St. George's Chess Club, London England; 3 May 1880—25 June 1880
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Wins
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Zukertort ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 1 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 7
Rosenthal ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 1
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Format: First to seven wins, draws not counting, to be the victor.
Time Control: two hours for the first 30 moves, and one hour for every following 15 moves.
Stakes: £100 each.
This match had its origin in Paris (1878), where Zukertort won and Rosenthal shared 7th place. According to Zukertort, Rosenthal challenged him already on the day of
the distribution of the prizes. In the middle of 1879, Zukertort got another challenge by Rosenthal as well as a letter from a third party, informing him that Rosenthal had stated in the Régence, that Zukertort had won the Paris tournament by a fluke.Serious negotiations begun early in 1880 and resulted in the following conditions:
a) The match will be played at the St. George's Chess Club, and the winner is who first scores seven wins.\
b) The stakes are £ 100 on each side.
c) The play takes place three times a week, and either player has the right to abstain from play twice during two months.
d) Should during the match, the temperature rise over 77°F (25°C) for three consecutive days or five days during the same week, Mr Rosenthal has the right to adjourn the match until next autumn.
e) The right of publishing the match games in France belongs to Rosenthal, in England to Zukertort.
f) The time limit is two hours for the first 30 moves, and one hour for every following 15 moves.
g) After six repetitions the opponent may claim a draw (but beginning with the fourth repetition, moves do not count for the time limit).
The number of wins to decide the match was 7, as in Steinitz - Blackburne (1876), but the stakes were two times as much. The slow playing rate (c) and the temperature condition (d) were introduced at the request of Rosenthal, who probably feared exhaustion. The copyright condition (e) was introduced by Zukertort. William Alexander Lindsay acted as umpire for Rosenthal, and William Wayte for Zukertort. The umpires selected Wilhelm Steinitz as referee.
Rosenthal kept the match close until Game 11, when he was only 1 win behind, but broke down afterwards. Zukertort published the games with extensive comments.
Sources
a) Chess Monthly, 1879-1880, vol. 1, pp. 168, 199, 231, 260-261, 294-314, 330-343, and vol. 2, pp. 6-19.
b) 1880 Rosenthal-Zukertort, London Match, researched by Nick Pope at http://www.chessarch.com/archive/18....
Credit
Original collection: Game Collection: 1880 Rosenthal-Zukertort London Match by User: optimal play.
Kibitzing
