The Lasker - Blackburne Match of 1892.

1892 was a turning point in the career of Emanuel Lasker. That was the year that he established his reputation as a player of the highest class, and started  out along the road which two years later would see him become World Champion.

Gillam, in 'Emanuel Lasker Volume 1' calls it, '1892: The Breakthrough Year' 

In the 19th century, reputation was everything in chess, and in 1892 Lasker established his - largely at the expense of Joseph Blackburne.

On his second visit to England - the first was two years earlier - he won the 'London Quintangular Tournament', - an article in itself - and defeated Blackburne in a match. In doing so he put himself into the World Championship Contender category. 

The story of the match starts back during his 1890 visit to England. 

The Manchester Times - 22-03-1890 - says this.

'On the conclusion of his match with Bird, and while still yet in Liverpool, Herr Lasker intimated his intention of challenging Mr. Blackburne to a match.'

'This was announced, in the papers, however, before he had time to do so, and Mr. Blackburne, refuses on this account to take any notice of the challenge. This is hardly the way in which Englishmen expect their champions to sustain the reputation of English chess, and we consider that a much more feasible excuse must be forthcoming before Mr. Blackburne , can, with justice to himself, refuse to meet a foeman in every way worthy of his steel.'

The 'guilty party' in announcing the, as yet unmade, challenge, is difficult to find. 'The Pall Mall Gazette' on 10/03/1890 had published this:-

'THE ENGLISH CHESS CHAMPION CHALLENGED'.

Mr. J.H.Blackburne, the English chess champion, has received a challenge to a match from Herr E. Lasker,of Berlin, who is at present engaged in a short encounter with Mr. N.T. Miniati at the Manchester Chess Club.

Mr. Blackburne, however, (says the Manchester Examiner) resents the fact that several newspapers had an intimation of the challenge several days previous to Lasker's communication to him, and for that reason declares that he will take no notice of the matter'.

However, Gillam, page 104, states that after this' Lasker had  issued an open challenge to play everybody for stakes of £50' ( no source given), and Blackburne took up the challenge - backed by Robert Steel.

In the same book - page 26, Negele states, based on the BCM May 1890, that it was Blackburne who demanded the £50 stakes. Take your pick!!

From the Manchester Times, May 17th, 1890.

'The Hereford Times states that considerable interest is evinced in the forthcoming contest between the two well-known players, Messers Blackburne and Lasker. All preliminaries are concluded, Mr. Blackburne's stake money is deposited,  and he is awaiting Mr. Lasker's. The play will commence as soon as the money is covered, and will take place at ''Simpsons''. The management have kindly made all arrangement for the competitor's convenience. ( Herr Lasker informs us that the match will probably take place at once. ED.)'

However, the match did not take place at all.

'The Belfast News-Letter', June 12th, 1890 notes:-

'The proposed match between Blackburne and Lasker has been broken off. It was found that the latter was unable to fulfil the required conditions.

Lasker was unable to raise the £50 stake money. Negele, page 27, quotes a letter from Lasker to Jaques Mieses, dated 21/04/1890, written from Simpson's Divan asking for financial support, to no avail it seems.

So on to 1892. Lasker was back in England, and doing rather well.

He won two tournaments in London - firstly in March, and then more importantly, after some debate as to his eligibility to take part, 'The London Quintangular Tournament'. The table from B.C.M.

Thee event was sponsored by a fascinating figure in his own right. Amongst other things he was the publisher of 'Sherlock Holmes', The Baronet Sir George Newnes.

 Not only did Lasker finish ahead of Blackburne, but he beat him in both of their individual games.

The second game was a complete debacle for Blackburne.

The event was played in this building - 37 King Street, home of the British Chess Club, as was the eventual match.

Anthony Guest - a member of the 'British Chess Club' - the prospective hosts of the match, was one of the first to announce the upcoming event. 25/04/1892.

''A match for £100 between Blackburne and lasker has been arranged to commence about the middle of May at the British Chess Club.'

