<ChessicaL>

I just read it, and it looks excellent to me.

I forwarded it over to <Tabanus>, since he is currently managing the Candidates Events. I'm sure he will be thrilled to see your work!!

Later follows a longer article on the Steinitz-Chigorin 1889 match, which I will look at later. Source: Horatio Caro, Der Wettkampf zwischen Steinitz und Tschigorin, Deutsches Wochenschach, 24 March 1889, issues 11/12, pp. 86-91, https://archive.org/stream/deutsche...

The article begins with biographical sketches. Steinitz first, and the match versus Zukertort is, for reasons unknown to me, not mentioned.

The part about Chigorin may be of greater interest: He was born in St. Petersburg. At the end of 1880, by beating Schiffers +7 -1 =3, he finally established himself as the strongest Russian chessplayer. He represented Russia at Berlin (1881) and came in shared 3rd-4th. At Vienna (1882), he was less successful overall, but drew his mini-matches versus Steinitz, Zukertort, Mackenzie and Noa. At the great London (1883) tournament, he came in 4th. This was his last international tournament, but notable is his match victory over Schiffers in 1885 (5 to 1). The author adds, that Chigorin is an amateur chessplayer.

I will leave out the complete game description, as it may give a wrong impression and is possibly not even necessary for a draft.

Game 1: Chigorin's favorite opening, the Evans Gambit. Steinitz introduced a novelty (6...Qf6). Chigorin won after 6.5 hours of play. The only interruption was the usual 2 hour-break after White's 35th move after 4 hours of play at 6 o'clock.

Game 2: Thursday, January 22nd, in the rooms of the Union Klub, began at 2 p.m.. Steinitz won after 4 hours.

Game 3: 24th January. Chigorin won after 9.5 hours. Chigorin sealed his 47th move and gave it to the arbiter, then began the 2 hours-break. Then, the game was continued until 12 o'clock midnight, but adjourned at move 72. Chigorin again had to seal his move. The game finished on Friday in less than 2 hours.

Game 4: 26th January. Steinitz won in 22 moves.

Game 5: Chigorin played the Evans again, and Steinitz tried his novelty 6...Qf6 for a second time. Chigorin resigned. The game had lasted 2 hours and 33 minutes.

Game 6: January 1889. Chigorin won.

Game 7: January 1889. Steinitz resigned on move 34.

Game 8: 3 February 1889. Chigorin resigned on move 38.

Game 9: 5 February 1889. Chigorin resigned on move 56.

Game 10: 7 February 1889. Chigorin resigned on move 27.

Game 11: 10 February 1889. Steinitz resigned on move 31.

Game 12: February 1889. Steinitz won on move 61.

Game 13: February 1889. Chigorin won.

Game 14: February 1889. Steinitz won on move 35.

Game 15: 21 February 1889. Steinitz won after 36 moves.

Game 16: 23 February 1889. Steinitz won on move 52. The game descriptions in the last part of the report have become more sketchy, he is rather describing the course of the games. It was still surprising to me, that Chigorin's sickness, which led to an interruption of the game, was not mentioned here.

Game 17: 24 February 1889. The game ended drawn after move 70.

Steinitz won 10.5-6.5, but Chigorin can be satisfied, having proven to be a master of 1st rank.

<Karpova> That is excellent.

This online resource you have found appears to be a gold mine, especially for German readers:

<Karpova> Here is a fascinating snippet you wrote some time ago on the official page that we can put in the mirror:

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<From the 1889 'Wiener Schachzeitung' (Sonderheft) P. 6: <Habana, 21. Feber. (Vom Spezial-Berichterstatter.). Im Hafen hat sich ein Haifisch gezeigt. Mehrere zu Gast hier weilende Schachspieler nahmen ihren Schwiegermüttern Abonnements für die See-Bade-Anstalt.> (Havana, February 21. (By the special correspondent). A shark showed up in the harbour. Several of the chessplayers who are guests here, took sea swimming baths subscriptions for their mothers-in-law.)>

P. 7: <Habana, 22. Feber. Die gestern gemeldete Maßregel war von Erfolg begleitet. Der Haifish ist verschwunden.> (Havana, February 22. The measure reported yesterday, was successful. The shark disappeared).

