21 Neg2?!

if fxg2 22 Rxf6! would lead to a crushing win for White after 22...Bxf6 23 e5 Nf5 24 Nxf5 and Black cannot stop the attack.

But against normal moves by Black such as Neumann plays

21...c5

the backward nature of knight move and its bizarre follow-up

22 Bb1?

give Black too much space and tactical resources for the straighforward attack on h7 to work.

In this time period where Steinitz was a top player but not winning tournaments (3rd in Paris after Kolisch and Winawer) it is as if he were deliberately handicapping himself because he sensed a big deficit in his opponents' understanding of the game.

may look like a draw, but Black can win with

26...Ra7 27 Bh6 dxe5 28 Qxh5 Rff7 29 dxe5 Rae7 30 Bg6 Qd5 not fearing any discoveries.

It was about this time that Steinitz started to re-evaluate his play:

" At the tournaments at Paris (1867) and Baden-Baden (1870), I was hoping to take first prize. On failing to achieve this, I was forced to think things over, and I came to the conclusion that combinative play, although it sometimes gives fine results, is not able to ensure solid success..."

It appeared Steinitz was on the verge of pushing his opponent off the board in this complex middlegame, but never quite got there. The Black pawn duo at h3/g2 looks hazardous to the health of the opposing king, even for a player who eventually developed tremendous defensive skills.