The chess games of Johannes Zukertort

Zukertort

Johannes Zukertort
Number of games in database: 462
Years covered: 1860 to 1888
Overall record: +263 -114 =77 (66.4%)*
   * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games
      Based on games in the database; may be incomplete.
      8 exhibition games, odds games, etc. are excluded from this statistic.

MOST PLAYED OPENINGS

With the White pieces:

Evans Gambit (40)
    C51 C52
Ruy Lopez (34)
    C65 C77 C67 C64 C70
Vienna Opening (26)
    C25 C29 C28 C26
Queen's Pawn Game (20)
    D05 D00 D04 D02 A46
French Defense (20)
    C01 C11 C14 C00 C15
King's Gambit Accepted (19)
    C37 C33 C38 C39

With the Black pieces:

Ruy Lopez (70)
    C67 C65 C77 C80 C83
King's Gambit Accepted (29)
    C33 C39 C37
Evans Gambit (27)
    C52 C51
Giuoco Piano (15)
    C53 C50
Scotch Game (14)
    C45
Four Knights (9)
    C49 C47 C48

Repertoire Explorer

NOTABLE GAMES: [what is this?]
   Zukertort vs Blackburne, 1883 1-0
   Zukertort vs NN, 1877 1-0
   Zukertort vs Anderssen, 1865 1-0
   Zukertort vs Anderssen, 1865 1-0
   Zukertort vs Count Epoureano, 1872 1-0
   Steinitz vs Zukertort, 1886 0-1
   Chigorin vs Zukertort, 1883 0-1
   Zukertort vs Anderssen, 1865 1-0
   Zukertort vs Englisch, 1883 1-0
   Zukertort vs Steinitz, 1886 1-0

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: [what is this?]
   Steinitz-Zukertort World Championship Match (1886)

GAME COLLECTIONS: [what is this?]
   London 1883 by suenteus po 147
   Vienna 1882 by suenteus po 147
   Paris 1878 by suenteus po 147
   Zukertort in London by offramp
   Rosenthal-Zukertort 1880 London Match by optimal play
   Blackburne-Zukertort 1881 London Match by optimal play
   Kings Gambit by Nodreads
   Leipzig 1877, The Anderssen-Feier by Calli
   Selected 19th century games II by atrifix

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JOHANNES ZUKERTORT
(born Sep-07-1842, died Jun-20-1888) Poland (citizen of United Kingdom)

[what is this?]

Johannes Hermann Zukertort was born in Lublin, Congress Poland*.

Background

Zukertort’s father was a Christian Protestant missionary of Jewish origin at a time when the Christian mission among the Jews in Russian-occupied Poland was illegal. Consequently, the Zukertorts emigrated to Prussia. In 1861, Johannes enrolled at the University of Breslau to study medicine, although it is unclear if he completed his degree. It was in Breslau he met Adolf Anderssen and started playing chess, moving to Berlin several years later in 1867. After again moving, this time to London, he became a naturalised citizen of the United Kingdom in 1878.

Matches

<Non-title> In 1868, he played and lost a match to Anderssen in Berlin by 3.5-8.5 (+3 -8 =1). In 1871, he turned the tables, defeating Anderssen in a match by 5-2 (+5 -2). In 1872, he moved to London where he played Wilhelm Steinitz, losing 9-3 (+1 -7 =4). In 1881, he played and defeated Joseph Henry Blackburne by 8.5-4.5 (+6 -2 =5). After losing the World Championship match against Steinitz in 1886, he lost a second match he played against Blackburne in 1887 by 5-9 (+1 -5 =8), probably because of declining health (he died the following year).

<Title> The Steinitz-Zukertort World Championship Match (1886) lasted from 11 January to 29 March 1886. After leading by 4-1 after 5 games, Zukertort won only one more game, the thirteenth, going on to lose the match by 7½-12½ (+5 -10 =5).

Tournaments

Zukertort placed 3rd in London in 1872 behind Steinitz and Blackburne; 2nd behind Blackburne in London in 1876; 1st in Cologne and 2nd in Leipzig in 1877 behind Louis Paulsen; equal 1st with Simon Winawer at the Paris International Chess Congress in 1878, beating Winawer in the play-off; 2nd at Berlin in 1881 behind Blackburne; =4th in Vienna in 1882 behind Steinitz, Winawer and James Mason; and 1st in London in 1883, 3 points ahead of Steinitz. Zukertort's win in London in 1883 was considered to be his most significant success. The tournament was a double round robin contest with 14 players and therefore ran for 26 rounds; it also featured the first time the double-sided chess clock was used in competition. He won his games against most of the world's leading players including Steinitz, Blackburne, Winawer, Mikhail Chigorin, George Henry Mackenzie, Berthold Englisch, Samuel Rosenthal, and Henry Edward Bird, scoring 22/26 (after starting with 22/23), and finishing 3 points ahead of Steinitz, who was 2nd with 19/26. This tournament led to the World Chess Championship match between these Zukertort and Steinitz three years later.

