White to move. Blackburne has both rooks on the h-file and a bishop on f6. Black just played ...Nf4+ to block — can you find the queen sacrifice that wins?
Joseph Blackburne vs Jacques Schwarz
Why this game matters
Berlin, 1881. Joseph Henry Blackburne — the bearded English professional nicknamed 'the Black Death' — produced an attack that Wilhelm Steinitz, no easy critic, called 'among the finest efforts of chess genius.' Out of a quiet French Exchange, Blackburne piled both rooks onto the h-file and finished with a queen sacrifice and a rook sacrifice that smashed open the black king.
The lesson
An open file pointed at the king is a highway for your rooks. Blackburne doubled rooks on the h-file, then spent his queen (26.Qxf4!) and a rook (27.Rxh5!) to demolish the pawn cover. When you have overwhelming force on a file, material is just fuel for the breakthrough.
Move by move
7… O-O7...O-O — both sides castle short; the quiet French Exchange gives no hint of the storm to come.
14. gxf314.gxf3 — Blackburne accepts doubled pawns to open the g-file, a typical attacking concession.
17. Rh117.Rh1 — the rook swings to the open h-file, the first sign of where the attack will fall.
18. Rh318.Rh3 — a rook lift; the rook will be doubled with its partner to overload the h-file.
19. Reh119.Reh1 — both rooks now stand on the h-file, bearing down on Black's king.
21. c421.c4! Blackburne opens a second front to bring his light-squared bishop into the attack.
23. Rh423.Rh4 — keeping the pressure and preparing to triple force against h5 and the king.
24… Ne624...Ne6 25.Bf6! The bishop nails itself to f6, cutting the king off and threatening Rxh-file.
26. Qxf426.Qxf4!! The queen sacrifice — it removes the blocker so the h-file opens with full force.
27. Rxh527.Rxh5!! gxh5 28.Rxh5 — a second sacrifice tears open the king; mate is unstoppable, and Schwarz resigned.
Frequently asked
Who was 'the Black Death'?
Joseph Henry Blackburne, England's leading player for much of the late 19th century, nicknamed 'der Schwarze Tod' after the Vienna 1873 tournament. He was famous for his attacking brilliancies and his blindfold displays.
What is the idea behind the finish?
Blackburne doubled rooks on the h-file and used the bishop on f6 to box in the king. The queen sacrifice 26.Qxf4 and rook sacrifice 27.Rxh5 remove the defenders of h5, opening the file for a decisive attack.
Can I try the combination myself?
Yes — take the board as White and try to find the queen sacrifice and the follow-up, or replay the whole game move by move, no sign-up.
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