CWAP Game 3: Sich-Steinitz, London 1871

Wilhelm Steinitz (1836-1900, world champion 1886-1894) won a 20-game match (in New York, St. Louis, and New Orleans) against Johannes Zukertort to become the first player to hold an official title as world champion. In his younger days, Steinitz was as bright an attacking player as Morphy — even earning the nickname “The Austrian Morphy” — but he’s best-known in chess history for demonstrating that chess games could be won by unfolding from closed defensive positions. We also remember Steinitz for walking around his neighborhood exchanging chess moves with God. Stories go that Steinitz was giving God odds of a knight, but that can’t be be true; pawn and move maybe.

Game 3

[Event "Casual game"] [Site "London ENG"] [Date "1871.09.07"] [White "Sich"] [Black "W. Steinitz"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C60"] { Click or tap on a move in the game text for a popout display board.[#]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { 3. Bb5 is neither better nor worse than 3. Bc4, though many players as Black find the indirect pressure on e5 bothersome, and if they chase the bishop with …a7-a6 and …b7-b5, then the bishop lands on the more active diagonal anyway ( but on a more secure square, while Black has weakened his queenside ) .} 3... Nge7 { 3…Nge7 is very sensible, preparing to replace the knight on c6 in case of capture. In practice, Black is sometimes hard-pressed to untangle his pieces. Among modern grandmasters, only Dreev — a free thinker — made a habit of 3…Nge7.} 4. Nc3 { 4. Nc3 is not a blunder, but it does too little to further White’s aims. After 4. O-O, 5. c3, 6. d4, White will be at least equal in development, while ahead in center control and king safety. White blocked the c-pawn, so c2-c3 plus d2-d4 are out of focus until he moves the knight again.} 4... g6 5. d3 { If White wants to lend value to the pokey 4. Nc3, then he must suddenly go very fast with 5. d4 exd4 6. Nd5 Bg7 7. Bg5.} 5... Bg7 6. O-O O-O 7. Ng5 ( { Capablanca handled a similar position in the same way: } 7. Bc4 Na5 8. Bb3 Nxb3 9. axb3 d5 10. h3 d4 11. Ne2 f5 {with slight advantage in Marin-Capablanca, Barcelona 1929.} )7... h6 { Average players play P-R3 as a reflex. They can’t think of something to do, P-R3. Opponents moved a piece to N5, P-R3. Steinitz was the best player in the world, and if he played P-R3, he had a reason. The knight on g5 presents no danger or problems, but clears the way for f2-f4.} 8. Nf3 d6 9. h3 { Like I said about inexpert players playing P-R3 willy-nilly: White’s P-R3 is useless; there’s no reason to fear …Bc8-g4, because then if White plays h2-h3, the bishop can’t maintain the pin.} 9... f5 10. exf5 Nxf5 { Chess computers never fail to amaze. Black has four different ways to recapture. I would’ve gone for …Bc8xf5 to develop a new piece, or …g6xf5 to come toward the center and form a mobile pawn pair. Stockfish most prefers …Rf8xf5, though that should make the least sense to a human player. Rooks tend not to get involved so soon, and how can this rook be better placed on f5 than f8?} 11. Nd5 { A peculiar move, offering Black a choice of threatening moves.} 11... Ncd4 12. Nxd4 Nxd4 13. Bc4 Kh7 14. c3 Ne6 15. Ne3 Nf4 16. Ng4 h5 17. Nh2 { No one could’ve predicted at move 10 that at move 17, White would play a knight to h2, and it wouldn’t be the f3-knight.} 17... d5 { Black has achieved this much, two pawns up in the center. Along with more active pieces, those are small advantages on which to build.} 18. Bb3 c6 19. Bxf4 Rxf4 20. Qe2 Qd6 21. Nf3 Bd7 22. Rae1 Re8 { Black would’ve preferred 22…Raf8, but the e5-pawn needs help. It’s because three black pieces are tied to the defense of e5 that Black cannot easily find a plan, despite complete development, two pawns in the center, and the bishop pair.} 23. g3 $2 {[#] In light of my last note — Black’s opening is complete, and he must now find a middlegame plan — imagine White didn’t weaken his king position, and instead did nothing. Let’s say White passes his move, and leaves Black to find something to do. With all the time in the world, Black might go for …Bg7-f6-d8-c7, …Rf4xf3, …e5-e4, …Qd6-h2#, but the bishop ( and e8-rook and queen ) are stuck defending the e5-pawn. It makes sense, therefore, to relieve the pressure on e5 in order to mobilize Black’s pieces. The only white piece that can be pestered is the f3-knight, so you look first at 23…e5-e4, which could run into 24. dxe4 dxe4 25. Ng5+ plus 26. Nf7+. And if Black tries for …g6-g5-g4, the first step is to help the pawn reach g5, but if 23…Bf6 or 23…Qf6, 24. h4 shuts it off while making an outpost for Nf3-g5+, and Black has to worry about the f4-rook getting trapped. You might conclude there isn’t a practical plan on the kingside or in the center. Stockfish agrees, because it suggests opening a new battlefront with …a7-a5 or …b7-b5, which brings me to why I started this project in the first place: A book about pawn structure that says ‘here are good pawn structures; go win with these’ isn’t useful for average players, but a book that says ‘when the opponent has this pawn structure in front of his king, it might suggest a plan’. Look at what happens now after 23. g3?. Black can let the tactics guide him the rest of the way, but if White hadn’t touched the g-pawn, and, say, did nothing at all, Black must perhaps look to the queenside to stir things up.} 23... Rxf3 $1 24. Qxf3 Bxh3 { If Black continues with 25…Bxf1, he has gained a pawn, but the opposite-colored bishops make that a difficult game to win.} 25. Kh2 Rf8 $1 { For removing the f3-knight, and deflecting the white queen, Black’s pieces are freed from the guard of e5, and may again play actively.} 26. Qe2 Qd7 27. Rg1 Bg4 { The bishop was poorly placed on h3. Black had no way to effect …Qg2#, and as long as the bishop was under pressure, the queen was bound to its defense.} 28. Qe3 ( { None of the queen moves is appealing. Black has a winning attack after } 28. Qd2 Bh6 29. Qc2 Qf5 30. Rgf1 h4 )( { The best White can do is shore up the white squares with } 28. Qf1 Qf7 29. Bd1 Qxf2+ 30. Qxf2 Rxf2+ 31. Rg2 {.}) 28... Rf3 29. Qxa7 { }( 29. Qd2 Bh6 30. Qc2 Qf5 { with …h5-h4 next, is also crushing, so why not grab a pawn.} )29... Rxd3 { 29… Qf5 is also good, but wiping out the d3-pawn means Black’s e-pawn and dark-squared bishop can join in.} 30. a4 { White didn’t get the right defensive idea until the next move.} 30... Rd2 31. Bd1 { White is ahead in material ( if you count the units off the board ) , so he should be trying to trade the pieces to reduce Black’s play. The bishop was only a spectator on b3, and trading the light-squared bishops could make it more difficult for Black to exploit the holes in the white king position.} 31... d4 { There’s the drawback to snatching the a7-pawn: the queen can be cut off from the game.} 32. Bxg4 Qxg4 33. Rg2 e4 $1 { In an instant, Black switches his focus to the black squares. In that e3-f2-g3-h3 structure we’re talking about, it’s f2 at the base. Whether we break it down at f2, or cause the f2-pawn to capture forward to e3 or g3, the entire king shelter weakens.} 34. cxd4 h4 35. gxh4 Qxh4+ 36. Kg1 e3 $1 0-1 * You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.