After his defeat in the World Championship match in 1886, Zukertort's health declined, and he was diagnosed with rheumatism, coronary heart disease, kidney problems, and arteriosclerosis. His tournament results declined steeply, placing 7th in London and 3rd in Nottingham in 1886; 15th in Frankfurt and 4th in London in 1887, and 7th in London in 1888. When he died later that year, he was leading a tournament at Simpson’s Divan in which he was scheduled to play his last two rounds against Blackburn and Amos Burn.

Chess legacy and epilogue

Zukertort was one of the ablest attacking players of his generation, ranked by Chessmetrics as the number 1 player for 56 months between 1878 and 1886.** Yet, unlike the majority of attacking players, Zukertort preferred openings such as 1. c4 and 1. Nf3 that were closed or semi-closed and offered the possibility of transpositions. In the early 1880s 1. Nf3 was known as "Zukertort’s Opening", 40 years before it became known as the Réti Opening. His name is also associated with the Colle-Zukertort Opening: <1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e3 e6 4.Bd3 c5 5.b3 Nc6 6.O-O Bd6 7.Bb2 O-O>, which is frequently reached by transposition. In 1879, Zukertort was co-editor, with Leopold Hoffer, of The Chess Monthly. He also demonstrated his ability to play blindfold simuls when in 1876, he played sixteen games simultaneously while blindfolded, winning by 13-3 (+11 -1 =4).

He died in London after playing a game in a tournament at Simpson's Divan. He was buried in Brompton Cemetery in London. In recent times his grave had fallen into disrepair and in 2012 it was restored and rededicated after British Grandmaster Stuart Conquest organized a chess appeal that attracted the necessary funds from the Polish Government and the chess community.***

Sources

* Congress Poland was essentially a Russian possession of part of 19th century Poland which was subsequently returned to Poland at the end of World War I: Wikipedia article: Congress Poland; ** Chessmetrics: http://chessmetrics.com/cm/CM2/Play...; *** Johannes Zukertort’s grave rededicated in London: http://www.chessvibes.com/reports/j...; Edward Winter’s Chess Notes ; http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/...Johannes Zukertort by Bill Wall: http://web.archive.org/web/20091028...

Wikipedia article: Johannes Zukertort

page 1 of 19; games 1-25 of 464

Game	Result	Moves	Year	Event/Locale	Opening
1. Hirschfeld vs Zukertort	1-0	23	1860	?	C25 Vienna
2. NN vs Zukertort	0-1	10	1862	Posen	C42 Petrov Defense
3. Zukertort vs Anderssen	0-1	36	1862	Germany	C54 Giuoco Piano
4. Zukertort vs Oppler	1-0	30	1862	Posen	C51 Evans Gambit
5. Zukertort vs NN	1-0	24	1862	Posen	C37 King's Gambit Accepted
6. P & Rosanes J Bloch vs Zukertort	1-0	31	1862	Postal	C67 Ruy Lopez
7. C Lehmann vs Zukertort	0-1	15	1864	Poznan	C44 King's Pawn Game
8. Zukertort vs Anderssen	1-0	27	1864	Breslau	C64 Ruy Lopez, Classical
9. G Neumann vs Zukertort	1-0	18	1864	Breslau	C51 Evans Gambit
10. Zukertort vs Anderssen	0-1	39	1864	Breslau	C66 Ruy Lopez
11. Zukertort vs Lowinsohn	1-0	29	1864	Posen	C50 Giuoco Piano
12. Zukertort vs Anderssen	1-0	34	1864	Breslau	C65 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense
13. Zukertort vs C Lehmann	1-0	33	1864	Posen	B12 Caro-Kann Defense
14. Zukertort vs Anderssen	1-0	33	1864	Breslau	C64 Ruy Lopez, Classical
15. L Waldstein vs Zukertort	0-1	21	1864	Posen	C39 King's Gambit Accepted
16. G Neumann vs Zukertort	0-1	36	1864	Breslau	B40 Sicilian
17. Zukertort vs Anderssen	0-1	22	1864	Breslau	C64 Ruy Lopez, Classical
18. Zukertort vs Anderssen	0-1	51	1864	Breslau	C52 Evans Gambit
19. Zukertort vs Anderssen	0-1	27	1864	It Breslau	C65 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense
20. E Schmidt vs Zukertort	0-1	42	1865	Breslau	C33 King's Gambit Accepted
21. Zukertort vs Anderssen	½-½	48	1865	Breslau	C37 King's Gambit Accepted
22. Anderssen vs Zukertort	1-0	37	1865	Breslau	C39 King's Gambit Accepted
23. Zukertort vs Anderssen	1-0	30	1865	Breslau	B40 Sicilian
24. Zukertort vs Anderssen	1-0	17	1865	Breslau	C37 King's Gambit Accepted
25. Zukertort vs Anderssen	1-0	23	1865	Breslau	C37 King's Gambit Accepted


