Hi there.
In this lecture, we see an absolutely iconic game of Wilhelm Steinitz against Kurt von Bonderman in
1895, Hastings Tournament, Round ten.
So this is actually it's considered one of the most beautiful wins in the piano in the history of chess,
actually.
So let's have a look at it.
E4 from Steinitz, E5 Knights, F3 96, Bishop C4.
And now when Black plays Bishop C5, we have the general piano C4 8/9 f6 d4 e tanks d4 c tanks d4 Bishop
b4 check noise c4 in here.
Black goes slightly wrong with this move.
D5 It seems a little bit too ambitious with the king still in the center.
So we do get a lesson for the King kind of in the center or trying to manually cancel shortly after
a key move here.
It seems Knight takes E4.
It seems from one perspective it's a bit greedy, but actually if one consoles Black could take on C,
C3 D5 and here Bishop f6 and we get a situation where at least Black's going to Castle and this bishop's
kind of at the moment blocked in by the pawn, the knight might come usefully to G6 and it should be
overall equal.
That was a way of actually playing the position.
Knight takes E4, but D5 is a little bit of a mistake in inaccuracy.
He takes the E5 night, takes D5 and white now just consoles.
We have Bishop E6 here if Knight sight C free here B tanks and let's say Bishop tank C3 the king still
in the sensor in this variation and actually there's a very promising move here.
Can you spot what that is for 100 points.
So this is just the variation which didn't occur.
Yeah, we can actually play Queen B free looking at F7 and if Bishop takes A1 because if Bishop A5 that's
not particularly good here.
After Bishop a free check this position Bishop takes before Knight takes b4 Rook have one thing things
like rookie eight Bishop D7 and here this is just going to be a big position for one of the 95 check.
So let's imagine they immediately take on A1.
Bishop takes f7 Shank King, F-8 Bishop A3 97 and here Bishop G is strong.
So what does Black actually do here?
The Frances Queen of Southern mating.
And.
The thing is.
There's also.
Some strong ideas relating to taking a 95.
This is a very precarious.
If taking on gate 95 threatens maids and this is pretty awkward this position with queen and free you
can see how awkward this is, but I find we're just going to slap that off.
So that's pretty awkward.
Thanks, guys.
So let's imagine Queenie ain't.
But now rookie one bishop takes the evil rook, takes E7, and this is very unpleasant.
Queen up seven is checkmate So very unpleasant variations would result from Knight.
Take three, it seems, which demonstrates some of the issues with the king's thought in the center.
So Bishop e sinks was played.
We have Bishop G five here, an alternative which is quite good as well as rookie one If Black Castles
allowed Castle Knight G five and if Bishop take C three, the point would be queen differing so France
thing might here If g six knight takes E6 and black is saddled with a weak E6 pawn.
So this is actually a strong continuation for whites against you know with best play it seems actually
this this is just leading to an advantage for white.
So something has gone wrong but Bishop G5 is a good move as well.
Rookie one might actually be more accurate.
We have a mistake though, so this is actually a rewarded by a mistake.
Bishop e7 Black should have played Knight take C free this position B tanks Bishop e seven.
Why has D5 of the bishop takes G5, D takes E6 and say black cancels?
Because if F takes this Queen B free and this position is nice for white, but say black castles E takes
have seven check and it should be an advantage for white hair.
So yes, 19 C4 is not really helping F6 does that help Rookie one it's actually this position is also
it's in White's favor so say Queen thanks B seven that's in its favor.
So what can Black do?
Queen D seven here Knight takes Bishop takes Queen B3, Bishop takes F3, Queen takes F3.
This is actually a situation where White is also doing well.
But yeah, if we look at this again, what about Castling Rook 81 And here it's also it's only a small
edge.
So this variation is one of the more promising.
So with Queen D seven.
So Queen D seven can be a good option if followed up correctly.
But in the game we have a mistake, kind of an inaccuracy move.
And this really gives one a very interesting situation.
Bishop takes D5.
Bishop takes D5 because if Bishop takes G5 here, we can insert, Bishop takes E6 and after D5 we're
getting an advantage here with Knight text E5.
So if Black Castle's Knight takes G5, Queen takes G5, 967 is greedy, but it is the way to get an
advantage here.
So for example, checking a 96 Forks, a lot of things.
So okay, so Bishop takes D5, Knight takes the E5 Queen 65.
Bishop takes seven 1987 and now Rookie one.
