Zukertort vs Steinitz 1886

Born in Prague, Wilhelm Steinitz was regarded the best player in the world ever since his victory over Adolf Anderssen in their 1866 match.

	Zukertort (left) and Steinitz.

The Polish-Jewish master Johannes Zukertort gained worldwide recognition when he won the international tournament in Paris, 1878. In 1883, he won the international tournament in London, defeating nearly every leading player in the world. Steinitz, who placed second, trailed Zukertort by three full points. After such a commanding performance, Zukertort was considered by many to be the unofficial World Champion.

In 1886 these two great chess minds sat down to play what is now regarded by most chess historians as the first official World Chess Championship. The conditions were that the first player to achieve 10 wins (draws not counting) would be crowned champion. (This method, "first to 10 wins", was to become the center of a controversy almost a hundred years later, when Fischer and FIDE came to an impasse over the World Championship format.)

Steinitz suffered a series of defeats at the beginning of the match, but soon overcame his deficit. In the 20th game, Steinitz played a combination right out of the opening which netted Zukertort's queen, forcing him to resign, ending the match with a score of 10 to 5. 

FINAL SCORE:  Steinitz 10;  Zukertort 5 (5 draws)