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Mikhail Chigorin vs Wilhelm Steinitz
Steinitz - Chigorin Telegraph Match (1890), Telegraphic match, rd 2
Italian Game: Evans Gambit. Slow Variation (C52)  ·  1-0

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a
1
b
c
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)better is 7...h6 8.Be3 exd4 9.cxd4 Nge7 10.Nbd2 Bb6 11.d5 Ne5 = +0.22 (19 ply) ⩲ +0.72 (24 ply) after 8.d5 Nb8 9.Bd3 O-O 10.Bg5 Qg6 11.Be7 d6 12.Bxf8 Kxf8 8...Qg6 9.d5 Nd8 10.Bxd8 Kxd8 11.Nxe5 Qxe4 12.Re1 Qh4 = +0.37 (25 ply) ⩲ +1.31 (22 ply)better is 10.Nbd2 O-O 11.Rc1 c6 12.Bb3 b5 13.c4 Bb4 14.cxb5 cxb5 ⩲ +1.43 (24 ply) ⩲ +0.69 (25 ply) 11...Qg6 12.Be2 O-O 13.Be7 f6 14.Nc4 Re8 15.Ba3 Ndf7 ⩲ +0.66 (25 ply) ± +1.77 (21 ply)better is 12...Qb8 13.Nc4 d6 14.Rad1 O-O 15.dxc6 Nxc6 16.Nxd6 Qc7 ⩲ +0.96 (23 ply) ⩲ +1.48 (21 ply) after 13.Rad1 b5 14.Qb3 O-O 15.dxc6 Qxc6 16.Nxb5 Rb8 17.Qd5 13...Qg6 14.Rad1 f6 15.Bxh6 b5 16.Qa3 gxh6 17.d6 Bb8 ± +1.79 (23 ply)+- +2.65 (24 ply) after 14.Qd1 b5 15.d6 bxc4 16.dxc7 Ne6 17.Bxc4 Nxg5 18.Nxg5 d5 17...Bc7 18.Na8 Rxa8 19.Qxa8 Ke7 20.Ba3+ c5 21.Bc4 d6 ⩲ +1.27 (21 ply)+- +3.69 (22 ply)better is 22.Nxf6+ gxf6 23.Nh4 b6 24.Nf5 Rb7 25.Qa8 Bb8 26.Bxe6 +- +5.72 (24 ply)+- +2.60 (27 ply)38...Rd7 39.c4 e4 40.c5 Qf6 41.Rb1 Qe5 42.Kh1 e3 43.fxe3 +- +8.10 (24 ply)1-0

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

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Given 45 times; par: 59 [what's this?]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Apr-25-03  Elrathia Kingi: This is the cable game that was mirrored in Gunsberg vs Steinitz, 1890 Steinitz claimed that his defence of the Evan's Gambit could, with best play for white, result in at the least a draw. The game with Gunsburg occurred while this game was adjourned at move 16. Steinitz lost both that game and this one. In review of other Chigorin-Steinitz games with Evan's gambit, Steinitz never again plays this defence, instead opting for 6...d6 (the more commonly accepted defence). What was Steinitz's miscalculation with this defence? Would 12...Qc5 be superior to the move in the text?
Apr-26-03  dima: Why can't i view the Chigorin vs Steinitz game?
Apr-26-03
Premium Chessgames Member
  chessgames.com: Not sure. You might want to try a different java viewer? Anybody else have problem seeing this one?
Aug-06-03  PVS: <What was Steinitz's miscalculation with this defence? Would 12...Qc5 be superior to the move in the text?>

If 12...Qc5 13.Nc4 Qf8 14.Bxd8 Kxd8 15.Nxe5 f6 16.dxe

Aug-07-03  Cyphelium: PVS> Or just 12.- Qc5 13. Nc4 Qf8 14. Nxb6. (This capture is also playable in move 15 in your variation above, so 14.- Kxd8 is an error and should be replaced by 14.- Bxd8.)
Aug-07-03  PVS: Thank you for pointing it out, Cyphelium. I suspect I made a mess of the whole thing and meant to suggest a line beginning with 12...Bc5.
Jun-26-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  Peligroso Patzer: This was one of two games played by cable between Steinitz and Chigorin in 1890. As related by Kasparov in volume 1 of My Great Predecessors, at p. 79, these games were played to test assertions made by Steinitz in The Modern Chess Instructor with regard to the soundness of certain opening variations, which were required to be played in these games. This game (Evans Gambit) is analyzed by Kasparov in My Great Predecessors, but the other game (a Two Knights Defense) is not analyzed by Kasparov, and it is not currently in the CG database. Here are the moves of that other game, as set forth in Sid Pickard’s collection of Steinitz’s games (in which it appears as game #1002):

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Be2 h6 9. Nh3 Bc5 10. d3 0-0 11. Nc3 Nd5 12. Na4 Bd6 13. Ng1 f5 14. c3 Bd7 15. d4 e4 16. c4 Ne7 17. Nc3 Be6 18. b3 Bb4 19. Bb2 f4 20. Qc2 Qxd4 21. Kf1 f3 22. gxf3 exf3 23. Bxf3 Bf5 24. Ne4 Bxe4 25. Qe2 Bxf3 26. Qe6+ Kh7 27. Bxd4 Bxh1 28. Qh3 Nf5 29. Be5 Rae8 30. Bf4 Nd4 31. Qd3+ Be4 32. Qxd4 Rxf4 33. f3 Ref8 34. Qxa7 c5 35. Qc7 Nc6 36. a3 Rxf3+ 37. Nxf3 Rxf3+ 38. Kg1 Bd2 0-1.

Jun-26-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  Peligroso Patzer: For the sake of clarity, I should have noted in my previous post that in the Two Knights Defense game, Steinitz was White, and Chigorin had Black.
Sep-22-10  sevenseaman: Wasn't it Steinitz who gave the humble pawn its due?
Jul-30-11  64rutor: I recommend reading what Isaac Lipnitsky writes about this game in his outstanding book Questions of Modern Chess Theory.
May-22-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  GrahamClayton: <Elrathia Kingi> What was Steinitz's miscalculation with this defence?

<Elrathia Kingi> 6..Qf6 just asks for the Queen to be attacked with tempo after 7. d4 and 8. Bg5. White has a winning percentage of 54% in the CG database after 6...Qf6.

54%

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