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ANNOTATED GAME
"The Battle of Hastings"
Wilhelm Steinitz (?) vs. Curt von Bardeleben (?)
Annotated by: tomwhufc (1200)
Chess opening: Giuoco Piano (C54), Greco's attack
Wilhelm Steinitz (?) vs. Curt von Bardeleben (?)
Annotated by: tomwhufc (1200)
Chess opening: Giuoco Piano (C54), Greco's attack
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17... cxd5 |
Steinitz has sacrificed the d- pawn in order to clear the d4 square for his knight. The time gained to bring the knight into the attack is worth more than one measly pawn. Notice how Von Bardeleben's rooks still stand on their original squares. | ||||
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18. Nd4 Kf7 19. Ne6 Rhc8 |
Steinitz now threatens to invade with 20.Rc7. | ||||
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20. Qg4 g6 |
Von Bardeleben must now guard against 21.Qxg7 Ke8 22.Qf8 checkmate | ||||
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21. Ng5+ Ke8 22. Rxe7+ |
Of course the Rook cannot be captured by the Queen (22...Qxe7 23.Rxc8 ) and 22...Kxe7 leads to 23.Re1 Kd6 24.Qb4 Kc7 25.Ne6 Kb8 26.Qf4 . But after Black's next move, every White piece is en prise, and mate is threatened on c1... | ||||
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22... Kf8 |
This is an extraordinary situation. Black can't capture the white rook, but white cant capture the black queen!!!!!!!!!!!If 22...Qxe7 23. Rxc8 ( or 22...Kxe7 23. Re1 Kd8 24. Ne6 ) wins for white, but Rxd7( or Qxd7) Rxc1 checkmate wins fro black. Thats what I call a bloody complicated position!Now a comical series of moves takes place, where Steinitz's impudent rook essentially thumbs its nose at Von Bardeleben's King. | ||||
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23. Rf7+ Kg8 |
Not.23...Kd8 24. Qxd7 . | ||||
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24. Rg7+ Kh8 |
No better is 24...Kf8 25.Nxh7 | ||||
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25. Rxh7+ Kg8 26. Rg7+ Kh8 |
Steinitz's checks haven't been without purpose, surprisingly!Now that Von Bardeleben h-pawn has been eliminated , Steinitz can bring the queen into the attack with check. White must not allow black to play Rxc1 , which mates quickly, so keepingthe black king in check is crucial. By replacing the harrasing rook with a marauding queen, white increases his attacking force by a decisive amount. | ||||
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27. Qh4+ Kxg7 28. Qh7+ Kf8 29. Qh8+ Ke7 30. Qg7+ Ke8 |
If 30...Kd6 31.Ne4 dxe4 32. Rd1 removes the mate threat and wins the black queen. | ||||
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31. Qg8+ Ke7 32. Qf7+ Kd8 33. Qf8+ Qe8 34. Nf7+ Kd7 35. Qd6# |
CHECKMATE! Von Bardeleben walked away from the board without playing out playing the final sequence which is bad manners but understandable. I know if I'd been in his shoes I would have been extremely frustrated by my inability to to move anything other than his king for so long! I hope you liked this game. I'm happy for positive and negative feedback aslong as its constructive criticism! and feel freee to leave comments. Thanks Tom | ||||
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