White Player: – Wilhelm Steinitz
Black Player:-Curt Von Bardeleben

Overview:- This game was played in the Hastings tournament of 1895. Wilhelm Steinitz was the first world champion of chess, though by this time, he was past his prime and had just lost a Championship match to Emmanuel Lasker. Curt Von Bardeleben was a German Chess Master and a Count. This game emphasizes the sharpness of play required on black’s part, and how the unnecessary loss of a single tempo can lead to retribution, against a player of Wilhelm Steinitz’ caliber. After this game, he is quoted as saying “I may be an old lion, but if someone puts his hand in my mouth, I can still bite it off”. Hope the readers will enjoy this memorable game. Annotation using Algebraic Chess Notation.

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bc4 Bc5

This opening is called the “Giuoco Piano” or also the “Italian” opening.
The theory surrounding the opening is immense, since it is one of the most
heavily played openings in the history of chess. Though, in modern times, it is considered tame and drawish. It is not frequently seen in top Grandmaster games. Nevertheless, this opening is elemental in demonstration of the basic principles of Chess and a study of the same would form ideal starting steps for the beginner.

4. c3
other alternatives are d3, Nc3, or 0-0.

………….Nf6.
5. d4
This is a sharp Gambit (material sacrifice for time-compensation.) line that was dangerous in the past, but is now considered drawish, owing to equal resources discovered for both sides. White can offer a number of tricky traps, but Black should be safe, with sensible and logical play.

……………exd4
6. cxd4 Bb4+
7. Nc3 d5?!
This is less effective. Better was to grab material with 7.Nxe4. Black then has a number of ways to equalize after 8. 0-0 Bxc3 etc.

8. exd5 Nxd5
9. 0-0
Breaks the b4-Bishop’s pin on the c3 Knight, by castling. So the d5 knight is now under attack.

………..Be6
Probably better here was 9…..Bxc3, followed by castling, after White recaptured. White then has the two bishops, i.e. two bishops and a knight, to Black’s two knights and a bishop. This is a slight advantage, considering that bishops have longer range on an open board, as compared to the knight. But Black’s pawn structure is good and there aren’t too many targets for white to exploit – and importantly, it avoids the crisis created by White’s next move.

10. Bg5 Be7
Moving the Queen with say, Qd7 or Qd6, is no better, for white would then play 11. Bxd5 Bxd5 12. Nxd5 Qxd5 13. Qe2+ Be7 14. Bxe7 Nxe7(reply would be same to 13…..Ne7) 15. Rfe1. When White successfully delays Black’s castling further. If Black tries to differ from the above sequence, it can only be, by forgoing the right to castle, which allows White the time to organize his pieces to exert some pressure. The problem black faces is that his queen is needed to protect the knight on d5 as well as the e7 square. White uses this feature to exert pressure on the enemy king.

11. Bxd5 Bxd5
Naturally, Bxg5 is bad here, on account of 12. Bxe6, when Black is saddled with a weak e6 pawn that would be a potential target for White.

12. Nxd5 Qxd5
If instead, Black plays Bxg5 here, White still maintains the initiative with 13. Nxg5, followed by 14.Re1+ and then 15.Qe2 piling up against the Black king.

13. Bxe7 Nxe7
14. Re1!
After the mass exchange of pieces, white retains a slight advantage since he can hinder black from castling for a few moves.

……………f6
Black plans to sneak his king to f7, when the Queen as well as the h-Rook can challenge white for the e-file. And this idea would have worked if he had gone through with it, without wasting time(tempo).

15. Qe2 Qd7
16. Rac1
An interesting move, that is nevertheless second best. Better infact was 16. Rad1, when Black cannot carry out his plan of 16…..Kf7, on account of 17. Qc4+ winning material. Black cannot reply with 17….Nd5, for 18. Ne5+! fxe5 19. dxe5, when White attacks the knight on d5 as well as threatens e6+, where white comes out with a winning material advantage.

……. c6?
Tries to prevent d4, followed by Nd4. Sadly, this was the losing move! Black missed the right moment to play Kf7, when he would have escaped unscathed.

17. d5!
A superb move! Clears the d4 square for his knight, which is the stepping stone to e6.Black is behind just one tempo – the one that he wasted playing 16…..c6. But that’s all Steinitz, the then ex-world champion needed to clinch the game!

17………cxd5
18.Nd4 Kf7
19. Ne6!
The knight occupies a very strong square. Currently, he threatens Rc7, crushing black at once!

…………….Rhc8.
20. Qg4 g6
Only good way to defend the threatened g7 square.

21. Ng5+ Ke8
Forced. Or else he must lose his queen.

22. Rxe7!!
Incredible!! but true!

This move crashes through to win in all variations. Black can recapture the Rook in two ways – with his Queen or with his King.

1. 22……….Qxe7. Loses instantly to – 23. Rxc8+ Rxc8 24. Qxc8+, where White ends up with an extra knight, winning comfortably.
2. 22………Kxe7. Loses to – 23. Re1+ Kd6(23……Kd8 is the only other move that doesn’t lose his queen and thus the game. And it loses to 24. Ne6+, when the king is forced in life of fire of the e1 rook, and White can give a discovered check – Nc5+ which wins the queen and the game) 24. Qb4+ Rc5 25. Re6+! Qxe6 26. Nxe6, and Black cannot use white’s weak back rank to play Rc1# as he is pinned to his king by White’s Queen! It might be added that Black has two alternatives on move 24, other than …..Rc5.
3. 24.Kc6. Loses instantly to 25.Rc1#
4. 24.Kc7. Loses to 25. Ne6+ Kb8 26. Qf4+ Rc7 27. Nxc7 and Black cannot recapture the knight because he has back rank problems – White threatens Re8#!

22………….Kf8
A depressing move to make!

23. Rf7+ Kg8
24. Rg7+ Kh8
Black could capture the Rook with his King on neither of the two occasions, because then White can capture the Black queen Qxd7 with check! And capturing the rook with the Queen leaves White a piece up with Rxc8+.

25. Rxh7+ !
At this point von Bardeleben got up and left, allowing his time to run out. After the game officially ended Steinitz demonstrated a beautiful mate to onlookers, that he must have calculated way back when he played 22.Rxe7.

1-0 (White wins)
The rest is the forced mating sequence demonstrated by Steinitz.

……………Rg8
26. Rg7 Kh8
27. Qh4+!! Kxg7
Playing Kf8 now fails to Nf8+, when black is forced to capture White’s rook – facing his queen’s loss with check, OR to play 28….Re8, facing fire from the OTHER white rook – 29. Re1+.

28. Qh7+ Kf8
29. Qh8+ Ke7
30. Qg7+ Ke8
31. Qg8+ Ke7
32. Qf7+ Kd8
33.Qf8+ Qe8
34. Nf7+ Kd7
35. Qd6#

A pleasing sight for white, and a beautiful masterpiece created by the first official world champion of Chess. Chessboard magic!!!!!

Hope the reader learnt from my analysis of this most instructive game. It is recommended that you play this game over on a Chessboard, and examine each variation annotated for maximum benefit.

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