According to the Illustrated Sporting and dramatic News - G.A.MacDonnell, 30/04/1892, the probable start date had become May 16th.

The London Evening standard of 12/05/1892 announced the match conditions.

'BLACKBURNE V. LASKER. The conditions of the forthcoming match between Blackburne and Lasker were signed yesterday. The main points are - 

£50 a side: six games up, draws not counting; time limit 18 moves per hour; play to commence Monday May 23rd, at the British Chess Club, and to proceed daily, Wednesdays and Sundays excepted, from two o'clock until half past six and from eight  till half past eleven p.m. in the case of unfinished games. 

The stakeholder is Mr. W. H. Cubison,

the treasurer of the British Chess Association,and the umpires Mr. George Newnes, M.P. President of the British Chess Club, and Mr. Thomas Hewitt, vice-President. 

Hewitt from the famous Punch depiction of the Divan 4/4/1885.

MacDonnell, in the ISDN of 21/05 was rather more skeptical, despite his earlier statement as to the possible start date.

The match was attracting a great deal of interest and speculation.

For example there was a long article in The Glasgow Herald on 23/05/1892, with a nice pen picture and evaluation of Lasker.

However, the match did not start on time. Due to Blackburne's ill health it was postponed for three days.

For example, the Sheffield Independent, 24/05/1892 has this.

In view of the debate regarding Lasker's participation in the London Quintangular tournament, and the reaction in the German magazines, the idea of the match being for 'The British championship' is interesting in itself.
 MacDonnell. ISDN 28/05/1892 confirmed Blackburne's health situation.

'last week I met with Mr. Blackburne, and finding him very poorly in health, strongly advised him to postpone his match with Mr. Lasker. He has done so, and the match is now fixed to  start on Friday, May 27th, at two o'clock.'

( I also have a report to the effect that Lasker was also struggling health-wise at the time, but can not locate it! I will add it in if it turns up. Simaginfan.)

Indeed, the match began on the 27th. From the course of the first couple of games it is clear that neither player was in top fighting shape - Blackburne blundering horribly in the first, and Lasker likewise in the second, before Blackburne - normally a strong endgame player, totally botched the ending.

Game 3 seems to have been an unofficial Grandmaster draw rest day. No Jupiter or thunderbolts to be seen!

Game 4 was a crushing victory for Lasker.

After an unusual opening, he took control around move 15, and Blackburne was steamrollered.

Game 5 was more of the same. Blackburne handled the opening in quite a modern way, but his 14th move was just poor. Lasker took over and won decisively enough.

Game 6 was a hard fought draw - Lasker eventually going for a stonewall set-up; something that, probably influenced by his matches with Bird, he experimented with around this time.

Game 7 is the best known of the match. Both made a slip in the period moves 23-24, but otherwise is is a textbook game of it's type.

The Lancashire Evening Post said of  it:-

'Once again Lasker has out-generalled the British Champion, and Blackburne surrendered yesterday. The score:_ Lasker 4, Blackburne 0 and 3 draws. Blackburne is suffering from a severe cold, and is certainly not doing himself justice.'

The Manchester Evening News of the same date - 08/06/1892 gives a fuller report.

Game 8 was delayed by a day - Harding quotes The Field as  saying that each player was allowed  three days grace during the match, when they could postpone a game without penalty.

The Manchester Evening News, Sat 11/06/1892 comments

'Play was resumed yesterday, after another delay due to the indisposition of Blackburne.'

Lasker played very well, although a typical oversight in the technical phase could have made things more difficult ( To be fair to the players, I have never seen the error pointed out, or spotted it myself  - it is an engine find!)

 Three days later came the game of the match. A wonderful struggle, where Blackburne

was seen at his best, but somehow was unable to bring home the full point in the face of Lasker's brilliant defence. 

The next day Lasker won his 6th victory, thereby ending the match in his favour by the crushing score of 6-0 with 4 draws.