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Steinitz - Chigorin World Championship Match (1889)

On Game Collection: WCC: Steinitz-Chigorin 1889

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-<"Charleston Sunday News" (27 Jan 1889)>

"Among the conditions of the match between Messrs Steinitz and Tshegorin, now being played in Havana, we notice the following: Second. For their expenses in Havana each will receive 240 pesos in gold. Third. From sixteen to twenty games will be played. The winner of each game to receive $20 and the loser $10. In the event of a draw each shall recive $10."

http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...

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-<"Newark Sunday Call" (27 Jan 1889)>

"The entire expenses of the two players, Steinitz and Tchigorin, in going and returning from New York and Havana are borne by the Havana Club."

http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...

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-<"Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1889" (3 Feb 1899)>

"The third contest, which ended January 24, occupied over nine hours and the Russian came off victorious."

Chigorin vs Steinitz, 1889

http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...

Game Collection: WCC: Steinitz-Chigorin 1889

-<"Charleston Sunday News" (3 Feb 1889)>

"The days of play are Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The Havana Chess Club gave a grand banquet, in honor of the visitors, on the 10th January, at which the Captain General, foreign consuls and other notabilities participated."

http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...

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-<"Newark Sunday Call" (24 Feb 1889)>

"The latest reports from Havana give the score, Steintz, 9; Tshigorin, 6. Another game will make it impossible for Steinitz to lose, and two more will give him the victory."

http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...

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-<"Boston Herald" (26 Feb 1889)>

"Steinitz won the 16th game. It was begun with the Zukertort gambit, and lasted six hours.

Steinitz vs Chigorin, 1889

The 17th game, which was begun with the Evans gambit, and lasted five hours, resulted in a draw.

Chigorin vs Steinitz, 1889

It was agreed that the match be considered as ended, with Steinitz as winner."

http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...

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-<"Brooklyn Daily Eagle" (27 Feb 1889)>

"The great chess match which has been in progress at the Havana Chess Club since January 21 terminated on February 25 in a declared victory for Mr. Steinitz, who won ten out of the sixteen games played. There were four more games of the twenty to be played and Steinitz had but to win one of the four to make up the eleven necessary to bear off the prize, and in view of the near approach of the international tourney at New York he resigned from the contest."

Game Collection: WCC: Steinitz-Chigorin 1889

-<"Charleston Sunday News" (3 March 1889)>

"Owing to Mr Tshigorin's attack of sickness, play in this contest was suspended for three days, hence the 13th game did not take place until the 16th ult. It was an Evans gambit, with the usual result, a victory for the Russian. The 14th game took place on the 19th and was won by Steinitz in 35 moves, the score at this stage being, Steinitz 8, Tschigorin 6, with 6 games still to play. The Times-Democrat, from whose columns we take the following score of the 14th game, says: It will be very difficult for Mr Tschigorin to overcome Steinitz's lead, for as the El Union Constitucional points out, he would have to win four of these to draw the match. The Cuban climate, too, is evidently a factor in the contest. The Russian champion experiences unfavorable results in the transition from St Petersburg to Havana; indeed, we note that at one stage he pronounced himself literally 'suffocated by the heat.'"

http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...

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-<"Newark Sunday Call" (3 March 1889)>

"Steinitz having won the sixteenth and drawn the seventeenth game in the Havana engagement his score is 10½ to Tchigorin's 6½. It being now impossible for Tchigorin even to tie for the match, it has been terminated, and once more the unconquerable Steinitz arises a victor..."

http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...