We have now the move f6
if.
See six here.
Rookie free.
This is pleasant enough for Queenie too.
If Queen dies 795 gaining a tempo and queen a four track And this is annoying Queen before.
What does Blanton do in this situation if black councils Queen Saxby seven with advantage.
If black plays Rook b eight.
We actually have a neat tactic here.
Can you see what that is for?
Ten points?
We've got a neat tactic here in this line.
Yeah, nine.
Take six.
The Queen's overloaded book takes E seven check and this position.
So we're doing very well indeed.
And we can even win the Queen tactically.
So yeah, there are interesting situations.
Basically in a nutshell here, if.
Queen D seven had been just lead to the 95.
Yeah, and it's trouble.
So Queen her queen, Queen a and queen before.
Now you might ask, what about?
Trying to justify the Queen on D7, Queen B5 93, head Queen 8795.
We've gained something every night on C5, Queen, G4 and White has a bigger edge here.
This is unpleasant to say the least.
So okay, we have the F6 being played.
Queen C2 Sorry.
Queen E rather.
Now this is.
There's actually in this situation objectively.
So the king is in the centre with the knight pinned.
Objectively, there's actually even a stronger continuation in Queenie.
So it does look very logical.
But Queen A4 check c6 Queen b4 looks like a pattern.
We've just seen a variation and it's very dangerous here.
Because if Queen D seven, guess what?
We can play on this possession for ten points.
Yeah, we can just knock out ee seven, then play Rocky one Pinning the Queen.
Now, if we look at this again.
With Queen D seven.
Queen before King of seven, we can now be seven.
And this situation C seven is a bit vulnerable and here D5 is now a bit vulnerable.
So this situation is going to lead also to an advantageous situation, but not as beautiful as what
happens in the game.
B5 Here there's Queen before and that's unfortunate.
Again, we're running into that, Black's running into that mother.
But anyway, what happens is the game is actually supremely beautiful.
So let's go back to the game now.
Queen E two does look like logical move.
Queen D seven, Rook AC one.
And we have now a terrible mistake that needed to play.
King of Southern Black played CSX.
So this is trying to stabilize the position against certain moves.
Sure.
But King F7 was very much needed here.
Say Queenside to 95.
This should be kind of stable, actually, which is why, you know, the importance of mentioning the
other variations, because if Black had played like this, it does look like a quality is reached.
The Kings on that seven is not entirely terrible.
There's an isolated Queen's pawn.
So yeah, there is a great importance for the attacking player to play as accurately as possible.
Accuracy will scale you up against stronger and stronger opponents.
So of course, Kasparov, one of the greatest, you know, attacking players of all time, is also one
of the most accurate in relatively complex positions.
So yeah, King of someone was very much needed.
If we try and knight the to this position queen die free again, we're just running into a fairly even
position.
Actually Black can afford this position.
Let's play but in the game C6.
And this is slow now.
So guess how Steinitz.
Makes use of this C six move, which is a bit of a waste of time.
So we need menacing pieces around the king and that happens now.
With so about 200 points.
Okay.
D5 it vacates the D4 square, so we've stopped Queens Pawn for a new resource.
The knight being able to come to use D4 these square vacation moves.
Yeah.
To be celebrated.
They give you new resources.
You're swapping kind of pawns for pieces for peace pressure.
We have C tanks d5 if King f7 here, D tanks, B tanks, Queen C for check.
And here This is troublesome because of night d4 So say rook hd 819 C six is is possible.
This position is actually possible because we just reinforce here and we're then 95 check in Queen Nancy
eight potentially so this possession to defend with the knight but b4 one has a big advantage so anyway
C takes D5 though was played so the knight comes to that beautiful D4 square King f7 and now this is
very different 96 and entrenched knight on E6 is driving the attack here now now Black tries to exploit
White's weak back row There's no heir for the king so that's interesting.
If Rook AC eight then actually there's a strong move in Queen G4 So say Knight's have five.
So this is interesting.
Queen Sykes wrote.
Thanks wrote.
Thanks Queen.
Thanks is possible Check.
But then black gets obliterated.
It's possible now, but black gets obliterated.
So Rukeyser doesn't seem to do too much after this.
The point is here, if G six, g five check is looking at the queen.
And the thing is, if the king goes back here, Rook takes the eight check and not the nine spins.
So we're actually winning the queen.
You know queen, We're winning the queen.
There's no recapture.
So, yes, it seems as though that is a disaster.
