Wilhelm Steinitz: 1st World Chess Champion

74.

Prologue

The name of Wilhelm Steinitz (1836-1900), the first chess world champion and the creator of the theory of positional play, is engraved in gold letters on the stone tablets of the world’s chess history.

In the 64 years of his irrepressible, indefatigable life, Steinitz metaphorically filled all 64 squares of the chess planet. He was a great, uncompromising fighter, a true artist of chess, a philosopher and a reformist of the chess kingdom. Wherever he went, Vienna or London, St. Petersburg or Moscow, Havana or New York, he gained respect and admiration as a selfless servant of Caissa, and as the strongest chessplayer in the world. Over two decades (1866-1886), Steinitz was regarded as the king of chess in Europe, and he proudly possessed the official title of the chess world champion for eight more years (1886-1894).

His victory in matches against the great representatives of chess romanticism (Anderssen, Dubois, Mongredien and Burn), along with his battles for world supremacy against Zukertort, Chigorin and Gunsberg, and his successful performances in the international tournaments in London, Vienna, Baden-Baden, Hastings, St. Petersburg and New York, all left a mark on the art of chess.

A combinational player by nature, one who used this talent to ascend the chess Olympus, Steinitz found the strength to rise above his predilection and to proclaim the principles of an entirely different game plan: a slow accumulation of benefits, maneuvering, the formation of weaknesses in the opponent’s position, using the pawn advantage on the queen side, etc. In his teaching, he emphasizes such basic concepts as positional balance, assessing the position based on permanent or temporary criteria, and using the dialectics of initiative and attack.

His teaching, which was further developed by his associates and followers, became the foundation for the building of modern chess. Enriched with the latest discoveries in the field of theory and practice, it has opened up new frontiers for further penetration into the mysteries of the chess microcosm, for understanding the connection between combinational and positional play, for creating genuine chess art under the pressure of the sporting struggle.

Isaak and Vladimir Linder

Moscow 2014

Chapter 1

Life and Fate

Childhood

On May 14, 1836, the fifth son and ninth child of 47-year-old Prague tailor Josef-Salomon Steinitz and his wife, the 32-year-old Anna (née Torsheva), was born in Prague. He was named Wolf, and later took the name Wilhelm. He claimed that he was the 13th and last child in the family. The authors adhere to Kurt Landsberger’s research, published in the United States and in London in 1993. Curiously, Landsberger himself belongs to one of the branches of the Steinitz family tree as a direct descendant of Lazar Steinitz, Josef-Salomon Steinitz’s older brother. As Landsberger established, based on metric records, in Josef-Salomon and Anna’s family, seven boys and six girls were born over the 17 years of their marriage (1824-1841). Out of the last five children, four died in infancy, and only Wolf was given 64 years of life… His childhood years, spent in a Jewish ghetto, were like the black and white squares of a chessboard, which Wolf had often seen in front of his father. His mother died when the boy was nine years old. Five years later, Josef-Salomon married for the second time and became a father again at the age of 61.

His father did not bother to explain the rules of chess to his son: He’ll learn if he wants to! Young Wolf was too shy and proud to ask. He quickly realized that the game had its own laws, just like his favorite mathematics and that the game had its own truth, just as the wise Talmud. The game had its purpose, just as it should be in everyone’s life. Wolf learned to play only at the age of 12, and soon he was beating not only all the kids in the ghetto, but also his schoolteacher. One day, a familiar rabbi, his father’s chess partner, came to visit. Steinitz’s father was not at home, and the rabbi offered Wolf a game. To the guest’s amazement, his young opponent defeated him… Praise from the esteemed rabbi was Steinitz’s first bit of good luck. Ten years later, he found himself in the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Vienna, during a short period of liberalism (1848-1873), and it was a great bit of luck in Steinitz’s life.