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-<"Kirksville Weekly Graphic" (8 March 1889)>

"Steinitz has won the great chess match in Havana, the score being Steinitz, 10, Tchigorin, 6, Drawn 1. This gives Steinitz a stake of $1,200 and maintains his supremacy as champion of the world, a position he has held by many a hard fought battle with men of weight and renown. Tchigorin the champion of Russia, is a gentleman well-known in diplomatic circles. The news will be received with disappointment in New York, the adopted home of the Austrian Jew, where he has made himself unpopular by his aggressiveness and unreasonable petty jealousies. Tchigorin on the contrary, notwithstanding his defeat, will be received with open arms at the forthcoming chess congress in New York where he is likely to meet gentlemen of his own ilk and more worthy his knightly chessic spear."

Game Collection: WCC: Steinitz-Chigorin 1889

-<"Newark Sunday Call" (10 March 1889)>

"It is certainly very amusing to see the contortions resorted to by those who desire to depreciate Steinitz's play. In the latest match these wise critics say that Tchigorin was 'suffocated' by the heat in Havana. Steinitz has won matches in cold climates and in warm, against antagonists of all kinds and nationalities, but in every case the critics say that Steinitz could not, would not, or should not have won, if certain conditions had been otherwise. But the fact remains that he does win. In order to depreciate Steinitz's play it is necessary to depreciate the play of all his antagonists. What silly nonsense it all is! Entirely apart from the man's personal character, why not admit what is unmistakable, that Steinitz is the best living chess-player. An acknowledgment of his chess ability is not an endorsement of his personal character nor an approval of the literary Steinitz gambit."

http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...

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-<"New York Daily Tribune" (20 March 1889)>

"The Manhattan Chess Club was again the centre of interest among the players yesterday afternoon, on account of the arrival of Michael Tchigorin, the noted player, of St. Petersburg. He had just come from Havana, where he played a match with Mr. Steinitz. To a Tribune reporter he said that during his match with Mr. Steinitz he had suffered much from the effects of the warm climate, and he brought his coat together to show how much he had lost in weight. He said, further, that he had made errors: that after three or four hours' play, on account of the heat and noise, he would get somewhat confused. He had, he said, no intention at present of remaining in this country after the Congress closes, but would be governed by circumstances."

http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...

It's interesting that none of these reports refer to Steinitz - Chigorin World Championship Match (1889) as a "World Chess Championship" or even just a "championship."

I also did not find in the 'Deutsche Wochenschach' any reference to this match as a world championship match. But they clearly devoted a lot of attention to it.

Even here, http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/..., it's just called a <contest>, and there was nothing specific here http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/... either.

There are several possible explanations:

1) The world championship itself hadn't become an accepted establishment yet. After all, there had been only one match so far, which the contestants had called a world championship match themselves. So no tradition yet. And it was still hard to evaluate its historical significance.

2) Steinitz' stance himself. He would go on to claim that he won the world championship in 1866, which would turn every serious match he had played since then into a world championship match. So to him, the status may never have been in question. But later, when the Zukertort match in 1886 became the starting point, all the serious matches after it were deemed world championship matches.

3) I looked into Landsberger, but information is scarce. On p. 208 is said that <[...] the Havana Chess Club offered to provide the stakes and to defray all the expenses of a match for the championship, [...]>. It's not direct confirmation, but still interesting that on p. 209 Hoffer is noted as questioning why Chigorin was selected. On p. 211 then <On January 20, 1889, at 2 P. M., Chigorin and Steinitz began conntesting the world championship in Havana.>, but that was Landsberger.

<Karpova>

That's a reasonable assessment, thank you.

The 6th American Chess Congress was to end with a match. The committee decided on the stipulation, that the 2nd or 3rd prize winners only had the right to challenge the 1st place winner to a world championship match (<Wettkampf um die Meisterschaft der Welt>). Chessplayers who hadn't participated, or other prize and non-prize winners could challenge the tournament winner, but this would not be a world championship match then.

Source: Deutsches Wochenschach, 19 May 1889, issue 20, pp. 171-172, https://archive.org/stream/deutsche...

