| The thirteenth game of the match, played at Simpson’s
on Wednesday, the 27th inst. |
| This game will be one of the most memorable match
games on record, owing to its extraordinary curious termination, as well
as it vicissitudes in the middle part, and taking into consideration the
state of the score at the time, which, as our readers are aware, has been
most precarious for Blackburne since the end of last week. The opening,
1. P to Q B 4, resolved itself into a Q gambit declined, with the fianchetto
on the Q side for both parties. Blackburne chose the questionable
post at Q R 3 for his Q Kt, and made it positively unfavourable by omitting
to exchange his Q B P for the adverse Q P, which enabled the opponent ultimately
to form a strong centre. Another weak advance of the K B P, to the
4th instead of to the 3rd square, gave Zukertort an opportunity of fixing
his pawns strongly from K B 4 to Q 6, with a formidable passed Q P, at
the same time blocking up the adverse K B uselessly at K R 3. Instead,
however, of securing his position on the K side by P to K R 4, Zukertort
placed his Q into inactivity at K R 3. On the 33rd move Zukertort
allowed his pawns to be broken up unnecessarily on the K side, instead
of moving the K into the corner, which would have kept his fortified position
intact. He only gained a doubled P temporarily thereby, and we believe
Blackburne could then have obtained the superiority by Kt to B 2, in lieu
of Kt to B 3, actually played. Blackburne then tried to relieve himself
by liberating his Q B P, and actually succeeded in exchanging queens, and
breaking up the adverse centre by a fine sacrifice of a R, the full value
of which he immediately recovered. But instead of retaining his Kt
on the 45th move by Kt to Kt sq, which would have secured his getting rid
of the adverse dangerous passed P at Q 7, he allowed it to be exchanged
for the R, and his game then became hopeless to all appearance, for that
P was bound to cost a clear piece, while Black’s passed Q B P could be
stopped by the K. The match seemed to be virtually over, and Blackburne’s
best friends must have considered him fully justified in resigning the
game at that stage. But he held on with his defence in a most stubborn
manner, and bodly [sic] accepted the exchange of rooks, which left
him only to fight with the K and a P, against the adverse Kt and two pawns.
Zukertort could have won easily at several subsequent points—namely, on
the sixty-fifth move, by Kt to B 6, getting rid of Blackburne’s last P,
for if that P advanced to R 3, he could capture, giving up the Kt, and
his Kt P was in time to effect the support of the R P. Again, three
moves later on, he might have forced a win by bringing his K immediately
to B 4, instead of to B 3, with the view of abandoning the Kt ultimately,
but only after forcing the adverse K up to B 8, where the Kt should have
been posted, while in the meantime White’s K could cross over to the K
side and fetch the R P. But, by a singular infatuation, he ran into
the very position which Blackburne had been aiming at as a last resource.
The manner in which Black draws this game with a clear piece behind will
be a most instructive lesson to the students of endings. Mr Blackburne
informs us that he first hit on this ingenious resource, which he also
succeeded in carrying out here, in a similar position which he had against
Mr M‘Donnell about fifteen years ago. He then effected a draw with
a piece minus, though there were two pawns left on each side. Zukertort
tried in vain to get the opposition, with the object of dislodging the
hostile K and of abandoning the Kt, and then to gain the P. Had Black’s
P been pushed one step further, the game would have been won for White
by that process; but Blackburne wisely refrained from touching that P,
and on finding, after several dodging attempts, that Blackburne judiciously
persisted in only manœuvring his K, Zukertort gave up the game as drawn. |
| Duration, eight hours. |
|
|
Zukertort,JH — Blackburne,JH
|
(13)
|
| D37/01 |
Queen’s Gambit Declined
|
|
| 1881.07.27 |
GBR London (Simpson’s Divan)
|
|
Annotations by Wilhelm Steinitz
1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.a3 b6 4.Nc3 Bb7 5.e3 d5 6.d4 Be7 7.b3
0-0 8.Bb2 dxc4 9.bxc4 c5 10.Be2 Na6
| We repeat that the natural post for the b-knight is at c3. |
| This causes him only loss of time, and gives the opponent the desired
opportunity of liberating his f-pawn for the eventual advance. |
| It was now the highest time to exchange the c-pawn for the d-pawn,
in order to have a convenient square at c5 for the knight should the hostile
d-pawn advance. 14...Nc7 was also better than the move in the text. |
| Excellent play, whereby he establishes the superiority of position
for his side. Obviously Black cannot capture twice, as the knight
would be left en prise of the bishop. |
| Bad. 16...f6 was the right defense, for White would gain nothing
by taking the e-pawn, as he could not subsequently support it sufficiently. |
| An ill-favored post for the queen, which might have been made much
more useful on the queenside. 21.h4 followed soon, if necessary,
by g3, was the right plan for the purpose of blocking the adverse dark-square
bishop and keeping his own kingside secure against the eventual advance
to the g-pawn, more especially as it was always left open to him of getting
his king into safe quarters, viá f2, in case of emergency. |
| This offer of exchange is ill-judged, as it only gives additional scope
of action to the adverse queen, which naturally would try to get into play
next at g2. 26...Qc8 at once was preferable. |
| We believe his capture compromises at least his advantage, if not his
position altogether. 33.Kh1 left his position on the kingside unbroken,
for obviously, after exchanging pawns, Black could not capture the e-pawn
with the bishop, as it would be retaken, with a check. |
| An error of judgment, of which his opponent avails himself cleverly.