Viennese Student

In Vienna, on June 30, 1857, Steinitz received his first passport for a period of one year, in which his name was officially changed from Wolf to Wilhelm. A year later, he entered the Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1815. Steinitz was used to studying hard since childhood, and he did not experience any difficulties in his favorite subjects, mathematics and history, but now he had to study seriously and pass exams in physics, drawing, and mineralogy. Mastery of these subjects required time, time that he devoted to chess. After all, the cozy chess café named Romer, which Steinitz began to frequent, was just 30 minutes walking distance from the institute and a few steps from the famous St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Chess was played there for money only, and he had very little cash. Steinitz rented a small room from a tailor; so, he borrowed scissors from the owner of the house and made chess pieces from cardboard by writing king, pawn, and rook on the cardboard cards.

The University of Technology. In 1858-1859, Wilhelm Steinitz studied here (it was called the Polytechnic Institute then).

The unyielding standards of the coffee-house battles forged his fighting spirit. The chess atmosphere of Romer sucked him in. Everyday routine faded into insignificance. Here, Steinitz not only felt himself an equal to the famous Viennese musicians, bankers (see Curiosities), professors, and military officers, but also even proved his superiority. His first famous success was defeating Nicolas Falkbeer, the brother of the famous Austrian chessplayer Ernst Falkbeer, in two blindfold games.

Steinitz devoted less and less time to studying and more and more to chess. After the first year, he was expelled from the institute. It was not because his eyesight had deteriorated, not because of his lack of money, not because he had lost interest in education, as various versions of Steinitz’s biography state, but because he failed his mineralogy and drawing exams. The fact is that this erudite, well-read journalist, thinker, speaker, and world personality had no formal education to speak of, stated Kurt Landsberger, who researched Steinitz’s life.

However, for the visitors to the Romer, Steinitz remained a student, and for those who described his exploits later, the Viennese student.

After successful performances in the Vienna Chess Society championships (third place in 1859, second place in 1860), people started to call him, honorifically, the Austrian Morphy. The young American master Paul Morphy swept across Europe like a bright meteorite and stunned the chess world with his victories and his playing style (see Morphy).

In the middle of the 19th century, the famous Café Romer, a meeting-place for chessplayers, was here. It was Wilhelm Steinitz’s chess university.

Austrian players found subtle similarity between the play of Steinitz and Morphy, but, of course, first of all, Wilhelm impressed them with his brilliant combinational play, his passion for gambits. The other representatives of Austrian chess, such as Johann Allgaier, Ernst Falkbeer, Carl Hamppe, adopted this style. Steinitz’s games with Hamppe, whom Steinitz later called his teacher, as well as against Rainer, are characteristic of Steinitz’s early style.

(1) Hamppe – Steinitz

Vienna 1859

Vienna Game [C29]

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4 d5 4.exd5 Nxd5 5.fxe5 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Qh4+ 7.Ke2 Bg4+ The alternative is 7…Qe4+ 8.Kf2 Qxe5. 8.Nf3 Nc6 9.d4 0-0-0 10.Bd2? (D)

Critical is 10.Qe1! Qh5 11.Kf2 f6. 10…Bxf3+? Steinitz misses the hammer blow 10…Rxd4!! 11.cxd4 Nxd4+ 12.Ke3 Nxf3 13.gxf3 Bc5+–+. 11.gxf3 The move 11.Kxf3? runs into 11…Rxd4 12.cxd4 Nxd4+ 13.Ke3 Bc5 14.g3 Nc6+ 15.Kf3 Nxe5+ 16.Kg2 Qe4+ 17.Kh3 Qxh1–+. 11…Nxe5?! (D)

Stronger are 11…f6 and 11…Bc5!?; 12.Be3 (12.dxc5? Rhe8 13.f4 Nxe5–+) 12…Nxe5 13.Qe1 Qe7 14.Kf2 Rhe8 15.Rg1 Bb6, and Black is better since 16.dxe5? runs into 16…Qxe5–+. 12.dxe5? White is powerless against the attack despite his extra bishop. 12.Qe1! is forced; 12…Qxe1+ (12…Qf6 is met by 13.dxe5 Qxe5+ 14.Kf2 Bc5+ 15.Kg2 Qh5 16.Bd3 Rhe8 17.Qf1 Re4 18.Qd1 Qg6+ 19.Kf1 f5 20.Be1, and White defends.) 13.Rxe1 Nc4 14.Bh3+ Kb8 15.Bc1=. 12…Bc5! 13.Qe1 Qc4+ 14.Kd1 Qxc3 15.Rb1 Qxf3+ Winning as well is 15…Rxd2+!? 16.Qxd2 Qxf3+. 17.Ke1 Re8–+. 16.Qe2? (D)