I do not know what became of those plans. According to Rod Edwards, http://www.edochess.ca/tournaments/..., Chigorin seems to have drawn a short match versus Weiss. This seems to have been a short play-off match to decide on the 1st prize winner, rather. This is confirmed on p. 179 of the Deutsches Wochenschach, 26 May 1889, issue 21: Three play-off games were planned, four were played and Weiss and Chigorin shared 1st and 2nd place ($1,000 + $750).

<Karpova> I think we should find a place to store this information.

First, I'll add what I put in <crawfb5's> forum:

http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...

http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...

http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...

Here is part one of <suenteus po's> collection: Game Collection: New York 1889

Here is the note from <crawfb5> on this collection:

<The <ruling> was on maximum number of games allowed in a single game collection. <NY 1889> part I has 400 games and part II has 20-something. A game collection cannot have more than 400 games without some action on CG's part, which it appears, has not happened. Or it has and he's not merged his two collections.>

Ideas- Maybe we could mirror the collection(s) and the start archiving the information in the intro?

I really don't know what to make of this information, but since the world championship was mentioned, I thought I should post it. It doesn't seem to have had an influence on the world chess championship (Steinitz-Chigorin 1889 had already been played, next was Steinitz-Gunsberg 1890 and then Steinitz would play Chigorin in 1892 again. Chigorin played Gunsberg in 1890, though.). In addition, I just remember too well the other tries by New York tournament organizers, e. g. closely prior to WWI (but also later), to unsuccessfully get involved with the world championship.

The whole matter becomes even more puzzling with every new find:

<The all-important tie game in the international chess tournament between Weiss and Mason will be played to-day. If Mason beats Weiss, Tchigorin wins first prize, in which case he will be at once challenged by Gunsberg for the championship. If, however, Weiss beats Mason, then Weiss wins first prize by half a point, and he will then be possibly challenged by Tchigorin.>

Source: New York Daily Tribune, 21 May 1889, http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...

See also the New York Sun, 21 May 1889, http://www.chessarch.com/excavation... for more on this.

Another interesting tidbit: <Mr. Tchigorin is one of the handsomest men in the tournament, and is a gentleman of culture and refinement. He is of medium height and weight. His complexion is clear and rather dark. His black hair, always brushed back from his forehead, makes his features prominent.>

The Boston Herald of 23 May 1889 calls the play off games <world championship games>. http://www.chessarch.com/excavation... Same with the New York Daily Tribune, http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...

One day later, the Boston Herald calls them <candidates for the world's championship.>, http://www.chessarch.com/excavation.... And the New York Daily Tribune alike, http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...

<Baron Kolisch, the eminent Austrian player and at one time the world's champion, died recently.> Atlanta Sunny South, 25 May 1889, http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...

After the conclusion of the play-off (drawn), suddenly the Boston Herald of 28 May 1889, announces that the <championship of the sixth American Chess Congress> was left <undecided>. http://www.chessarch.com/excavation... The New York Daily Tribune maintains that the <the question of the world's chess championship is left undecided, in an unsatisfactory manner.> http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...

There is something on Steinitz and the championship here http://www.chessarch.com/excavation... (Galveston Daily News, 2 June 1889), but I can hardly decipher it.

Interesting: <The challenge match part of the tournament has evidently fallen through, as Tchigorin was announced to have sailed for Europe yesterday.> Newark Sunday Call, 2 June 1889, http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...

The St. Paul Daily Globe still speaks of the world chess championship: http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...

The Atlanta Sunny South of 15 June 1889 is a bit critical: http://www.chessarch.com/excavation...

<Big> Thanks for the update.

Karpova has already begun compiling an errata list- should we go ahead now with using that method to request changes on the new promotion?

A second question-

As I was mentioning to Karpova, due to the unusual circumstance of this being a "three person composition," there may have been some ways that Microsoft Word code got into the draft I sent you.

I don't do this normally, but as I just mentioned to both Karpova and Daniel via email, I did use a Microsoft Word page for a clipboard to organize part of this particular edit.

<Karpova> Thanks for the deeper information on the 6th American Chess Congress and it's relation- or no relevant relation- to the WCC match in question, I agree that it is not relevant to the WCC project.