Steinitz - from Bardeleben, Hastings 1895

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The game Steinitz –– von Bardeleben, Hastings 1895 is one of the most famous chess games in the history of chess . The white stones led former world champion Wilhelm Steinitz , the Berlin Curt von Bardeleben was black. It was played during an international tournament in the English city ​​of Hastings in 1895 .

Steinitz, who considered this game to be the best of his life, found a particularly deep and aesthetic winning combination . After Black had made an imperceptible inaccuracy in the opening, his king remained unbroken in the middle. Steinitz managed to bring about victory with brilliant moves that documented his high level of mastery.

Curt von Bardeleben is said to have given up this game not with a handshake, but rather by leaving the game room, after which the time to think about it on his chess clock ran out. The judges in Hastings awarded Steinitz a beauty prize for the best game played in the tournament.

This game delighted and occupied generations of chess players, as can be seen in the bibliography below.

Notes on the game

“The present game can be described as the pinnacle of the art of combining of the second half of the 19th century. We (...) are also delighted by the immortal beauty of this game. "( Estrin )

1. e2 – e4 e7 – e5 2. Ng1 – f3 Nb8 – c6 3. Bf1 – c4 Bf8 – c5 4. c2 – c3 Ng8 – f6 5. d2 – d4 e5xd4 6. c3xd4 Bc5 – b4 + 7. Nb1 – c3

This is the main variation of the Italian game

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Position after White's 7th move

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7.… d7 – d5 ?!

According to all experts, the strongest continuation at this point is 7.… Nf6xe4, as Schlechter played against Steinitz a few rounds earlier in Hastings. In modern top chess , the position after 7.… Nf6xe4 was also put on the board in 1999 between the Fritz6 program and Anand from India during their rapid chess competition in Frankfurt .

8. e4xd5 Nf6xd5 9. 0–0! Bc8-e6

The acceptance of the victim is not acceptable. "After 9.… Nxc3 10. bxc3 Be7 11. Bf4 or 11. Re1 0–0 12. d5 White would come to a position with better prospects." (Estrin)

10. Bc1 – g5 Bb4 – e7 11. Bc4xd5! Be6xd5 12. Nc3xd5 Qd8xd5 13. Bg5xe7 Nc6xe7 14. Rf1 – e1
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Position after White's 14th move

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As a result, Black does not get castling, because the knight e7 would stand.

14.… f7 – f6

Schallopp recommends 14 ... Kf8, "so that the jumper could get back into action."

15. Qd1 – e2 ?!

As Soviet analysts have found out, 15. Qa4 + was an even stronger move at this point ( stated by I. Saizew 1978 ). 15. On the nearby train ... Kf7 found Geller 1983 the striking profit 16 Ne5 + fxe5 17. Txe5 Dd6 18 Dc4 + Kf8 19. Tae1 Ng8 20 Td5 Qc6 21 Db4! Kf7 22. Rc5 Qd6 23. Qc4 + Kf8 24. Rxc7 and white winning position. (after Estrin and Kasparow )

15.… Qd5 – d7 16. Ra1 – c1 c7 – c6?

“It was precisely this move that gave Steinitz the opportunity to perform a brilliant combination and thus create a chess work of art. Black should be 16.… Kf7! move in order to free the knight from the bondage and to be able to place him on d5 as quickly as possible. "(Estrin)

17. d4 – d5 !!

"A splendid pawn sacrifice, which initiates the decisive officer attack." (Schallopp)

17.… c6xd5 18. Nf3 – d4 Ke8 – f7 19. Nd4 – e6

With the threat of Rc7. (Kasparov)

19.… Rh8 – c8 20. De2 – g4! g7 – g6 21. Ne6 – g5 +! Kf7 – e8
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Position after Black's 21st move

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22. Re1xe7 + !!

“A brilliant final combination that has not been seen often. An ordinary mortal would have been content with 22. Nxh7, which would have been enough and looked shiny enough; but Steinitz is playing an immortal game here. ”(Schallopp) On 22.… Kxe7 Steinitz planned 23. Re1 + Kd6 (23.… Kd8 24. Ne6 + Ke7 25. Nc5 +) 24. Qb4 + Kc7 25. Ne6 + Kb8 26. Qf4 + Rc7 27. Sxc7 Dxc7 28 Re8 Matt . Kasparov's computer found out that 23. Qb4 + wins even faster here: 23.… Ke8 24. Re1 + Kd8 25. Ne6 +, or 23.… Qd6 24. Qxb7 Qd7 25. Re1 + Kd6 26. Nf7 +. "The subtlety of the combination, however, lies in the fact that black can do without taking the 'cheeky' tower." (Estrin)

22.… Ke8 – f8 23. Re7 – f7 +

But not 23. Qxd7 ?? because of 23.… Rxc1 and Black mates.

23.… Kf8 – g8

On 23.… Qxf7, 24. Rxc8 + decides.

24. Rf7-g7 + Kg8-h8
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Position after Black's 24th move

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25.Rg7xh7 +!

"Black gave up the game by moving away and not coming back." (Schallopp) Steinitz stated the following mandatory profit path: 25.… Kg8 26. Rg7 + Kh8 27. Dh4 + Kxg7 28. Dh7 + Kf8 29. Dh8 + Ke7 30. Qg7 + Ke8 31. Qg8 + Ke7 32. Qf7 + Kd8 33. Qf8 + Qe8 34. Nf7 + Kd7 35. Qd6 mate.

Literature in which the game is examined (selection)

  • Jakow Estrin : The Italian part  : old opening modern again. - Stuttgart: Franckh, 1985. - ISBN 3-440-05412-8 - (pp. 127-131).
  • Garry Kasparov : Moi welikie predschestwenniki [My great predecessors], Volume 1, Moscow 2003, (pp. 114–117).
  • Richard Réti : The masters of the chessboard . - Zurich: Olms, 1989 <Repr. d. Ed. Mährisch-Ostrau 1930> - ISBN 3-283-00107-3 - (pp. 44–47).
  • Emil Schallopp : The chess tournament at Hastings in August, September 1895  : Collection of all the games with detailed notes. - Zurich: Olms, 1989 <Repr. d. Ed. Leipzig 1896> - ISBN 3-283-00033-6 - (pp. 179-181).

Web links

See also