Forced is 16.Be2, but Steinitz’s attack continues; 16…Rxd2+ 17.Kxd2 Qe3+ 18.Kd1 Rd8+ 19.Bd3 Rxd3+ 20.cxd3 Qxd3+ 21.Kc1 Ba3+ 22.Rb2 Qb5 23.Qf2 (23.Qc3? Bxb2+ 24.Qxb2 Qc6+–+) 23…Bxb2+ 24.Kc2, and, now, Black has a choice between 24…Bxe5 25.Qxf7 Qe2+ 26.Kc1 b6 and 24…Qc6+. 16…Rxd2+!? A nice combination, but the mundane 16…Qxh1 wins as well. 17.Kxd2 Rd8+ 18.Kc1?! 18.Qd3 Rxd3+ 19.Bxd3 Bb4+ 20.c3 Qg2+ 21.Be2 Bxc3+–+ 18…Ba3+ 19.Rb2 Qc3 20.Bh3+ Kb8 21.Qb5 Qd2+ 22.Kb1 Qd1+ 23.Rxd1 Rxd1# 0-1

(2) Reiner – Steinitz

Vienna m(4) 1860

Scotch Gambit [C44]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.0-0?! The main line is 5.c3. 5…d6 6.c3 Bg4 7.Qb3 Bxf3! 8.Bxf7+ Kf8 9.Bxg8? After 9.gxf3 Nf6 (from McClelland-Steinitz, Great Britain 1874), White should opt for 10.Bc4, but Black is already doing well. 9…Rxg8 10.gxf3 (D)

10…g5! Steinitz takes the initiative vigorously. 11.Qe6 Ne5 12.Qf5+ Kg7 13.Kh1 The lesser evil is 13.Bxg5, but Black should win after 13…Nxf3+ 14.Qxf3 Qxg5+ 15.Qg3 Kh8 16.Qxg5 Rxg5+ 17.Kh1 Rf8. 13…Kh8 14.Rg1?! g4 15.f4? Reiner runs into a beautiful refutation. But, 15.Bf4 also does not defend in the long run; 15…Nd3 16.Bg3 Rg5 17.Qf7 Qf8 18.Qxf8+ Rxf8–+. 15…Nf3 16.Rxg4?! (D)

16…Qh4!! 17.Rg2 Qxh2+ 18.Rxh2 Rg1# 0-1

In 1861, Steinitz participated in the Vienna Chess Society championship for the third time, and, with 30 wins in 34 games, confidently won first place. This victory was very timely. In 1862, the British decided to organize the second international tournament in London, held in conjunction with the Great Exhibition. The Viennese student, Wilhelm Steinitz, was invited to participate with the best European chessplayers.

Family

On August 7, 1866, a 19-year-old resident of London, Carolina Golder, gave birth to a girl who was registered as Flora Steinitz. For Wilhelm Steinitz, the date of birth of his beloved daughter was always associated with his famous victory over Anderssen in the match that came to an end on August 10, 1866 (see Anderssen-Steinitz match), and he was always punctual in his annual congratulations. Carolina, with whom William lived for 27 years, followed him to New York, trading London’s Baldwin Street for Brooklyn. However, the little joys of family life could not overshadow the experiences, connected with chess battles and the search for truth, which had always been a priority for Steinitz. The retreat to chess helped him endure a crushing blow, Flora’s untimely death on January 14, 1888, at the age of 21. Steinitz grieved the untimely death of his daughter. This may explain why, on November 24, 1894, he came to the Manhattan Chess Club with a 16-year-old young lady whom he registered in the guest book under the name of Hedwig Steinitz and introduced as his foster daughter. According to Steinitz, he owed her a theoretically important discovery in the Evans Gambit that he made later (see Opening discoveries). In his book about the first world champion, Landsberger writes that Steinitz approached life philosophically, following Kant’s idea that we are not here to be happy; we are here to pay our dues.

