Steinitz Gambit : Irregular Chess Openings - Part 6

Welcome to Part 6 of Irregular Chess Openings miniseries. Part 5 focused on The Fianchetto. This lesson will explain The Steinitz Gambit.

Game XV.—STEINITZ GAMBIT.

Between W. Steinitz and J. W. Zukertort.

Mr. William Steinitz v Mr. Johannes Hermann Zukertort

WHITE.  (Mr. S.)	BLACK.  (Mr. Z.)
1. P. to K's 4th.	1. P. to K's 4th.
2. Kt. to Q. B's 3d.	2. Kt. to Q. B's 3d.
3. P. to B's 4th.	3. P. takes P.
4. P. to Q's 4th.	4. Q. to R's 5th. (ch.)
5. K. to K's 2d.	5. P. to Q's 4th.[A]
6. P. takes P.	6. B. to Kt's 5th. (ch.)
7. Kt. to B's 3d.	7. Castles.
8. P. takes Kt.	8. B. to Q. B's 4th.
9. P. takes P. (ch.)	9. K. to Kt's sq.
10. Kt. to Kt's 5th.[B]	10. Kt. to B's 3d.
11. K. to Q's 3d.[C]	11. Q. to R's 4th.
12. K. to B's 3d.	12. B. takes P. (ch.)[D]
13. Q. Kt. takes B.	13. Q. to B's 4th. (ch.)
14. K. to Kt's 3d.	14. Q. to Kt's 3d. (ch.)
15. B. to Kt's 5th.	15. B. takes Kt.
16. Q. takes B.	16. R. takes Kt.
17. Q. to B's 6th.	17. Q. to R's 4th.
18. P. to B's 3d.	18. R. to Q's 3d.
19. Q. to B's 4th.	19. P. to Kt's 4th.
20. K to B's 2d.	20. Resigns.[E]

[A] The ingenious attack instituted hereby was invented by Zukertort.

[B] 10. P. takes B., Kt. to B's 3d!; 11. Q. takes R. (ch.), obtains three pieces for the Q., but loses the game. Q. to K's sq., here or on the following move, offers the only defense.

[C] Zukertort's analysis, which filled pages and pages of the Neue Berliner Schachzeitung, considered every conceivable move of White's down to P. to Q. R's 3d, but this one, upon which, in conjunction with the following K. move, Steinitz rested his gambit. 11. P. to B's 3d has been refuted in an elaborate analysis by Mr. Walter Penn Shipley, of Philadelphia.

[D] Black wins here by,

12. ...	12. P. to Q. R's 3d.
13. K. to Kt's 3d.	13. P. takes Kt.
14. P. to B's 3d.	14. R. takes P.!
15. P. takes R.	15. Q. to Q's 4th. (ch.)
16. K. to B's 2d.	16. B. to B's 4th. (ch.)
17. K. to Q's 2d.	17. B. to Kt's 5th. (ch.)
18. K. to K's 2d.	18. Kt. to Kt's 5th.!

as played by Messrs. Honegger and Raubitscheck in a consultation game against Steinitz at the Metropolitan Chess Club, 1897. If, instead of K. to Kt's 3d, 13. Kt. takes P. Black wins by R. takes P.!.

[E] White has brought his K. into safety and will remain a piece ahead. Had Black, instead of his last move, pinned the B., the game would have proceeded as follows:

19. ...	19. R. to Kt's 3d.
20. P. to Q. R's 4th.	20. P. to Q. R's 3d.
21. B. takes P.	21. R. takes P.
22. K. to B's 2d.	22. P. takes B.
23. P. takes P.	23. Q. takes P.
24. B. takes P. (ch.) and wins.

This lesson concludes my 6 part series on Irregular Chess Openings on the Learn to Play Chess blog. For you beginning chess students, I invite you go through my free online chess lessons. For you advanced chess players looking for a strategic advantage, I recommend you read through some of the other miniseries including The King's Knight's Opening, The King's Bishop's Opening, The King's Gambit, and The Queen's Gambit.