World Chess Championship 1892

The fourth World Chess Championship was held in Havana between January 1 and February 28, 1892. Defending champion William Steinitz narrowly defeated challenger Mikhail Chigorin.

Match

World Chess Championship Match 1892
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Points Wins
 Mikhail Chigorin (Russian Empire) 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 1 1 ½ 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 ½ 0 0 10½ 8
 William Steinitz (United States) 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 0 0 ½ 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 ½ 1 1 12½ 10

The match was to last twenty games; the first player to score 10½ points or win ten games would be the champion. In the event of a 10–10 tie after 20 games the players would continue until one of them had won ten games. If it reached a score of nine wins each, the match would end in a draw and the defending champion Steinitz would retain the title. After twenty games the score was 10–10 with each player having eight wins, so the players continued until one had won ten games. Game 21 was drawn, but Steinitz won games 22 and 23 to win the match and retain the title.

Decisive mistakes

1. Steinitz–Chigorin, Game 22

abcdefgh
8
a8 black rook
d8 black queen
f8 black rook
g8 black king
a7 black pawn
b7 black bishop
c7 black pawn
d7 black knight
e7 black bishop
f7 black pawn
g7 black pawn
h7 black pawn
b6 black pawn
e6 black pawn
f6 black knight
d5 black pawn
g5 white bishop
c4 white pawn
d4 white pawn
c3 white knight
e3 white pawn
f3 white knight
a2 white pawn
b2 white pawn
e2 white bishop
f2 white pawn
g2 white pawn
h2 white pawn
c1 white rook
d1 white queen
e1 white king
h1 white rook
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
Chigorin errs with 9.cxd5 Nxd5?
2. Chigorin–Steinitz, Game 23

abcdefgh
8
a7 black pawn
b7 black pawn
e7 white rook
h7 black pawn
d6 white bishop
e6 white knight
f6 black king
g6 black bishop
d5 white pawn
f5 black pawn
h4 black pawn
a2 white pawn
b2 white pawn
d2 black rook
e2 black rook
h2 white pawn
f1 white rook
h1 white king
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
32. Bb4?? loses the match

In game 22 Chigorin blundered on move 9 losing a pawn and ultimately the game. (See diagram 1.) Playing black, Chigorin adopted the variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined later known as the Tartakower Defense. 9. cxd5 Nxd5? An elementary error that loses a pawn.[1] 10. Nxd5 Bxd5 11. Bxe7 Qxe7 12. Rxc7 Qd6 13. Rc3 Bxa2? When making his 9th move Chigorin may have expected this capture would regain the pawn, but the bishop will be trapped.[1] 14. e4 Qb4 15. Qa1 Bb3 16. Nd2 Bc2 17. Rc4 Qd6 18. Rxc2 Qxd4 19. O-O Down a piece, Chigorin resigned after White's 49th move.[2]

As White in game 23 Chigorin was behind eight wins to nine and played the aggressive King's Gambit.[1] Steinitz defended poorly and was in a hopeless endgame (see diagram 2).[1] A piece up, Chigorin should have won after 32. Rxb7 (32...Rxd5? 33. Nf4 forks the black rooks).[1] Instead the game and match ended suddenly when Chigorin blundered with 32. Bb4?? Rxh2+ White resigns, as Black will mate on the next move.[1][3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Pachman, Ludĕk (1972) [English trans. 1975, Dover ed. 1987], Decisive Games in Chess History, Dover, pp. 1–2, ISBN 0-486-25323-6
  2. Wilhelm Steinitz vs Mikhail Chigorin, 1892 WC Match Game 22 at chessgames.com
  3. Mikhail Chigorin vs Wilhelm Steinitz, 1892 WC Match Game 23 at chessgames.com
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