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Mikhail Chigorin vs Wilhelm Steinitz
Steinitz - Chigorin World Championship Match (1889), Havana CUB, rd 5, Jan-27
Italian Game: Evans Gambit. Slow Variation (C52)  ·  0-1

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
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1
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d
e
f
g
h
White to move.
ANALYSIS [x]
Notes by Stockfish 9 v010218 (minimum 6s/ply) 6...d6 7.Qb3 Qe7 8.d4 Bb6 9.Bb5 Bd7 10.Bxc6 bxc6 = -0.25 (35 ply) ⩲ +0.82 (26 ply)7...h6 was played in Allies vs Chigorin, 1891 (0-1)8.d5 was played in Chigorin vs Steinitz, 1889 (1-0) 10.d5 Nd8 11.Na3 a6 12.Be2 b5 13.Bxb5 Nxd5 14.Nc4 Qc5 = +0.31 (28 ply)= -0.49 (25 ply) after 10...exd4 11.cxd4 Bb6 12.Qc3 h6 13.Bh4 Ng6 14.Bg3 Qe7 12.Nbd2 Qh5 13.Bxe7 Nxe7 14.Nf1 Ng6 15.Ng3 Qg4 16.a4 Nf4 = 0.00 (29 ply) 12...Nxe5 13.Nxe5 Qxg5 14.Nf3 Qc5 15.Qxc5 Bxc5 16.Nbd2 ⩱ -1.24 (28 ply)= +0.11 (26 ply)better is 16.Qb2 Bg4 17.Bg3 Rad8 18.Qc2 d5 19.Bd3 Qh6 20.Re1 Bb6 = +0.33 (24 ply)= -0.23 (24 ply) 18.Re1 Na5 19.Be2 Nec6 20.Qc2 Bd7 21.Nh4 Qf6 22.Nb3 Nxb3 = +0.14 (23 ply)-+ -4.63 (28 ply)27.Qd5+ Qxd5 28.exd5 Bxf2 29.Ne4 Bb6 30.a4 Nh4 31.a5 -+ -11.48 (25 ply)0-1

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
FEN COPIED

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Given 24 times; par: 37 [what's this?]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Nov-26-07  PADutchImprover: Chigorin seems to have played badly. I haven't submitted the game to computer, but

11 dxe5 ends up being very weak--White's poor pawn structure gives Black targets and room to operate. 6. d4 instead of 6. 0-0 seems necessary in order to keep the pressure on black and maintain initiative.

17 Bg3 and 18 h3 enable a nice pin by black.

24 Rf3 seems like another miscalculation.

Feb-28-08  Knight13: Chigorin did OK; they both got slapped around when faced with the Evans Gambit.

It's just the 18. h3?? part that's annoying.

Aug-30-08  JimmyVermeer: It doesn't annoy me that Chigorin played badly. His mistake serves as a lesson to the rest of us. h3 wasn't Chigorin's only mistake, but it was the one that put Steinitz in control of the game.
Jan-08-10  Zilon: 17. Bg3 and then 18. h3 simply looses a piece! How could a contestor for the world championship make such a mistake?
Jan-08-10  markwell: Vodka.
Jan-31-10  kibitzwc: (1386) Chigorin,Mikhail - Steinitz,William [C52]
World Championship 2nd Havana (5), 27.01.1889
[Fritz 12 (30s)]
C52: Evans Gambit Accepted: 5 c3 Ba5 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.0–0 Qf6 7.d4 Nge7 8.Bg5 Qd6 9.Qb3 0–0 10.Rd1 Bb6 11.dxe5 Qg6 12.Qa3 Re8 13.Nbd2 d6 14.exd6 cxd6 15.Bf4 Bc5 16.Qc1 Bg4 last book move 17.Bg3 Rad8 18.h3?? [¹18.Qc2³] 18...Bxf3–+ 19.Nxf3 Qxg3 20.Kh1 [20.Qd2 Ne5 21.Nxe5 Qxe5–+ (21...dxe5? 22.Qxd8 Qxf2+ 23.Kh1 Qg1+ 24.Rxg1 Rxd8 25.Rgf1 ) ] 20...Qg6 [20...Bxf2 21.Rd3 Qg6 22.Qd2–+] 21.Rd3 [21.Qc2 Na5 22.Bd3 Nec6–+] 21...Qf6 [21...Bxf2 22.Qd2 Bb6 23.Rf1–+] 22.Qd2 [22.Qc2 Ng6 23.Rd5 Nce5–+] 22...Ng6 23.Ng5 [23.Rd5 Rxe4 24.Bd3–+] 23...Nce5 24.Rf3 Nxf3 25.Bxf7+ [25.Nxf3 Nf4 26.Bd5–+] 25...Qxf7 26.gxf3 Qc4 [26...Qc4 27.Qd5+ Qxd5 28.exd5 Re2–+] 0–1
Apr-30-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  Richard Taylor: Chigorin was a great player but known to make blunders (as Steinitz did occasionally)...mind you I saw Carlsen blunder in a fairly simple position (deceptive is chess!)....
May-01-15  john barleycorn: Chigorin may have blundered a few times however the dispute with Steinitz in the Evans gambit was very much in Chigorin's favour:

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches...

+13 -6 =5 according to this database for Chigorin.

And Steinitz in his "Modern Chess Instructor" held the Evans in high esteem as a real challenge to his principles of chess play.

Mar-05-16  lentil: Waddaya mean played badly?!" Chigorin LOST A PIECE.
May-04-18  thegoodanarchist: Chigorin's play was simply atrocious. Any master today would avoid 18. h3??
Sep-02-19  Chesgambit: chigorin blunder 18. h3 ??
Apr-25-20  joddon: Steinitz at his best...no doubt anybody looks so ready....like Kasparov...very very ready!!
May-19-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  Check It Out: Casablanca Chess: Carlsen vs Anand and Nakamura vs Bassem Amin in Casablanca, Morocco played from this game, white to play move 11.

Naka and Carslsen squashed their opponents quickly, unlike Chigorin.

Jun-07-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  kingscrusher: Humans are just humans. Our current world champion at time of this post did blunder to a mate in 2:

Carlsen vs Ding Liren, 2024

Jun-12-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  Bishoprick: I played chess once at the St. Petersburg Chess Club against one of the locals. I lost, but it didn't matter. I was at one of the great shrines of chess! The only disturbing fact were postersized photos of the world champions. In first place, in front of Steinitz, was Chigorin. But that was still in Soviet times.

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