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Wilhelm Steinitz vs Mikhail Chigorin
Steinitz - Chigorin World Championship Match (1889), Havana CUB, rd 4, Jan-26
Queen Pawn Game: Anti-Torre (D02)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Feb-05-08  HNP: Interesting. Black seems to be already lost after 8...Nc6?
Feb-05-08  Shams: somebody should use this game to inaugurate a "WCC Match Game Opening Catastrophes" game collection. I hope Mikhail had a bottle of Stoli in his bag.
Feb-05-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: <Shams: somebody should use this game to inaugurate a "WCC Match Game Opening Catastrophes" game collection. I hope Mikhail had a bottle of Stoli in his bag.>

Hell, you could do a pretty large "Steinitz-Chigorin WCC Opening Catastrophes" collection.

Feb-27-08  Knight13: <Interesting. Black seems to be already lost after 8...Nc6?> ...Nc6 was a "Chigorin Thing...." He just had to play that; it was in his blood.
Feb-27-08  goldenbear: It seems to me that 8.Nc6 isn't so bad, provided that after 9.d5, then 9.Nd4. 9.exd5? is the real mistake I think.
Feb-27-08  goldenbear: Actually, I think 2.Bg4, 3.Bxf3, and 4.e6 are all weaker moves. As are 3.c4, certainly 5.cxd5?, and 6.e4. Nevertheless, I think Steinitz plays perfectly after 9.exd5?, which is the final mistake as far as I can tell.
Aug-26-08  JimmyVermeer: 20 Rxc7+ seems to be a faster win. The game might have continued 20 Rxc7+ Kb8 21 Bxe4 Qxb5+ 22 Ke1 Rd5 23 Bf4 Rd1+ 24 Kxd1 Rd8+ 25 Kc1 Ka8 26 Bxb7+ Qxb7 27 Rxb7 Nf7 28 Rxf7 Rc8+ 29 Kb2 Rc7 30 Qg2+ Rc6 31 Qxc6#
Aug-21-10  soothsayer8: 3...Bxf3, a bold assertion against Steinitz's belief that the bishop pair is stronger than the knight pair.
Jun-23-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Chessical: <20. Rxc7+> also wins after


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<20...Kb8> 21. Rxb7+ Qxb7 22. Bf4+ Ka8 23. Nc7+ Kb8 24. Nd5+ Kc8 25. Qc3+ Kd7 26. Nf6+ Ke7 27. Qe5+ Kf7 28. Bc4+ Kg7 (<28... Rd5> being equally hopeless) 29. Nd7+ Kg6 30. Qg5 mate.

May-28-15  mandor: Well, things are not so easy for white if 13. Ke2 and then 14.Kf1 due to Qb6-Qe6-Qh3 and things could change a lot depending on white reaction. From practical point of view, seems to me, a nice move 13. Qxf3!
May-28-15  mandor: But if white instead of 11.Ad3 plays simply 11.Rc1 the things go easy right? (there are threats to capture the queen if black bishop moves away with Nxd5 ..
Apr-25-20  joddon: the biggest tactical fight ever in a Championship game....tacticality at its very best...even Magnus never gets this tactical.....its the combination of Fischer with Petrossian in 1970, or Carlsen vs Curuana in 2018......very risky attempts to win early with chess psycholoigical attacks.
Apr-25-20
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <Shams: somebody should use this game to inaugurate a "WCC Match Game Opening Catastrophes" game collection....>

<keypusher: Hell, you could do a pretty large "Steinitz-Chigorin WCC Opening Catastrophes" collection.>

Given Steinitz' propensity for heroic defence in a manner even future title challenger Viktor Korchnoi would be hard put to emulate, that alone provides masses of material--too bloody easy.

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