Steinitz Gives the Queen Back

The game, move by move

The Vienna, opened up

1. 1. e4 King’s pawn
2. 1… e5 The same claim
3. 2. Nc3 The Vienna
4. 2… Nf6 The knight out
5. 3. f4 f4 anyway The gambit a move later than usual, and with a knight already on c3 to hold e4.
6. 3… d5 The counter in the centre Black gives back the pawn immediately to open the middle of the board, which is where White’s king still is.
7. 4. exd5 Taken
8. 4… Nxd5 Recaptured with the knight
9. 5. fxe5 And the e-pawn goes
10. 5… Nxc3 The knights come off
11. 6. bxc3 Taken towards the centre White’s pawns are doubled on c3 and his king has no shelter on either wing. The doubled pawn is the one Black’s queen takes on move fourteen.
12. 6… Qh4+ Check, from h4 The queen comes out on move six, which by 1859 was already an old-fashioned thing to do and here happens to be right: nothing can block it.

A king with no castle

1. 7. Ke2 The king steps up Ke2 is the only legal move. From here he is walked to b1 by force.
2. 7… Bg4+ Check again, from g4
3. 8. Nf3 Blocked with the knight The knight is pinned to the king the moment it lands, and it stays pinned until it is taken.
4. 8… Nc6 A third piece out
5. 9. d4 Building the centre
6. 9… O-O-O Black castles long Both rooks connected, the king off the open file, and the d-file pointed at White’s queen. Every heavy piece Black owns is now aimed at one square.
7. 10. Bd2 Developing at last
8. 10… Bxf3+ The pinned knight, taken with check
9. 11. gxf3 Recaptured
10. 11… Nxe5 The knight takes on e5
11. 12. dxe5 Taken back
12. 12… Bc5 The bishop to c5 The last piece out, on the diagonal that ends at f2 and g1. Black has developed everything and White’s king has not found a square yet.

Everything down the d-file

1. 13. Qe1 The queen to e1
2. 13… Qc4+ Check, from c4
3. 14. Kd1 Kd1
4. 14… Qxc3 The doubled pawn goes Qxc3 takes a pawn and stands in front of White’s king with the rook on d8 behind it.
5. 15. Rb1 The rook to b1
6. 15… Qxf3+ And the other pawn, with check
7. 16. Qe2 Blocked with the queen
8. 16… Rxd2+ The rook takes the bishop, with check A rook for a bishop, to open the file the king is on and drag him onto it.
9. 17. Kxd2 Forced
10. 17… Rd8+ The second rook comes to d8 One rook has been given away to put the other on the same file with check. The king is walked back towards the corner.
11. 18. Kc1 Kc1
12. 18… Ba3+ Check, from a3
13. 19. Rb2 The rook interposes
14. 19… Qc3 The queen to c3 Behind the rook on b2 and in front of nothing. She is one move from being given away.

The queen, given back

1. 20. Bh3+ A check from the other side
2. 20… Kb8 Kb8
3. 21. Qb5 Qb5, threatening White has a threat of his own at last, and it is one move too slow.
4. 21… Qd2+ Check, from d2
5. 22. Kb1 Kb1 — the corner
6. 22… Qd1+ The queen, on d1 Offered to the rook on h1, which is the only piece that can take her, and which has to.
7. 23. Rxd1 Taken — there is nothing else
8. 23… Rxd1# Checkmate The rook lands on the square the queen died on. She covers c1 and a1 from there; b2 is White’s own rook, and a2 and c2 are his own pawns. The rook that took the queen is the rook that is now being taken.