The 1896 Schiffers vs Steinitz Match
As early as December 1895, the Russian newspaper Juschny Krai informed its readers that in the following year a match was to take place in Kharkiv (Russian: Kharkov) between the first World Champion in chess history, Wilhelm Steinitz, and one of the strongest Russian players of that time, Emanuel Schiffers.
Steinitz had lost the World Championship match and thus his title to the much younger challenger Emanuel Lasker in 1894, but he had retained the right to a return match. He had secured this right when he accepted Lasker’s challenge for the World Championship. After some delays, the rematch was now scheduled to be held in Moscow in November 1896.
In the summer of 1895, Steinitz and Schiffers had met at the tournament in Hastings and presumably arranged a match there, which was intended to serve Steinitz as preparation for his World Championship return match against Lasker.
Standing: Albin, Schlechter, Janowski, Marco, Blackburne, Maróczy, Schiffers, Gunsberg, Burn, Tinsley. Sitting: Vergani, Steinitz, Chigorin, Lasker, Pillsbury, Tarrasch, Mieses, Teichmann.
Not pictured: von Bardeleben, Mason, Walbrodt, Pollock, Bird
In January 1896, the newspaper Juschny Krai announced the conditions for the match between Steinitz and Schiffers.
- The contest will take place in Kharkiv after the St Petersburg tournament.*
- Mr Steinitz will determine the starting date of the contest.
- Only 12 games will be played; draws will count as half a point.
- The winner will be the player who wins the majority of the 12 games.
- The games played remain the property of the players, who will dispose of them by mutual agreement.
- The winner will receive a prize of 400 rubles, the loser 200 rubles. In the event of a drawn match, each player will receive 300 rubles. In addition, the players will receive 15 rubles for a win, 5 rubles for a loss and 10 rubles for a draw.
- For travel and accommodation expenses in Kharkiv, Mr Steinitz will receive 200 rubles; Mr Schiffers and Mr Genrikhson (guide and interpreter for Mr Steinitz – S.G.) will each receive 150 rubles.
*In December 1895, a four-player tournament was held in St Petersburg with Emanuel Lasker, Wilhelm Steinitz, Harry Pillsbury and Mikhail Tschigorin. Six rounds were played. Lasker won convincingly ahead of Steinitz.
This report still named Kharkiv as the venue, but in the end the encounter between the two masters did not take place there, but in Rostov-on-Don.
The initiators of the match were two dignitaries from Rostov-on-Don, D. I. Ilowaiskji and M. M. Scherebtsow. Their original idea was to make chess more popular again in southern Russia, and Kharkiv, as the largest city in the region, seemed suited of attracting the greatest number of spectators.
However, the city authorities of Rostov-on-Don then decided to celebrate the centenary of the city’s founding in 1896. In doing so, they referred to a decree issued by Tsar Pavel Petrovich I on 12 December 1796 concerning the reorganisation of the Novorossiysk Governorate (later Yekaterinoslav, then Dnipropetrovsk), one of the administrative units of the Russian Empire. One of the districts of this governorate was the district of Rostov-on-Don. A top-level chess match was regarded as a fitting event within the framework of the jubilee celebrations.
The dignitaries of the Chamber of Commerce, which was based in the City Garden at the corner of Sadovaya and Taganrogsky.
Only later did Rostov settle on the year 1749 as the city’s founding date, since in that year, under Empress Elizabeth I, a customs post was established on the Don, from which the city later developed.
On the banks of the Don
Before modern transport
The originally planned jubilee was the main reason for moving the match from Kharkiv to Rostov-on-Don. Apart from that, however, the city could also look back on an active chess community. At the beginning of the 19th century, the “Rostov Society of Chess Enthusiasts” had been founded, and with Boris Alexeyevich Yankovich (1863–1918), who had moved from Kharkiv to Rostov, the city had a player of master strength. He took part in the 1st, 2nd and 5th All-Russian Championships. In 1894 and 1895, Yankovich also played two matches against Schiffers in Rostov, but lost both (+9, -6, =2 and +7, -2).
The Rostov City Duma therefore asked the organisers in Kharkiv to move the match to their city. The request was granted, and Wilhelm Steinitz and Emanuel Schiffers also raised no objections to the new venue.
On 9 February 1896, the newspaper Priasovsky Krai reported:
“The famous chess players Wilhelm Steinitz and Emanuel Schiffers will soon come to Rostov for a match. The match comprises twelve games. The winner will receive a prize of 400 rubles, the loser 200 rubles. In addition, 20 rubles will be paid for each game won and 10 rubles for each game lost; if a game ends in a draw, both players will receive 15 rubles. The match will take place at the Rostov Chess Club. The organisers are Messrs Ilowaiski, Scherebtsow and Tereshchenko.”
The total cost of organising the match was estimated at 1,500 rubles, raised through contributions from the three main organisers. Ivanovich Ilowaiski and Mikhail Mikhailovich Scherebtsow were themselves passionate chess enthusiasts.
The match was played in the premises of the Rostov Chess Club, which was located on the second floor of the G. Melkonov-Ezekov House, a prominent large building at the corner of Bolshaya Sadovaya Prospekt and Bolshoy Prospekt.
Rostov-on-Don
Bolshaya Sadovaya Prospekt was — and still is — one of the city’s main thoroughfares, lined with many imposing buildings and shops.
G. Melkonov-Ezekov was a well-known Rostov merchant. After the Revolution, his house accommodated the “Azov–Black Sea Radio Committee” during the Soviet period. In 1941, the building was destroyed in a fire and was later rebuilt in a similar style.
The intersection today
For a time, Schiffers was able to hold his own against Steinitz. After the former World Champion had won the first two games, Schiffers took games three and four. Steinitz won game five, but Schiffers then struck back in games six and seven and, about two thirds of the way through the match, was even in the lead.
In the first five games, play began with 1.e4 e5. Steinitz continued with the Italian Game, while Schiffers preferred the Ruy Lopez.
In game six, Schiffers surprised his opponent with the French Defence as Black and won. Steinitz had responded with the Tarrasch Variation, and the game still appears quite modern even today.
In game seven, Schiffers switched from the Ruy Lopez to the Four Knights Game and soon obtained a winning advantage there as well.
In game eight, Schiffers again chose the French Defence. This time Steinitz replied with 3.Nc3 and, after 3...Nf6 4.e5 Nd7, introduced the “modern” idea 5.Nce2. A very interesting game followed, with fluctuating advantages and material imbalance, in which Steinitz only managed to prevail after a long struggle in the end. He thereby equalised the score, then won game nine with Black and, after the only draw in game ten, also took game eleven to secure victory in the match.
When replaying these games, one must bear in mind that the masters of that era were still navigating the opening without established theory and developed many ideas themselves. In this sense, some concepts appear somewhat unusual, while others seem strikingly modern.
After the return match against Lasker, Steinitz is said to have been mentally severely affected. However, there is no sign of this whatsoever here, nor in the tournaments he played beforehand.
In this video course experts examine the games of Steinitz. Let them show you which openings Steinitz chose, where his strength in middlegames were, how he outplayed his opponents in the endgame & you’ll get a glimpse of his tactical abilities!
Williams Steinitz, 1st World Chess Champion (1886-1894) The match between William Steinitz and Johannes Zukertort in 1886 was the first chess match for the ‘World Chess Championship’. Steinitz won, and has since been considered the first official world champion in chess history.
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