33...Nf7 was the right move, which would have either recovered one of the
pawns on the kingside, or would have given him time, if White defended
both by 34.Nf3, to attack the c-pawn by 34...Qa6. |
| An important, fine move, and of course much superior to 35.Nf3 at once,
as Black has no time now to attack the c-pawn with the queen, since his
knight remains undefended. |
| Most ingenious. Black conducts the defense admirably. |
| A gross error, which causes a serious relapse in his position.
It was quite evident that he required the knight, in order to catch the
dangerous passed d-pawn on a white square, and the black bishop was of
no use to him for the defense. 45...Nb8 was the proper move.
If, then, 46.Rd6, he would take the other rook 46...Bf2+, followed by 47...Rd8;
and, after getting rid of the d-pawn with the knight, he could struggle
for a draw on the merits of the position with more legitimate hope. |
| Good enough still, but 65.Nf6 was immediately decisive; for, if Black
answered 65...h6, White would capture it, followed by 67.g4 and 68.g5.
On the other hand, if 65...Kf5, the game must have proceeded thus: 65.Nf6
Kf5 66.Nxh7 Kg6 67.Nf6 Kxg5 68.Ne4+; and, if the 68...Kf5, the winning
answer is 69.Nf2. On the other hand, if 68...Kg5, the white king
comes up. |
| Even now he could have won by force, if he had retreated 67.Nf1, e.g.:
67.Nf1 Kf3 (if 67...Kf5, White will cut off the king by 68.Nh2, winning
easily afterwards by brining his own king to the kingside.) 68.Kd4 Kf2
69.Ke5 Kxf1 70.Kf6, and wins. |
| Neither 68.Nf1 nor 68.Nf5 would have availed him anything now by best
play, e.g., in the first place: 68.Nf1 Kf2 69.Kd3 Kxf1 70.Ke3 Kg2 71.Kf4
Kh3 72.Kf3 Kh2 73.Kg4 Kg2 and he must draw if he keeps always near this
pawn at g3, and only follows it up whenever it advances. Secondly:
68.Nf5 Kg4 69.Nd6 Kxg3 70.Ke3 Kg4 71.Nf7 Kf5, followed by 72...Kg6, and
draws. |
| We give a diagram of this remarkably fine position. Black’s last
move was the only one to secure the draw, for if 70...Kg5, the white king
would come near at f3; and if 70...Ke5, the knight would cut him off from
future entrance by 71.Ng2. |
71.Ke1 Kf3 72.Kd2 Kf4 73.Kd3 Kf3 74.Kd4 Kf4 75.Kd3
| It would be useless to try to win by abandoning the knight, e.g.: 75.Kd5
Kxe3 76.Ke5 Kf3, and of course 77.Kf6 draws, but if White now advances
the pawn, he actually loses thus: 77.g5 Kg4 78.Kf6 Kh5 and wins.
As already noticed in the introduction, if Black’s pawn stood now at g5,
White could win by 75.Kd5; but Blackburne, with fine insight into this
beautiful position, did not advance his pawn, and only moved the king,
thereby securing the draw. |
| White’s third hour was not marked on the scoresheet handed over to
us, but we are informed by Zukertort that the exact time used by the two
players 3 hours 42 minutes for White, and 4 hours 11 minutes for Black. |
|
The Field, London, 1881.07.30
|
|
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.