Brilliant Chess Move Electrifies Onlookers - Best Of The pre-1900s - Zukertort vs. Blackburne, 1883
Johannes Zukertort was a protege of Wilhelm Steinitz, but for some time it seems as though he might surpass his mentor. The collegial rivalry between the two culminated in the first ever World Chess Championship in 1886. Zukertort could not have started better. He won four of the first five games, maybe the best start to a World Championship other than Anatoly Karpov's opening lead against Garry Kasparov in 1984. Unfortunately for Zukertort, much as with Karpov, the wheels slowly came off as the match lengthened.
Zukertort ultimately lost the match and died but two years later. It is hard not to consider that the stresses of the match may have impacted his health.
Before his match with Steinitz, Zukertort played his Immortal Game, a triumphant victory against the great British champion, Joseph Henry Blackburne, nicknamed the "Black Death." Zukerort concluded the game with a magnificent and deservedly celebrated combination, much like those to be found in the Immortal and Evergreen games, but unlike in those games, Zukerort first had to demonstrate positional mastery to build his advantage and properly prepare the breakthrough. For me, this is the first "complete" masterpiece ever played. A beginning to end brilliancy showing outstanding positional ideas and thinking, excellent calculation, and beautiful motifs!
Top 10 Games from before 1900
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- #6: Zukertort vs. Blackburne, 1883
- #7: Steinitz vs. Von Bardeleben, 1895
- #8: Mason vs. Winawer, 1882
- #9: Pillsbury vs. Lasker, 1896
- #10: Urosov vs. NN, 1887
- #11: Saint Amant vs. Staunton, 1843
- #12: Chigorin vs. Steinitz, 1892
- #13: Fleissig vs. Schlecter, 1893
- #14: Konyovits vs. Charousek, 1893
- #15: Weiss vs. Pollock, 1889
- See also: Top 10 of the 1900s, Top 10 of the 1910s, Top 10 of the 1920s, Top 10 of the 1930s, Top 10 of the 1940s, Top 10 of the 1950s, Top 10 of the 1960s, Top 10 of the 1970s, Top 10 of the 1980s, Top 10 of the 1990s, Top 10 of the 2000s, and Top 10 of the 2010s
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I'm the Head of Community for Chess.com. I earned the National Master title in 2012, and in 2014, I returned to my home state of South Carolina to start Strategery: Chess and Games. In late 2015, I began working for Chess.com and haven't looked back since.
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