[Event "Hastings International Masters"] [Site "Hastings"] [Date "1895.08.17"] [Round "10"] [White "Steinitz, William"] [Black "Von Bardeleben, Curt"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C54"] [Annotator "Tartakower/du Mont/Reti"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "1895.08.05"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "21"] [EventCountry "GBR"] [SourceTitle "MainBase"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceVersion "2"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,49,31,28,18,18,29,15,9,39,-7,-11,7,-17,0,-20,79,81,99,66,73,41,105,112,85,95,103,102,122,112,94,79,81,87,139,125,114,111,117,109,212,207,207,217,215,222,371,373,373,421,478,478] C54: Giuoco Piano: 4 c3 Nf6, main lines with 5 d4 and 5 d3 Sources: Knaurs Schachbuch, vier Jahrhunderte Schach in Meisterpartien,1997, pp.37-39. The feature of the following game is how White fastened on a small weakness in the enemy's camp and how, by skilful manoeuvring, he prevented him from castling. Never relaxing his grip, he wound up the game with one of the most beautiful and esthetically satisfying combinations ever devised on the chessboard.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 {A move already advocated by Greco the Calabrese in 1619, by which White offers to give up a pawn for the attack. 7....} d5 {The usual and better course here is Nxe4 ; d5 avoids the theoretical duel because he doesn't want to run into the knife of his opponent, who is armed with a house analysis. A behavior that is also practiced by today's masters: faced with a surprise and in the certainty of stepping on a mine if they embark on the theoretically recommended continuation, they look for a playable move that has not been (or little) prepared by the opponent. Black mus not hope to gain a pawn.} 8. exd5 {White has come out of the preliminary skirmish with a pawn in the centre. Even though it is isolated, this pawn will prove a tower of strength. 8....} Nxd5 9. O-O Be6 ({After this move which, to all appearances, is perfectly sound, Black loses his chance of castling. He should, at all cost, have played} 9... Bxc3 {, and then completed his development.}) 10. Bg5 Be7 11. Bxd5 Bxd5 12. Nxd5 Qxd5 13. Bxe7 Nxe7 14. Re1 {After this orgy of exchanges, Black finds himself unable to castle. With his next moves he tries to get his king into safety by "artificial castling," but it takes too much time. The point of all the exchanges, as by this move White obtains command of the board, prevents Black from castling, and initiates a most powerful attack on the king.14....} f6 15. Qe2 Qd7 16. Rac1 c6 ({It would have been preferable to play} 16... Kf7 {, as White had then nothing better than} 17. Qxe7+ Qxe7 18. Rxe7+ Kxe7 19. Rxc7+ {followed by ?xb7, and Black has still a prospect of a draw.}) 17. d5 {A fine vacating sacrifice. The d4 is made available for the knight, thus greatly intensifying the attack. 17....} cxd5 18. Nd4 Kf7 {Black has almost castled, but not quite.} 19. Ne6 Rhc8 20. Qg4 g6 21. Ng5+ Ke8 {[#]} 22. Rxe7+ {An amazing situation! All White's pieces are en prise, and Black threatens .... ?xc1#. Yet he cannot take the checking rook, 22...?xe7 23.?xc8+ ?xc8 24.?xc8+, and White remains a piece ahead. The variations resulting from 22....?xe7 show the astounding degree of precision, which was required of White's calculations, before he could venture on the move in the text, e.g. 22....?xe7 23.?e1+ ?d6 24.?b4+ (neither 24.Re6+ ?c5 nor 24.?f4+ ?c5 would do) ...?c5 (or 24....?c7 25. ?e6+ ?b8 26. ?f4+ and wins) 25.?c6+ and wins. In this beautiful combination the rook remains en prise for several moves until Black, compelled to capture it, succumbs to a mating finish. 22....} Kf8 23. Rf7+ Kg8 24. Rg7+ {(RR See note below.) 24....} Kh8 25. Rxh7+ ({Some comments mention the unpleasant incident that after the 25th move Black resigned by leaving the tournament hall without saying a word, never to be seen again. It must be noted that the Berlin bohemian Curt von Bardenleben was one of those people who should not be judged by the usual standards. He was a completely unworldly dreamer, plagued by all kinds of fears. This disagrees with the game notes in "The Hastings Chess Tournament" published in 1896. On page 158 Tarrasch shows Black resigning on the 25th move with the following comment: "Mr. Steinitz (at the time) demonstrated the following brilliant and remarkable mate in ten moves:} 25. Rxh7+ {[#]} Kg8 26. Rg7+ Kh8 (26... Kf8 27. Nh7+ {etc.}) 27. Qh4+ Kxg7 28. Qh7+ Kf8 29. Qh8+ Ke7 30. Qg7+ Ke8 31. Qg8+ Ke7 32. Qf7+ Kd8 33. Qf8+ Qe8 34. Nf7+ Kd7 35. Qd6#) 1-0