It is Lasker's finest performance of the match, in my view - a really high class game on his part.

A few days after the end of the match - on June 20th - Anthony Guest - 

Image from an @batgirl article  https://www.chess.com/article/view/todays-guest - in The Morning Post, gave his assessment of the match.

'The Blackburne - Lasker match is concluded, and Lasker is now being eulogised as one of the greatest, if not the very greatest, of living players. His recent performances have indeed been remarkable. By winning successively two tournaments and a match so important as that with Blackburne with the loss of only a single game, he has gained a record such as no other player can boast of.

Out of two tournament games and ten match games with Blackburne, Lasker has won eight and drawn four, Blackburne not having once been successful, although in two of the match games he had distinct chances of winning, but failed to more than draw.

Blackburne has always been a nervous and consequently unsuccessful match player. It is in tournaments where there is the excitement of meeting a fresh opponent daily that he is seen to the best advantage. It  would be unjust to conclude that the recent contest indicates any deterioration in his play, and it would not be surprising to find him as successful in the forthcoming tournament at Dresden as he was at Berlin immediately after his almost crushing defeat by Zukertort.

Lasker's play throughout the match was of a higher character than has been witnessed in a chess contest for a good many years. It was essentially patient and profound, and for this reason perhaps the games were from the point of view of  the average amateur of a somewhat wearisome nature, consisting in the most part of the accumulation of small advantages. 

To conduct such contests as this with unfailing accuracy implies a degree of mental strain that is particularly exhausting, and, Lasker being a man of by no means strong physique, it is hardly surprising to learn that by urgent medical advice he is  debarred from taking part in any competition for two months or so to come.

Although profundity is undoubtedly the distinguishing characteristic of Lasker's play, he is still capable of  exceedingly brilliant sallies when suitable occasions arise, as was proved in several of his recent tournament games.  

It is certainly a matter for congratulation that we have in Lasker a player who, both as regards his youth and genius, comes nearer to rivalling the fame of Morphy than  any of his contemporaries or predecessors'.

In addition to the material given here, there is also material that I have not included from my own researches, as well as in the Harding and the Gillam, Forster/Negele et al books mentioned above.

To close, from the mass of material that I have to hand, a couple of a couple of bits of background from the pen of Blackburne's friend -  the Rev. G.A. MacDonnell. ( Image from the Punch drawing referred to above.)

ISDN, 02/07/1892.

'I met Mr. Blackburne a few evenings before the commencement of his match with Herr Lasker. He looked very poorly and was very low in spirits. He said his health was bad, and that he was quite unfit to play a match. I advised him not to play, and he rejoined, ''I must play Lasker. No man shall ever say I was afraid and shirked the fight''........

I then advised him not to play until a fortnight at least had elapsed from the time the stakes were deposited. ( at that point the stakes had not yet been deposited - Simaginfan) and to spend that fortnight at the sea-side.

''No'', said he, ''I must play next week, no matter what my condition is''.

There is a great deal more to that particular article - predominantly in defence of Blackburne, -  but the  quoted part is the most interesting and pertinent both to the match, and Blackburne's personality.

ISDN .16/07/1892.

'Thursday , July 7th was a gala day at Peckham. For on that day about fifty gentlemen assembled at Mr. H.F.Gastineau's residence in Queen's Road, and were there most hospitably entertained.

After dinner the guests adjourned to the garden and refreshed themselves with chess and cigars, and other creature comforts.

Blackburne at an earlier Gastineau garden party. The first known image of Blackburne.

Then they retired within doors, where toasts were proposed and cheers accorded. The health of the host - of the City of London champions, Messers Loman and Moriau, was, each duly honored.

Then followed a very pleasant scene, wherein Messrs. Lasker and Blackburne, accorded each to the other the first place for chivalrous bearing, during the recent contest. Mr. Blackburne striving rather to emphasize his opponent's courteous conduct, than to plead any excuse for his own defeat.

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