Hastings, 7 August 1895 (King's Gambit Accepted). Steinitz accepts Blackburne's King's Gambit, holds the extra Pawn, and grinds down the ending. Notes by I. Gunsberg.
3…Nf6An unobjectionable defence. A remark which applies to the same move when played as a defence in the Scotch Gambit. In both cases, however, we think there is a more fearless and more profitable way of dealing with the attack, in a manner calculated to benefit Black.
5.d4Kt to B 3 seems preferable here, as White's move of P to Q 4 admits of the rather favourable development of Black's King's Bishop.
7…d5This move breaks up White's centre and enables Black to get all his Pieces into play.
12…c6Kt x Kt; 13. Q x Kt, B x P; 14. B x P, ch, would not have been favourable for Black.
14…Be6A peculiar move requiring considerable courage, but supposing we consider the move in its bearing on an end game, we may easily see the idea underlying it. For instance, if B x B, P x B; Q x R, ch, Q x Q; R x Q, ch, K x B; B x Kt, ch, K x B; now Black will have a chance of either playing P to Q B 4, or P to K 4, thereby breaking up White's Pawns.
15.Bb3As White has made up his mind to resist the exchange of Bishops he should have played B to Q 3, which would threaten B x R P, ch, K x B; Q to R 3, ch, winning the exchange.
16.Qf3There was no harm in Black's threat of Kt x Q 4, therefore Q to B 3 was a lost move. The combination thus indicated would have given White good chances. In fact it was easily to be foreseen that unless White advances his Queen's Bishop's Pawns they sooner or later would become weak.
20.Rxf8+This exchange is unfavourable to White, and it would have to have been foreseen that a reduction of Pieces renders Black's isolated King's Pawn all the more secure. Q to K R 3 could have been played, or B x Kt, followed by P to B 4, so as to prevent Black pressing on the advance on the Queen's side. The omission to take the Knight proved fatal.
22…Nd5Black has succeeded in placing his Knight on Q 4, threatening White's weak Pawns. Still we should have preferred P to B 4, so as to prevent by all means in our power the Pawns becoming weak.
29.Bd6White in the last few moves has further compromised his position. His best plan would have been to mark time by R to K 2, and not move the Bishop at all, though even then Black by Kt to Kt 3, and Kt to B 5, would effect his purpose in a different way.
Horace F. Cheshire, The Hastings Chess Tournament 1895 (1896) · Public domain · source