Robert Steel vs Robert Macdonald Ross (1884) Nerves of Steel

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Robert Steel vs Robert Macdonald Ross
"Nerves of Steel" (game of the day Oct-05-2006)
Casual game (1884), Calcutta IND
Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit. Steinitz Gambit Zukertort Defense (C25) · 1/2-1/2

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

explore this opening	find similar games	2 more R Steel/R Macdonald Ross games
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< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 3 OF 3 · Later Kibitzing>
Jun-26-08		apexin: very nice game.manufactured or not it is a piece of art.

Jul-07-08		gus inn: The whole game is to my best recollection an old analysis of Steinitz (but still entertaining !) .

Dec-13-08		thebribri8: This game is just ridiculous!

Mar-20-09		WhiteRook48: 27 Bb6# is made of steel

Apr-17-09		WhiteRook48: 25....Qxg2 26 Bb6+ Kb8 27 Bxe8 followed by 28 Ka7 and 29 b8=Q

May-12-09		Dr. J: Can't Black win by 25 ... Rb8 26 Bd6+ Kd8 27 Bxb8 Bc8?

Jul-17-09		Honza Cervenka: <Dr. J: Can't Black win by 25 ... Rb8 26 Bd6+ Kd8 27 Bxb8 Bc8?> No. After 25...Rb8 white mates with 26.Bb6#.

Jul-17-09		Honza Cervenka: 18.Nxd7+! seems to win for white. 18...Rxd7 21.Bxf4 (attacking Queen and threatening Kb6 with unavoidable mate at once) or 18...Bxd7+ 19.Kb6 with threats Na6# or Bxf4 in the air is clearly resignable. Of course, 18...Kxc7 19.Bxf4+ with next RxQ is bad as well. The only playable line is 18...Kxb7 but after 19.Nc5+ Ka7 (19...Kxc7? 20.Bxf4+ ) 20.Nxe8 Rxe8 21.Kxa5 white has huge material advantage and should win though the continuation would be stll interesting.

Feb-26-10		randomsac: This is just an amazing win for white. The king ends up sealing the deal after being hunted for just about the whole game. The double rook sac was nice too.

Aug-02-10		sevenseaman: Except near the end, at no stage did the White win look likely. It looks like a manufactured game.

Apr-18-12		erniecohen: 20...♖d5 0-1

Jun-28-13		Abdel Irada: That pawn is no minor detail. ∞

Oct-03-13		TheUltraSharpe: This is an awesome and unbelievable game.... However, I've avowed not to include any examples from NN in any of my collections. I wish there was another way to bookmark the game.

Dec-23-13		OBIT: To those who think White is in major trouble throughout this game, you should know that Houdini begs to differ. After 5...d5, Houdini thinks the position is equal, while after 7...O-O-O (which is the main line) the engine thinks White is about a half-pawn better. At move 9, Houdini does prefer 9. Qe1 over 9. cxb7 as played in the game, when again it thinks the position is equal. However, Houdini apparently thinks 10...Nf6?! is dubious, giving White just over a one pawn advantage after this move. From here it thinks Steel plays three star moves in a row - yes, 11. c3! followed by the king walk 12. Kd3! and 13. Kc4! are all best, according to Houdini. In fact, Houdini likes every move Steel played right through move 17. Chew on that, you thin-skinned folks who think the queen sacrifice is absurd! There is one move of Steel's that the engine does not like, that being 18. Bxf4? The move is certainly flashy, but Houdini considers it unsound. Instead, it regards 18. Nxd7! as essentially winning. The key lines after 18. Nxd7! are given by <Honza Cervenka> six posts up. So, despite Black having the winning 20...Rd5!, while 25...Bc8! is still good for a draw, the fact remains that Steel has a strong position from move 10 on, and 18. Nxd7! would have given him an all but winning advantage. As crazy as Steel's idea may look, it holds up to analysis. There really are times you can play chess this way!

May-15-14		gabriel112000: Absolutely outrageous!

Jun-30-14		morfishine: Steel stole this one

Jun-30-14		perfidious: White's king proved himself a man of Steel.

Jun-30-14		Rookiepawn: <erniecohen: 20...Rd5 0-1> I thought about 21. Bc4 ... click for larger view And then 21 ... Qxh1 22. Kb6! Qxg2 23. Bxd5 ... A little bit dizzy... But I think 22. Kb6 would be a good idea. Black now has to trade its Q in e5 after taking in d5 and White keeps an advantage. But nothing seems sure to me in this crazy slaughter.

Jul-01-14		Rookiepawn: <Anirix: what happens after 15. ...Kxc7?> Same question. After that simple move I see the K is White's most advanced piece, and a little shaky.

Aug-10-15		Caissanist: According to Lubosh Kavalek, this was not an actual game, but analysis given by Steel in a game Steel-Ross. The actual game ended 24.Bc5 Rd8! 25.Ba7+ Kc7 26.Bb6+ draw, which of course is much less interesting than this. Kavalek annotates the "game" here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lubom....

Nov-14-15		j3st3da8om3: Marvelous game. I didn't see crazy play ever. This is very risky with this opening. I am very surprised,I have no words This is art of chess

Nov-29-16		erniecohen: <Rookiepawn: <erniecohen: 20...Rd5 0-1> I thought about 21. Bc4 ... And then 21 ... Qxh1 22. Kb6! Qxg2 23. Bxd5 ... A little bit dizzy... But I think 22. Kb6 would be a good idea. Black now has to trade its Q in e5 after taking in d5 and White keeps an advantage. But nothing seems sure to me in this crazy slaughter.>> Black doesn't have to trade his Q on e5: 23...♕xb2+ 24. ♔a6 f6 25. ♗xe6 ♕xb7+ 26.♔xa5 ♕xf3 and Black starts picking off the uncoordinated White army. (Sorry for the 2-year delay in responding.)

Mar-07-19		Sally Simpson: * At Edward Winters site C.N. 6742, we find: "‘Modern grandmasters, of course, are far superior in technique and understanding, but games from the distant past have a feeling of spontaneous enjoyment and a quest for brilliance which is generally lacking in today’s sophisticated world. ... Such a game as this (the Steele piece of analysis on this thread.) gives the impression that calculating ability and imagination in chess are no better now than they were 100 years ago. The game is far more scientific, of course, but for sheer flair and inventiveness such nineteenth-century brilliancies remain practically unparalleled in modern play.’ (Bill Hartston, NOW Magazine, 25-31 July 1980, page 88.) It would appear that at the time Bill did not know it was analysis. *

Mar-07-19		MissScarlett: But for the last three moves, it isn't analysis: R Steel vs NN, 1886 (kibitz #10) As the game score now reflects this circumstance, I suggest the following: i)Ross be credited as the opponent; ii)the result be corrected to 1/2-1/2; iii)the <probably analysis> be removed; iv)the date be switched from 1886 to 1884 (<c.1884> would be better).

Mar-08-19		Sally Simpson: * Hi Miss S. Sadly I did not go back that far when looking at the thread. Page 3 hints it was analysis. Yes the name and score should corrected. With a note added to game score regarding the finish. *

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