Mikhail Chigorin vs Henry Bird (1889)

Members · Prefs · Laboratory · Collections · Openings · Endgames · Sacrifices · History · Search Kibitzing · Kibitzer's Café · Chessforums · Tournament Index · Players ·

Kibitzing

Mikhail Chigorin vs Henry Bird
6th American Chess Congress, New York (1889), New York, NY USA, rd 36, May-13
Ponziani Opening: General (C44) · 1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

Given 6 times; par: 46 [what's this?]

explore this opening	find similar games	8 more Chigorin/Bird games
sac: 34.Rxg7+	PGN: download \| view \| print	Help: general \| java-troubleshooting

TIP: To flip the board (so black is on the bottom) press the "I" key on your keyboard.

For help with this chess viewer, please see the Olga Chess Viewer Quickstart Guide.

PREMIUM MEMBERS CAN REQUEST COMPUTER ANALYSIS [more info]

A COMPUTER ANNOTATED SCORE OF THIS GAME IS AVAILABLE. [CLICK HERE]

Feb-25-04		drukenknight: another nice ponziani from chigorin. Birds queen stands around helplessly while the K runs across the battlefield. I think 31...Qh5 may have messed that up. Does anyone think the K can be moved q side in this opening? like 15...Kd1?

Feb-25-04		TrueFiendish: At first glance 15...Kd8 does look better, leaving the e- and b-files available for rooks.

Feb-25-04		TrueFiendish: Maybe Bird could have tried 31...Rd8, counterattacking...

Apr-04-08		Knight13: <TrueFiendish: Maybe Bird could have tried 31...Rd8, counterattacking... > 32. Qxd8 and White wins.

Aug-29-09		nasmichael: He really smelled blood in the water....He would not let go of his quarry!

Oct-06-13		john barleycorn: Steinitz: 1.) 34. Rxg7+ "magnificent sacrifice" 2.) 29.Rd3 would have put an end to all resistance. 3.) 14....Bd6 is an "ill-considered" move whereas 14...h5 should be played.

Dec-06-13		davide2013: In the book: my love affair with Tchigorin, by A.E. Santasiere, the black player is Baird not Bird. And also in Chesstempo database this game is given as Baird John.

Dec-07-13		sneaky pete: Santasiere (or more likely his editor Ken Smith) and Chesstempo are both wrong. Chigorin's game (from round 19) as white vs John Baird was a King's Gambit Declined.

Nov-11-22		fredthebear: A Bird and two Bairds (so did Burn, Blackburne, and Burille) played in this the 6th American Chess Congress Tournament. Chigorin came in second, having played 46 games! Nowadays, a fellow couldn't afford to stay in the hotel that long. Creative play, enjoyable to watch. We have another Railroad Mate in the middle of the board (w/the help of the bishop's stop gap).

Nov-12-22		stone free or die: Normally a <Railroad Mate> involves driving the king along either a file or a rank. Over at <ChessTempo>, or even <chessfox>, they would call this a <Killbox Mate> https://old.chesstempo.com/tactical... Everything I know about <Railroad Mates> I learned from <Z Legend of CG> - including his (slight) regret over the <Killbox Mate> naming.

Nov-13-22		stone free or die: . <"Beware misinformation, and keep on the right track" ... <-- ... -- <Z legend of CG> -- ... --> ... > * * * * * So, let's ignore the diversionary fireworks and again reiterate that this game does NOT end in a railroad mate (RRM). The railroad mate involves trapping the enemy king between the "rails". The queen travels on one rail, the rook on the other, chug-chug-chugging the king straight along either a file or rank. It ends up as an edge mate position, or with a stop (the original nomenclature for the final position was either RRM-diag or RRM-ortho, now more commonly called a Kill Box or Triangle Mate [I forget which is which]). The mate was "invented" by <Z Legend> (in one or another of his many guises!), along with Balestra and Escalator Mates, over on ChessTempo. Here's a good RRM description (one that can be trusted for accuracy): https://old.chesstempo.com/tactical... Here's a good example: <Example 1 - (White to move, one branch involves RRM)> click for larger view The mate was "discovered" in this position: <Example 2 - (Black to move, RRM finish)> click for larger view Note that the last example demonstrates a feature of the RRM - it has a "coloring" (so here the Q+R skip over those squares on the rails controlled by the opponent).

Mar-23-23		fredthebear: This @#$% should have been delted. Diagrams don't make the words right.

NOTE: Create an account today to post replies and access other powerful features which are available only to registered users. Becoming a member is free, anonymous, and takes less than 1 minute! If you already have a username, then simply login login under your username now to join the discussion.

Please observe our posting guidelines:

No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language.
No spamming, advertising, duplicate, or gibberish posts.
No vitriolic or systematic personal attacks against other members.
Nothing in violation of United States law.
No cyberstalking or malicious posting of negative or private information (doxing/doxxing) of members.
No trolling.
The use of "sock puppet" accounts to circumvent disciplinary action taken by moderators, create a false impression of consensus or support, or stage conversations, is prohibited.
Do not degrade Chessgames or any of it's staff/volunteers.

Please try to maintain a semblance of civility at all times.

See something that violates our rules? Blow the whistle and inform a moderator.

NOTE: Please keep all discussion on-topic. This forum is for this specific game only. To discuss chess or this site in general, visit the Kibitzer's Café.

Messages posted by Chessgames members do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors.
All moderator actions taken are ultimately at the sole discretion of the administration.

This game is type: CLASSICAL. Please report incorrect or missing information by submitting a correction slip to help us improve the quality of our content.