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Mikhail Chigorin vs Wilhelm Steinitz
Steinitz - Chigorin World Championship Match (1889), Havana CUB, rd 15, Feb-21
Italian Game: Evans Gambit. Slow Variation (C52)  ·  0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Sep-19-06  Confuse: Kramnik comments that black has a hopeless position from move 14 onwards, interesting no ? : )
Nov-17-06  thegoodanarchist: yes, Black gets in trouble with his stubbornly dogmatic ...Qf6 move, and only the does he begin to play like a world champion.

But why dig yourself a hole like that??

Feb-28-08  Knight13: Because Chigorin messed up. He wasn't the only one losing won games, you know.
May-10-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: 35....Rd3 is a pretty move by Steinitz. Better to develop your rooks by move 33 than not at all.
May-28-08  PolishPentium: It seems that 13 Bxe7 was premature. 13 d6 appears preferable...
May-28-08  PolishPentium: Also, 27 Nf5+. Rd3 needs to come later, methinks.
Aug-30-10  soothsayer8: I can't believe Steinitz won this game...Look at that weak opening!
Oct-16-10  chowie01: Chigorin is pure genius. Even when he loses.
Oct-16-10  owbsa: I have always believed in Steiniz even when his position looked terrible!!
Jul-14-12  King.Arthur.Brazil: The black has some resources... after 27...Bb7, seemed the white wins, but this is not easy. After 28.Nf5+ Kh8 (not Kg8 because Tg3 gets an extra tempo for a dangerous attack), 29.Th3 Ng5, 29.Tg3 (or 29.Ne7) then 29...Qe8, followed if possible with Qg6 and white attack desappears. 28.f4! seems good, but again the same Qe8 and Qg6 protects black king. So for me, the best reply is 28. Te1!(28...Qxd6?? Nf5+; 28...Nxd4?? Te7+, so the 2 black treats has no meaning.) 28...Qe8 29.Tg3+ Kh8 (now black cant reply Ng5... because Rxe8)30. Qh6 Qf7 (forced)31.Nf5... treating Ne8. If 31...Tg8 32 T1e3. But in my opinion, the position is not clear for white's thriumph. So Chingorin Nxe6 cannot be regarded directly as error.
Jul-14-12  brankat: Although Steinitz was not afraid of cramped and dubious defensive systems, and did have a considerable success with them, Chigorin had clearly had a bad day.
Jul-20-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: Steinitz was one stubborn player at times-here we see one of his numerous tries with 6....Qf6 in this match. It's a wonder that he scored any points at all in this line with the dreadful positions he reached. Black's last three moves form a simple, though nice overloading sequence to end Chigorin's resistance.
Jul-20-12  bobbyjones1234: awesome
Nov-18-14  RandomWords: Unbelievable that Chigorin manages to lose this game! There have to be major improvements in White's play after the opening phase!
Apr-11-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  Richard Taylor: They played the Evans and the Tchigorin several times and the opening is far from weak although the best response to the Evans seems to be 5. ... Bd6

Tchigorin was surely winning here. He was, also, prone to blunders. I wouldn't say he was a "romantic" player, he was innovative and he persisted with the Evans. This line Steinitz plays is not as bad as it looks, as he won a number and Tchigorin won a number but they might have tried other lines in it...

22. Ne5+ has been given as a winning method.

Apr-12-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  Richard Taylor: 22. Ne5+ is a forced win but Tchigorin had a lot of ways to win earlier. This was an interesting match. In the early games Steinitz blundered in one game then Tchigorin seemed to fade in good positions and blundered also. He was known for unaccountable blunders according to an oldish book I have on World Championships...

However it was good to see the Evans Gambit and Tchigorin's own defence being used a lot.

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