Marshall Couldn’t Bluff Steinitz

    Frank Marshall (1877 -1944) was born in New York City and lived in Montreal from the age 8 of to the age of 19. He began playing chess at the age of 10, and by 1890, at the age of 13, he was one of the best players in Montreal. 

    While inn Montreal Marshall met his first master, the Irish player W.H.K. Pollock (1859-1896) who spent the last fout years of his life in Montreal. . Years later he recalled Pollock as "tall, slim, clever, a great thinker and walker." 

    Born in Prague, Wilhelm Steinitz (1836-1900) had been living in the United States since 1883 and had become an American citizen. In 1893, the 58 year old World Champion Steinitz didn’t play in any tournaments, but he was still quite busy. He defeated US Champion Jackson W, Showalter 6-2 (the two draws did not count) in a match. Steinitz toured the US, which also included a visit to Montreal, giving simultaneous exhibitions. He also got married around that time. 

     The following game is one Marshall played against Steinitz in Montreal. Marshall wrote, "Steinitz generally used a cane when playing simultaneously, as he limped. He was very short, near sighted, with a large body and head. He was very serious, rarely smiled and would fight each game to the bitter end...he would rarely give a draw, but played on in the wee hours of the morning so as to try and win a draw." Fifty years later Marshall noted of the following game that, “Steinitz would not be bluffed.” 

 

[Event "Steinitz Simul, Montreal"] [Site ""] [Date "1893.11.17"] [Round ""] [White "Wilhelm Steinitz"] [Black "Frank Marshall"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C03"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17.1"] [PlyCount "51"] [EventDate "1893.??.??"] {C03: French Tarrasch Variation} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 {Later this necame known as the Tarrasch Bariation. It's not quite the same as 3.Nc3. It allows white to play c3 and it avoids the Winawer (3...Bb4). Pn the other hand it blocks the B amd on d2 the N is less active..} Ne7 {Marshall later came to the conclusion that this and his next move were a mistake. Usual is 3...c5, but 3.. .Ne7 is not really a bad move.} 4. Bd3 Nbc6 {This, however, is questionable.} ( 4... Nd7 {is perfectly good.} 5. Ne2 c5 6. c3 cxd4 7. cxd4 dxe4 8. Nxe4 Nc6 { is about equal. Mamedov,R (2660)-Haimovich,T (2427) Pardubice CZE 2010}) 5. c3 Ng6 {This should have allowed Steinitz to get a good position with 5.e5. Black's N is not especially well placed here. Correct was 5...e5! when any P exchances result in full equality.} 6. Nb3 {This is not bad. but it allows black easy equality/} e5 {Now black has full equality.} 7. Qe2 Be6 {This is a mistake. Black should have played 7...Be7 and get castled.} 8. Nf3 (8. f4 { was even better.} dxe4 (8... exf4 9. exd5 Qxd5 10. Be4 Qd7 11. d5) 9. Bxe4 f5 10. Bxc6+ bxc6 11. dxe5 {with a very good position.}) 8... Bd6 {Marshall made this move with the "deliberate intention of sacrificing a piece." He overlooked that the sacrifice us unsound. Safer was 8...Be7} 9. exd5 {An alternative was 9.h5, but Steinitz may have been calling Marshall's bluff.} Bxd5 10. dxe5 O-O {[%mdl 8192] Of course 10...Ngxe5 was the correct move as the piece sacrifice is completely unsound.} 11. Bxg6 {This is the eimplest way to refute black's play.} (11. exd6 {This is what Marshall expected, but it, too, leaves him with no compensation for the piece, but the resulting complications quite possibly would have justified his sacrific!} Re8 12. Be3 { Now black's best line is} Nf4 13. Bxf4 {This is the engine;s preferred move, but it is unlikely to be a human preferance. 13.Qf1 is a satisfactiry alternative.} Bxf3 14. gxf3 Rxe2+ 15. Bxe2 Qf6 16. Bg3 cxd6 17. O-O-O {and white's 2Bs+R are more than sufficient compensation for the Q.}) (11. exd6 Nf4 {Now the safe looking 12.Qf1 Qxd6 leads to complications.} 12. Bxh7+ Kxh7 13. Bxf4 Bxf3 14. Qxf3 Re8+ 15. Be3 {Black is a piece and two Ps down with no compensation.}) 11... Re8 12. Bc2 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Rxe5 14. Be3 Qh4 {This clever reply threatens 15...Rxe3} 15. O-O-O {Black's play has been refuted, but Marshal is not yet through kicking!} (15. a3 {A pass to demonstrate the threat. } Rxe3 16. Qxe3 Bxg2 17. Rg1 Bf4 18. Bxh7+ Kh8 (18... Kxh7 19. Qd3+ Kg8 20. Rxg2 {White is a R up.}) 19. Qe2 Qxh2 {and black is winning.}) (15. O-O { would also be fatal.} Rxe3 16. g3 Rxe2 17. gxh4 Rxc2 18. Rfe1 Be6 19. Rab1 { Black is a solid piece up.}) 15... Qa4 16. Kb1 Rd8 17. f4 Bc4 18. Qf3 Ra5 19. Nxa5 {There was no bluffing Steinitz. Accepting the sacrifice was absolutely correct.} (19. a3 Bxb3 20. Bxb3 Qxb3 21. Rhe1 Rb8 22. Bc1 Bxa3 {is to black's advantage.}) 19... Qxa2+ 20. Kc1 Qa1+ 21. Bb1 Qxa5 22. Qe4 {White is a whole R up and the game can;t last too much longer.} Ba2 23. Qxh7+ Kf8 24. Rd4 c6 25. Rhd1 Qc7 26. Qh8+ {Black resigned.} (26. Qh8+ Ke7 27. Qh4+ Ke8 28. Bxa2 { adding a B to the R he is akready up.}) (26. Bxa2 {leads to mate in 6.} Bxf4 27. Rxd8+ Ke7 28. Qxg7 Bxe3+ 29. Kb1 Bd2 30. R8xd2 Qf4 31. Rd7+ Ke8 32. Qg8#) 1-0