page 1 of 19; games 1-25 of 464

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< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 8 OF 8 · Later Kibitzing>
Jun-27-12		tamar: Zukertort's grave re-dedicated at Brompton Cemetery yesterday. http://www.chessvibes.com/reports/j...

Jun-28-12		twinlark: <tamar> Thanks for drawing this to the attention of the chess lovers on this site, especially those of us that appreciate the role of Zukertort in chess history. In the circumstances, it seems like a timely moment to refurbish and rededicate this online memoriam and bio to the great player. Well done to Stuart Conquest for taking the time, effort and resources in tracking down Zukertort's neglected grave and organising its repair and rededication to honour a 19th Century icon of modern chess.

Jun-28-12		Petrosianic: By "the role of Zukertort in chess history", are you referring to his status as loser of the first world championship match, or something else? Because even though he was a great player, that match pretty much does constitute "his role in history".

Jun-28-12		tamar: The match against Steinitz will always weigh heavily against our estimation of Zukertort, but the "something else" is of course, London 1883, still the most astounding performance in chess history. +22-1 from the first 23 rounds! Game Collection: London 1883

Jun-28-12		twinlark: <The match against Steinitz will always weigh heavily against our estimation of Zukertort> That's probably true, but to be fair to the man, he was not well and died a couple of years later from a brain hemorrhage. I'd see it as a testament to his tenacity that he rose to the top, or all but, in spite of his obviously poor health. Even back in the London tournament in 1883, his health caused a collapse in the last few rounds, causing him to lose to relative patzers after mopping the floor with the best.

Jun-28-12		Shams: <Even back in the London tournament in 1883, his health caused a collapse in the last few rounds, causing him to lose to relative patzers after mopping the floor with the best.> He went on an opium bender. That might have had something to do with it.

Jun-28-12		Petrosianic: Yes, with Zukertort, as with Tal, there's a temptation to excuse all his defeats as being due to health issues, when there's any direct evidence of that or not. It wasn't health, he probably relaxed and started celebrating too early. It's hard to stay motivated at the end of such a long tournament after you've already clinched first.

Jun-28-12		twinlark: <He went on an opium bender. That might have had something to do with it.> With the problems he had, I'm not surprised.

Jun-28-12		twinlark: <It wasn't health, he probably relaxed and started celebrating too early.> Either way it's speculative. But it makes sense that 26 rounds against the best players of the day might be tiring for a sickly person. I'm not sure there's any evidence to support the notion he celebrated too early - opium is a great pain deadener, relaxant and euphoriant. There wasn't the stigma attached to opium in those days that attends it now.

Jun-28-12		Phony Benoni: The tournament book spoke vaguely of "...drenching himself nightly in a most virulent poison" to keep up his energy, and blamed the losses in the last three rounds on a physical collapse brought on by that practice. No further details, but if that report is to be credited it was from something he was doing throughout the tournament, not at the end.

Jun-29-12		twinlark: Sounds like he was a victim of some sort of snake oil salesmen selling him relief from his ailments.

