Havana, 1892. The final game of the World Championship rematch, and a clash of philosophies: Mikhail Chigorin, the last great Romantic, wheels out the King's Gambit against Wilhelm Steinitz, the founder of positional chess. Chigorin attacks; Steinitz absorbs the pressure, returns material to reach a winning structure, and grinds the position down with a swarm of rooks on the second rank.
Defence is a weapon. Steinitz met Chigorin's gambit not with counter-fire but with calm, accurate consolidation — accepting some risk, then handing material back at the right moment to reach a position where his rooks dominated the open files and the second rank. Against a fierce attacker, soundness and active piece play beat panic.
It comes from the 1892 World Championship between the positional pioneer Steinitz and the Romantic attacker Chigorin — a direct clash of the old and new schools. Steinitz's calm defence and counterplay illustrate exactly the scientific approach he championed.
Yes. The match was famously close — tied 8–8 at one point — but Steinitz prevailed, retaining the World Championship. Chigorin lost both of his title matches against Steinitz (1889 and 1892).
Yes — pick up the board as Black just before 24...Rc2+ and try to find the rook invasion of the second rank, or replay the whole game move by move, no sign-up.
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