 c5 24. dxc5 Nc7 25. Rc6 Kb8 26. Rb6+ Kc8 27. Qa7 Nd7 28. Qb7#) 21... c6 {[%emt 0:00:05] Allowing a mate in 5} 22. Ra8+ Kc7 23. Qa7+ (23. Ra7+ Kd6 24. Nxf7+ Ke6 25. Qe1+ Ne3 26. Qxe3+ Ne4 27. Qxe4+ Kf6 28. g5#) 23... Kd6 24. Nxf7+ Ke6 25. Rxd8 Rxd8 26. Nxd8+ {White has a win, but generously let Tarrasch off with a draw!} Kd6 27. Nf7+ Ke6 28. Bd3 {[%csl Gg4][%cal Rd3f5]} (28. Ng5+ Kd6 29. Bd3 g6 30. Nf7+ Ke6 31. Nd8+ Kd6 32. Qc5+ Kd7 33. Nxc6 Qxg2 34. Ne5+ Ke6 35. Qc6+ Ke7 36. Qb7+ Ke6 37. Qf7+ Kd6 38. Qf8+ Ke6 39. Bxb5 Qg3+ 40. c3 {Black can only delay mate but giving away his remaining pieces. For ir...} h5 41. Qf7+ Kd6 42. Nc4#) 28... g6 29. Nd8+ Kd6 30. Nf7+ Ke6 31. Nd8+ Kd6 {This is white's last chance to win.} 32. Nf7+ (32. Qc5+ Kd7 33. Nxc6 Qe1 34. g5 Qe6 35. Ne5+ Kd8 36. gxf6 Nxf6+ 37. Kb4 {etc.}) 32... Ke6 {[%mdl 32768] Draw} 1/2-1/2