Jun-29-12		Albertan: Grave of Polish 'chess genius' restored in London 06/27/2012 10:16 A British Grandmaster led a rededication ceremony in London, Tuesday, of the resting place of Polish-born Jewish chess player Jan (Johannes) Herman Zukertort. John John Herman Zukertort: photo - Wikipedia GM Stuart Conquest British led the ceremony at the newly restored grave of Zukertort, who died in 1888, at London's Old Brompton Cemetery. The inscription on the tombstone Zukertorf describes as one of the best chess players of all time, world chess championship title contender and the greatest Polish sportsman of the 19th century. The dedication ceremony Brought together a group of British historians and leading chess Representatives of the Polish community in Britain. Stella Marek Sawicki of the Polish Heritage Society in the UK said in his speech that "the renovation of the grave of the Polish chess genius links the history of Polish sport with the forthcoming Olympic Games in London. "Zukertorf was the first Polish sportsman of world caliber who Achieved fame at a time When Poland did not exist on the map of Europe [Partitioned Between the three Neighbouring powers]," he said. Born in the Polish city of Lublin in 1842, Zukertorf settled in London in the early 1870s and died there in 1888. He was buried at Brompton Cemetery, one of London's most elegant Victorian graveyards, but with the passing of time his grave had sunken lower and lower and had been covered by grass. Some years ago it was IDENTIFIED by the Polish Heritage Society, a charity organization promotes Which among the British public the contribution of Poles to the common cultural and historical heritage within the United Kingdom, and, Independently, to former British Chess Champion and GM Stuart Conquest . They collaborated on a scheme to put up a more upright stone Suitable to honor the memory of Zukertort. The renovation of the grave was financed by the Polish Heritage Society, the Polish Foreign Ministry and the Chess Federations in Poland and the UK. Zukertort's most significant success was his victory at the 1883 London tournament, well ahead of the world's best players of the time, Including Wilhelm Steinitz. He later Contested what has become accepted as the first official world chess championship match in 1886 against Steinitz Which he finally lost after an early lead. In his prime Zukertort also excelled at playing while blindfolded. His Pupils included Randolph Churchill, the father of Winston Churchill. He died of a stroke, Which he suffered while playing the game he loved. Among his Possessions found in his apartment were a snuffbox with the portrait of the Polish national hero Tadeusz Kosciuszko and a copy of 'The Crimean Sonnets' by the Polish Romantic poet Adam Mickiewicz. (Mk / pg) Translated using the Google tranlsation program Source of article:http://www.thenews.pl/1/10/Artykul/...

Jun-29-12		twinlark: Interesting article. <Among his Possessions found in his apartment were a snuffbox with the portrait of the Polish national hero Tadeusz Kosciuszko> As an aside, the highest mountain in Australia was named after Kosciusko.

Jun-29-12		Petrosianic: So is a bridge in New York City. Jackie Gleason used to work that bridge into dialogue a lot just because he thought the name was funny.

Jun-29-12		Jim Bartle: I wonder how Norton would have pronounced it?

Jun-29-12		Petrosianic: I've heard that Zukertort died AFTER a game, but not during one. Herman Steiner died during a tournament too (though not during a game either). I think his last game was a draw with William Addison in the California State Championship, and the rest of the tournament was cancelled.

Jun-29-12		Petrosianic: Ralph always pronounced it Kosky-osko, which I'm pretty sure is wrong, but I don't know if that's the way everyone in Brooklyn pronounces it or if that was supposed to be Ralph Kramden's own pronunciation.

Jun-29-12		Jim Bartle: I guess it really isn't funny if Norton mispronounces a word that's already difficult; it's understandable. I'll never forget when he tried to read "poloponies" rehearsing a play.

Jun-29-12		Petrosianic: That was one of Gleason's favorite jokes too, and I think he worked it into other shows besides The Honeymooners. "A string of pola-punnies". It's just one of those things that defies reason. It's so much funnier than it has any right to be.

Jun-29-12		Petrosianic: Oh cool, the scene is on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbJN...

Jun-29-12		twinlark: Aussies have been pronouncing the name as "kozzy-osko" since forever, but the official pronunciation is more like "kosh-choosh-ko".

Sep-07-12		rapidcitychess: A well deserved player of the day. Shining play often seems to be dim in the strong light we often saw in this period, but they all deserve our respect.

Sep-07-12		LoveThatJoker: Had they given out GM titles in your day, you would surely have received it! GM Zukertort, today you are remembered! LTJ

Jan-23-13		ajmer: One thing puzzles me. Many people state, that he preferred 1. d4, 1. c4 or 1. Nf3 over 1. e4, yet the vast majority of his games in chessgames.com database as white starts with 1. e4. Why is that so?

Jan-23-13		thomastonk: <ajmer> The answer is quite simple: the history of chess is full of myths! Zukertort played mainly 1.e4, but in the WC match with Steinitz he preferred 1.d4. When Reti tried 1.Sf3 in the 1920s, people called this the Zukertort opening, and the Oxford Campanion to Chess still uses this name! Indeed Zukertort played this sometimes, but continued 1.. d5 2.d4, and hence transposed to known territory.

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