WILHELM STEINITZ

(born May-14-1836, died Aug-12-1900)

Wilhelm Steinitz, born in Prague on May 14, 1836, was the first official World Champion of chess. He was recognized as the world's leading player after he defeated Adolf Anderssen in a match in 1866, but it was not until his defeat of Johannes Zukertort twenty years later that he was recognized as the first undisputed world chess champion.

Although Steinitz became world champion by winning in the attacking style championed by Paul Morphy and others, he unveiled in 1873 a new positional style of play. This new style was controversial and some even branded it as "cowardly", but many of Steinitz's games showed that it could also provide a platform for attacks as ferocious as those of the old school. By the early 1890s Steinitz's approach was widely accepted and the next generation of top players acknowledged their debt to him, most notably his successor as world champion, Emanuel Lasker.

As champion, Steinitz contributed a lot to positional theory and other elements of chess strategy. He defended his title twice against Mikhail Chigorin and once against Isidor Gunsberg, but in 1894 he lost it to Emanuel Lasker. He then lost the rematch, and died just a few years later in New York City.

Some GaMES
-----------
[White "Wilhelm Steinitz"]
[Black "Mikhail Chigorin"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 d6 5. c3 g6 6. Nbd2 Bg7
7. Nf1 O-O 8. Ba4 Nd7 9. Ne3 Nc5 10. Bc2 Ne6 11. h4 Ne7 12. h5
d5 13. hxg6 fxg6 14. exd5 Nxd5 15. Nxd5 Qxd5 16. Bb3 Qc6
17. Qe2 Bd7 18. Be3 Kh8 19. O-O-O Rae8 20. Qf1 a5 21. d4 exd4
22. Nxd4 Bxd4 23. Rxd4 Nxd4 24. Rxh7+ Kxh7 25. Qh1+ Kg7
26. Bh6+ Kf6 27. Qh4+ Ke5 28. Qxd4+ 1-0


[White "Johannes Zukertort"]
[Black "Wilhelm Steinitz"]

1. d4 {Notes by Robert James Fischer from a television
interview. } d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O
6. c5 {White plays a mistake already; he should just play e3,
naturally.--Fischer} b6 7. b4 bxc5 8. dxc5 a5 9. a3 {Now he
plays this fantastic move; it's the winning move. -- Fischer}
d4 {He can't take with the knight, because of axb4.--Fischer}
10. Bxf6 gxf6 11. Na4 e5 {This kingside weakness is nothing;
the center is easily winning.--Fischer} 12. b5 Be6 13. g3 c6
14. bxc6 Nxc6 15. Bg2 Rb8 {Threatening Bb3.--Fischer} 16. Qc1
d3 17. e3 e4 18. Nd2 f5 19. O-O Re8 {A very modern move; a
quiet positional move. The rook is doing nothing now, but
later...--Fischer} 20. f3 {To break up the center, it's his
only chance.--Fischer} Nd4 21. exd4 Qxd4+ 22. Kh1 e3 23. Nc3
Bf6 24. Ndb1 d2 25. Qc2 Bb3 26. Qxf5 d1=Q 27. Nxd1 Bxd1

28. Nc3 e2 29. Raxd1 Qxc3 0-1

[White "Wilhelm Steinitz"]
[Black "Rock"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 exd4
7. O-O Nf6 8. Ba3 Bb6 9. Qb3 d5 10. exd5 Na5 11. Re1+ Be6
12. dxe6 Nxb3 13. exf7+ Kd7 14. Be6+ Kc6 15. Ne5+ Kb5 16. Bc4+
Ka5 17. Bb4+ Ka4 18. axb3# 1-0

[If you smell what the rock is cooking!!] :d

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