Following their world championship match in 1889, and their Evans Gambit cable match in 1890-1891, the championship got underway at the beginning of 1892, beginning with a decisive win by Chigorin with the Evans gambit. By the 19th game, Steinitz had a 1-point lead, but Chigorin brought the match to tied. Steinitz ended up reaching the 10-point winning threshold by winning the 22nd and 23rd games.
Background
This was a rematch of the 1889 World chess championship, and held in the same city, Havana, then part of the Spanish Empire. Inbetween the 1899 championship and the 1892 championship, Steinitz had written The Modern Chess Instructor, which Chigorin had taken issue with the lines in.[1] This led to Steinitz and Chigorin playing a cable match in 1890, each game played from the starting position of the Evans Gambit,[2] which had been the opening at issue. The players each had 3 days for their moves,[a] causing the two-game match to drag on through 1891, with Chigorin winning both.[1] It was billed as a battle between Chigorin's romantic style and Steinitz's more modern school. Steinitz said:
I am guided by the position judgment in the main, and generally do not proceed with the examination of details until after my opponent has actually made his move. You see, I am an old master of the young school and Chigorin is a young master of the old school. If I don't commit an error, I fancy I shall win both games because I have a pawn to the good in either and according to the principles I laid down, I must win.
The cable match attracted public interest, and both the St. Petersburg Chess Society and Havana Chess Club made offers to have a world championship rematch between Steinitz and Chigorin. Steinitz accepted, and chose Havana again as the site of their match.
The match was to last twenty games; the first player to score 10½ points or win ten games would be the champion. In the event of a 10–10 tie after 20 games the players would continue until one of them had won ten games. If it reached a score of nine wins each, the match would end in a draw and the defending champion Steinitz would retain the title. After twenty games the score was 10–10 with each player having eight wins, so the players continued until one had won ten games. Game 21 was drawn, but Steinitz won games 22 and 23 to win the match and retain the title.
In most of his games as white, Chigorin played the Evans Gambit.
With the match tied at 8–8 after 21 games, Steinitz won the match by capitalising on blunders made by Chigorin in the next two games.
Steinitz–Chigorin, game 22
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
8
8
7
7
6
6
5
5
4
4
3
3
2
2
1
1
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Chigorin errs with 9.cxd5 Nxd5?
In game 22, Chigorin blundered on move 9, losing a pawn and ultimately the game (see diagram). Playing Black, Chigorin adopted the variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined later known as the Tartakower Defense. 9. cxd5 Nxd5? An elementary error that loses a pawn.[3]10. Nxd5 Bxd5 11. Bxe7 Qxe7 12. Rxc7 Qd6 13. Rc3 Bxa2? When making his 9th move Chigorin may have expected this capture would regain the pawn, but after 14. e4 the bishop was trapped.[3] Play continued 14... Qb4 15. Qa1 Bb3 16. Nd2 Bc2 17. Rc4 Qd6 18. Rxc2 Qxd4. Down a piece for a pawn, Chigorin's position was lost, though he played on until resigning after White's 49th move.[4]
Chigorin–Steinitz, game 23
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
8
8
7
7
6
6
5
5
4
4
3
3
2
2
1
1
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
32.Bb4?? loses the match.
As White in game 23, Chigorin was behind eight wins to nine and played the aggressive King's Gambit.[3] Steinitz defended poorly and was in a hopeless endgame[3] (see diagram). A piece up, Chigorin should have won after 32.Rxb7 (32...Rxd5? 33.Nf4 forks the black rooks).[3] Instead the game and match ended suddenly when Chigorin blundered with 32. Bb4?? Rxh2+ White resigns, as Black will mate on the next move (33.Kg1 Rdg2#).[3][5] By missing a mate in 2, this is regarded as one of the worst-ever blunders in World Championship play.[6][7] The Cuban press stated at the time:
It is unlikely that we will ever forget that decisive moment. At the 23rd game more than a thousand people were present, and all were discussing Chigorin’s brilliant play. At any minute, Steinitz’s resignation was expected. Suddenly there was an extraordinary commotion: the spectators stood up, and they all saw how the Russian master, nervy, with a changed face, was holding his head in his hands: he had moved away the bishop that was defending him against mate. "What a pity!" repeated hundreds of voices. What a vexatious and terrible ending to a wonderful match for the world championship! Chigorin can feel proud: never was Steinitz so close to defeat as now.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Wilhelm Steinitz 
Mikhail Chigorin 
