[Event "London International"] [Site "London"] [Date "1899.06.30"] [Round "23"] [White "Blackburne, Joseph Henry"] [Black "Steinitz, William"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D02"] [Annotator "IM Yury Lapshun and FM Jon Jacobs"] [PlyCount "92"] [EventDate "1899.??.??"] {[%evp 0,92,19,34,32,20,27,18,22,21,66,33,46,28,4,10,10,5,29,27,24,-5,13,6,10,3,6,3,27,-28,-29,-23,-15,-36,12,-11,-9,-14,21,-39,-10,-33,-40,-70,-93,-106,-86,-179,-109,-130,-131,-131,-151,-149,-196,-415,-421,-465,-398,-413,-496,-496,-496,-496,-446,-480,-442,-532,-532,-620,-699,-723,-757,-805,-748,-791,-841,-842,-1122,-1125,-1012,-1074,-896,-1767,-2246,-2190,-1369,-1773,-1773,-3004,-1773,-29993,-29994,-29995,-29996] In this game from Steinitz's final tournament, a mere 13 months before his death, he throws caution to the wind to annihilate the Englishman Joseph Blackburne, a world-class master and perennial rival whom Steinitz had first locked horns with close to 40 years earlier.} 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Bf4 c5 4. e3 Nc6 5. c3 {No, this is not a Magnus Carlsen game from 2019. The London System, it seems, was as fashionable 120 years ago as it is today!} Qb6 6. Qc1 ({Today it is widely understood that} 6. Qb3 {is the best response, and that whichevever side ends up initiating a queen trade will get the worse of the deal since the rook's activity on a half-open a-file will outweigh the disadvantage of doubled pawns. Consequently, in the modern main line, the White Q retreats after provoking ...c5-c4:} c4 7. Qc2 $1 Bf5 8. Qc1 e6 9. Nbd2 $11) 6... Bf5 7. dxc5 {Surrendering the center works out badly for White.} Qxc5 8. Nbd2 Rc8 9. Nb3 Qb6 10. Nbd4 Be4 {An aggressive, computer-like reply.} 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Nd2 $2 {A needless retreat that further reduces White's central influence.} Bf5 13. Be2 Nd7 ({The start of an ambitious plan to target White's Bf4 via pawn advances.} 13... e6 {was the most natural move.}) 14. O-O e5 15. Bg3 h5 $5 ({The simple} 15... Be7 {is a good move for humans and computers, but Steinitz is searching for a mating attack.}) 16. h3 g5 $5 17. e4 (17. c4 {was the best way to challenge Steinitz's wild attack. But Blackburne found another good central thrust.}) 17... Be6 18. b4 (18. Re1 {could support white's counterplay in the center.}) 18... g4 19. h4 Bh6 20. a4 $6 {Until this time-wasting idea, the chances still were closely balanced.} ({Perferable is either the solid} 20. Qc2 {followed by Rad1,}) ({or the ambitious} 20. Re1 dxe4 21. Qc2 f5 22. Nxe4 $5 fxe4 23. Qxe4 Ke7 ({White is winning after} 23... Kf7 $2 24. Bc4) 24. Bc4 Bd5 $1 (24... Bxc4 $4 25. Bxe5 $1 {wins for White}) 25. Bxd5 cxd5 26. Qxd5 {, reaching a wild position with roughly equal chances according to Stockfish}) 20... dxe4 21. a5 Qc7 22. Qc2 f5 {Black has attained an advantage that is growing into a winning position.} 23. Nc4 Bd5 24. Rfd1 f4 {Now the dark squared White Bishop is reduced to just a big pawn} 25. Bh2 Nf6 26. g3 O-O ({The natural} 26... f3 {would finish entombing the White Bh2. But the text is even stronger; it's the white king that Steinitz aims to entomb.}) 27. gxf4 exf4 28. Bf1 Qg7 29. Kh1 e3+ (29... g3 {was another of many ways to win this completely winning position.}) 30. Rxd5 cxd5 31. Nd6 Ne4 32. Nxe4 dxe4 33. fxe3 g3 34. Bh3 Rxc3 35. Qa2+ Kh8 36. Rg1 Qf6 37. Rd1 gxh2 38. b5 Rxe3 39. b6 axb6 40. a6 f3 41. a7 f2 42. Rf1 Re1 43. Qc4 e3 44. Qe4 ({Neither could} 44. Bg2 e2 {stop three Black pawns on the second rank.}) 44... e2 45. a8=Q Rxf1+ 46. Kxh2 Qd6+ {and Kg2 will be met with ...Rg1#} 0-1