Four years after Flora’s death, shortly after the second world championship match with Mikhail Chigorin, in May 27, 1892, Steinitz’s wife Carolina died of hepatitis at the age of 45. Loneliness weighed on him, and soon he married for the second time. His new wife, a native of Switzerland, Elizabeth, was 28 years younger than her husband. In December of the same year, Elizabeth gave Steinitz his first son, named in honor of his father, only in the English manner, William. Happy Wilhelm, believing that not everything in life was lost, went to Europe on a tour, participated in the Hastings tournament, and arranged a rematch with Emanuel Lasker. Two years later, he returned, not being able to regain his title, tormented by diseases, but he did not surrender, and his spirit was not broken. In 1897, a 61-year-old Wilhelm and 33-year-old Elizabeth welcomed their daughter Julia. This was the last family feat of the chess Hercules. After Steinitz’s death, any information about his family has unfortunately been lost. According to Landsberger, in the 1900 census, Elizabeth provided a different last name for herself and her children.

Personality

Short, with one leg slightly shorter that the other, he limped and walked with a stick, was rather sickly, which doctors attributed to bad heredity, and had a long fiery-red beard. This is what the first world champion Wilhelm Steinitz looked like. However, in surviving portraits he appears more like a philosopher, immersed in deep thought over the position, aspiring to penetrate the mysteries of the chess world. As Eugene Znosko-Borovsky wrote:

It was enough to look into Steinitz’s eyes, extraordinarily alert, sharp, sarcastic, staring eagerly, sometimes defiant and cocky, to understand that he is not a dispassionate thinker, but instead a passionate and ambitious player. He seemed like such a well-bred, calm old man, but only from the outside. A fire was smoldering within him. This inner fire gradually grew as the tournament progressed, becoming a huge bonfire that he could not extinguish or cool and one that gave him the necessary strength and endurance. It also fed his fighting spirit.

Steinitz’s character and temperament were particularly suitable for matches: Steinitz won 28 matches over the course of his career.

He seemed like such a well-bred, calm old man, but only from the outside. A fire was smoldering within him. (Eugene Znosko-Borovsky)

At the same time, he persistently experimented, knowingly choosing to play worse positions and questionable gambits, because he understood, felt, and believed that in a long struggle between two personalities, he would have enough ingenuity and imagination, spiritual strength, endurance, and stamina. Steinitz could not be characterized as a sweet person. He did not know how to accommodate, was not diplomatic, always did what he deemed necessary, said what he thought was right, and frequently made enemies. He was that way in England, and he also was the same in America. However, he was always honest and noble. Who would choose the strongest opponent? Who, after losing an important game in the tournament, would seek revenge in a match? Who would agree to accept a challenge from a largely unknown master? Only Steinitz!

It was Steinitz who chose Mikhail Chigorin from all of the contenders in 1889 because he had lost both games at the 1883 London tournament to Chigorin. It was he who dreamed of a new meeting with Zukertort because Steinitz had finished three points behind him at the same tournament. It was Steinitz who had agreed to play against 26-year-old Emanuel Lasker, who had not yet had time to prove to the world that his claim to the chess crown was justified. All of the strong players appreciated Steinitz as a fighter, as a noble opponent, and as a thinker. Chigorin wrote to his opponent after their match by telegraph (1892): True chess fans should be grateful to you for the interest that you constantly generate by your innovations, and for your aversion to a boilerplate game. As you know, I do not quite share your theory and your principles, but it does not prevent me from appreciating them. Steinitz was an enjoyable and a witty conversationalist, he could listen for hours to his favorite Wagner’s music, and could easily memorize verses.