This is a total disaster.
And if Rook II, we just play, basically, we just play.
For example, 1987.
It's possible.
So Queens Heights Knights were just a piece up.
So anyway, the other route was was played.
Now, this does have a weakness of the last move.
It has weakened eight seven.
So blacks have pawn up once King hasn't got any air.
So you might think, well, this is a bit tricky.
Queen G four is played G six here.
If Rook takes C one.
The problem here is Queen takes G seven Shank and Queen Chapman.
So G six is played, but now 9g5 shank.
So the king has to go back to protect the queen.
And then there's a very beautiful combination indeed, and iconic combination.
In fact, it's so beautiful.
It's iconic.
So it's playing here.
And what would you play in this position?
Okay.
It's actually Rook E7 check.
Now, King Effect was played.
If Queen takes E7, that's ruled out.
Rook takes eight, and we're winning the rook over there.
Fine.
We're going to be a piece up, and there's no back room, mate.
Opportunity Black hasn't got King f7.
So we're just going to be a piece up if King takes.
Okay, there's rookie one check and on King D 896 check and this position Knight C five check And we've
just won the queen thanks very much And we're going to win the rook on K as well If King takes we're
going to play Rook C one check and win on K winning the house.
So yes, this, this is unpleasant, basically this situation, but otherwise we're just going to win
that queen.
If the king moves away, it's fine.
If King dissects Queen B four, check this position, Rookie six Check is vicious.
So this was a shoot.
We're going to win B winning material.
So it's out of the question.
Yeah, you can see why now King of fight was preferred perhaps, but here things get really clever.
So why can't take on D7 because of the back row stuff.
So if we if we take on seven, you know, this is backward mating
and the other way, you know, we're back cremated.
So in fact.
We have a seven check.
Really ingenious move.
King Eight of queen takes F seven.
Then we're looking at eight here.
We take on eight fans.
Very much so, King G eight.
But now it gets even more remarkable.
Can you see what is played here for ten points?
Yeah.
Rook G7.
So neither Queen or king can take.
If the king takes, we get this with check.
So we've got time.
We're not getting back from Mated.
And if queen takes, we're taking on sea.
Ain't so a king H.
Hey, but now guess what the final little touch is.
You know, Rook takes H seven check and the game ended here.
So Kirkman Baldwin, as the stories go, he just let his time out, his time run out.
According to Edward Windsor, a very well known chess historian.
So Steinitz demonstrated immediately after.
Can actually make in ten moves.
There's like a forced checkmate in ten moves here.
So let's now see the false checkmate King G Ain't Rook G seven.
So we've chipped away the H pawn, so we've got an access route on the H file because that H was chipped
away.
So this is different to before now.
Queen H four check is possible.
King tanks are now.
Yeah.
We can't allow Rook take C one.
This has to sort of run with checks.
KING If a queen, h h Hank King E seven, Queen G seven check.
And here if King E eight.
Well, let's say King D six.
First queen takes F six check.
Queen E six is mating.
So.
King eight.
Queen g H, King E seven.
Queen F seven.
Checking the eight.
Queen f8.
Check, Queenie eight.
And here can you see the final checkmate from this position?
It might be so the whole thing.
Well done.
Everything's 97 check, and that gives us 26.
Checkmate.
Yeah.
So there's kind of a stern warning about slight inaccuracies from black in this opening.
Yoko, your grand piano?
Yeah.
The stern warning is basically, you know, to be careful about a move like D5 to start off with.
It could be the start of terrible things happening, but it was compounded by some other key mistakes,
to be fair.
So, yes, there were some other key mistakes like Bishop e seven where, you know, Queen D seven seems
one of the more promising moves.
But anyway, nevertheless, it created a beautiful game, but one of the big compounding mistakes,
because once Queenie too, wasn't entirely accurate it seems Queen A4 chat lines very dangerous.
But yeah, Black had to play in this situation.
King of seven.
So this was a really I'm implying the earlier inaccuracies even more leading to dynamic play of sacrificing
the pawn.
So all carried out with the king without much heir.
So an incredible achievement of beautiful achievements on the chessboard.
And you know, these iconic attacking games are more than worth more than just points on the tomb and
cross tables.
They're just treasures.
They're just chess treasures for future generations.
So, yes, I hope you enjoyed this game.
Got some points from it.
Think about square vacation resources.
Think about forcing moves.
Beautiful possibilities demonstrated.
Okay, that's much.