Curiosities

In Steinitz’s life, there were a few funny incidents. Sometimes they occurred because of his proud and independent character, sometimes as a result of his being too direct in his statements and actions, and quite often they could be attributed to the circumstances of certain events.

Two Epsteins in the Café Romer: In his student days, Steinitz became a constant visitor of the popular chess café in Vienna, Romer. A prominent banker, Gustav Epstein, was one of his opponents. Once, Steinitz, while thinking for a while about his move, heard impatient muttering: Come on, come on! Wilhelm’s pride was hurt. Soon after, his opponent sank into deep thought.

Café Central

In the second half of the 19th century, politicians, famous writers, artists, musicians, and chess masters met there to play chess. It was considered one of the largest chess centers in Europe and was Wilhelm Steinitz’s favorite place in the days of the Vienna tournaments in 1882 and 1898.

Come on, come on! Steinitz said with a smile.

Do not forget, young man, who you are and who I am!

Yes, I know, in life you are Epstein, a banker, and I am Steinitz, a student! But at the chessboard, I am Epstein!

A Russian Spy During his telegraph match against Chigorin in 1890 and 1891, the police came to Steinitz’s apartment and arrested him as a Russian spy, transferring his reports in special code. The misunderstanding was resolved only the next day.

An Unforeseen Move In the London café, where chess was played for money, Steinitz was lucky enough to find a wealthy partner. Steinitz played him with a knight handicap and was invariably winning, receiving a pound sterling. Lose to him at least once, otherwise you risk losing such an opponent! one of Steinitz’s friends advised. In the next game, Steinitz took the advice. He blundered his queen, and soon resigned. His opponent was delighted! He shouted: I beat the world champion! Then he ran outside … and never came back.

Austria

The 19th century was the Golden Age for chess in the country. The Austrian masters Johann Allgaier, Ernst Falkbeer, Adolf Albin, Carl Hamppe, Adolf Schwarz, and Berthold Englisch became well known in Europe. They made valuable contributions to the development of chess theory. A number of gambits and counter-gambits were named after them. In 1857, a chess society was founded in Vienna. It was this Vienna Chess Society that organized many major tournaments. Young Steinitz spent his youth in the Austrian capital. The environment of the chess café Romer was more familiar and comfortable for him than the lecture halls of the Polytechnic Institute. Having chosen chess, Steinitz became one of the world’s first chess professionals. Three years in a row, he participated in the Vienna Chess Society championships, invariably improving his results: third place in 1859, second place in 1860, and, finally, first place in 1861, with an exceptional result: thirty wins and one loss. This victory opened the way to the chess elite for Steinitz; he received an invitation to participate in the 1862 London international tournament. After the tournament ended, Steinitz made the fateful decision to stay on the other side of the English Channel. In the following years, he thrice participated in major international tournaments in Vienna and won twice; he tied for first place with Joseph Blackburne in 1873 (and defeated him in the follow-up match) and tied for first again with Szymon Winawer in 1882. In 1898, Steinitz, now as the ex-world champion, finished fourth behind three world championship contenders, Siegbert Tarrasch, Harry Nelson Pillsbury, and Dawid Janowski (see Vienna tournaments). In the music capital of the world, Steinitz awed his contemporaries with his elegant style and dazzling combinations. In the café Romer, he had learned to fight to the last bullet and had forged his character, that of a successful duelist, so useful to him in the matches he played later.

England

Here, in the country with a chess tradition that dated back centuries, the country that, in the middle of the 19th century, became the Chess Mecca, the country where the first international tournament was held, and the country where the brilliant Paul Charles Morphy rushed first from the New World, Wilhelm Steinitz’s chess star rose.

The chess elite, London, circa 1873

Seated (left to right): Wilhelm Steinitz, H. Gastineau (patron), Cecil De Vere. Standing (left to right): Ignác Kolisch, Bernhard Horwitz, Louis Paulsen, Johann Löwenthal, Henry Bird, Joseph Blackburne, an anonymous amateur.

Steinitz lived and worked here