The Modern Chess Instructor

Modern Chess Instructor

Part I

by

Wilhelm Steinitz

21st Century Edition

Foreword

Suppose that when Magnus Carlsen writes his first book, it is not a collection of his best games. Instead, he writes a vast, comprehensive work for players of all classes – from experienced tournament players down to novices who don’t even know how the pieces move. In this remarkable book he reveals his opening secrets, his positional insights – and just about everything else he has discovered about chess.

Yes, I know that’s not going to happen. World-class players rarely write any kind of books these days, and certainly not books for readers from a wide range of playing strengths. But they did write that way, once upon a time.

That time gave us Emanuel Lasker’s Manual of Chess and its great predecessor, Wilhem Steinitz’s Modern Chess Instructor (MCI). So much of what we take for granted in chess thinking comes from MCI that we need to put it in context to appreciate it fully.

Underlying MCI is Steinitz’s explanation – and fervent defense – of what he called the Modern School. Its basic tenets: The ultimate objective of chess is to capture the opponent’s king but that should not be the primary goal. Attacks cannot defeat proper defense unless they are founded on some previously acquired positional superiority, such as better development, pawn structure or piece mobility.

This was revolutionary at the time. The popular view was that a brilliant sacrifice stemmed from the genius of the player who made it. No, said Steinitz in MCI. It can only occur when either side has committed some grave error of judgment.

This outraged many fans who accused Steinitz’s plodding approach of taking the fun out of chess. He may be world champion, they said, but he is no Paul Morphy – who was widely regarded as the greatest player of all time. Steinitz replied, in Chapter Six of MCI, that Morphy rarely sacrificed in his celebrated matches against masters. It was patzers who allowed Morphy to be brilliant, he implied.

Many readers will find Chapter Seven to be the most interesting. Steinitz explains his views on piece values and pawn theory. He was writing at a time when the superiority of a bishop over a knight was still in dispute. Here he goes further, telling the world of the great value of the two bishops: They are far superior to two knights and a bit better than B+N. In fact, two bishops and two pawns are much better than R+N. In this chapter he also hails the importance of a queenside pawn majority, which was little appreciated at the time. Steinitz also elaborates on pawn holes, a term he originated, and other pawn weaknesses – again, little understood in his era.

The bulk of MCI is devoted to opening analysis and annotated games that illustrate the analysis. This contrasts sharply with modern opening books. Today’s works typically contain one percent original analysis. The rest is citations of hundreds of recent games. The author’s contribution to opening theory is minimal. In fact, it may not be his own – but rather his computer’s.

But MCI is filled with original Steinitz ideas. This may be why Bobby Fischer was his greatest 20th century fan. Fischer was always looking for forgotten opening moves. In MCI and Steinitiz’s International Chess Magazine he found some that he later revived in tournaments, such as 9.Nh3 in the main line of the Two Knights Defense and 5.Qe2 in the Petroff (after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 exd4 4.e5 Ne4).

Of course, the opening analysis of MCI is dated and the openings are out of fashion. But unpopular openings are not necessarily bad openings. Ask Magnus Carlsen. When he played 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 against Sergey Karjakin in the 2016 title match, it was the first time these moves had appeared in more than a century of world championship games.

Andy Soltis

New York

January 2017

Preface

The chief purport of the work on chess, of which the present volume forms the first part, is the theoretical application of new principles and of the reasoning by analogies of positions, which have been my guide in practice, especially during the last 20 years. It is perhaps unnecessary to state that the task, which I have set before me was beset with enormous difficulties. Many variations that have been the product of vast changes in the style of play which has taken place in modern times, have no doubt been duly noticed in able treatises on the game, but no attempt has yet been made in any book on chess to base the analysis systematically on general ideas which would assist the judgment of the student in similar positions.

In the present work great efforts are essayed in that direction, especially in the annotation of Illustrative Games from practical play where the results of the application of the principles recommended for the conduct of the openings and the middle part can be more distinctly traced in the end. But as will be seen from the few examples given in this volume, of reasoning out the opening moves by comparison of different maxims, it would have been practically impossible within the scope of this work to adopt the same sort of commentating throughout the analysis of the openings, and I had to confine myself in that respect to pointing out the most striking examples of the adaptation of principles in the early part of the game.

However, I have carefully examined the debuts treated in this volume on the basis of such general maxims, and as the openings have been hitherto analysis by the authorities chiefly in an empirical manner, it became necessary to introduce a very large number of novelties at various stages of variations which, up to the present, had been generally recognized as standard lines of play. In short I have come to conclusions differing very widely from those hitherto sanctioned by first class practitioners and authors right at the roots of the openings, and sometimes as early as on the third or fourth moves, like in the Ruy Lopez, Petroff’s Defense, and Philidor’s Defense.

The analysis of the openings had therefore to be entirely remodeled in many instances in which new ideas are developed that have never been put to any practical test. Most of the experimental deductions, which I introduce to students of the game, must therefore be regarded only as imaginary examples of tactics and strategy, which I trust will in the main afford good instruction to the reader, by cannot lay any claim to absolute accuracy. For it ought to be remembered that the merits of most of the recognized standard variations in the openings could not be settled until they had been verified by numerous illustrations from the practice of first-class masters in actual play, and that grave errors have often been found in various forms of openings that have been greatly favored by many prominent practitioners and authorities for a very long time.

Under these circumstances I must expect that occasionally some shortcomings of demonstrations, such as quicker ways of winning or drawing, and perhaps some faults of judgment may have crept into some of the numerous original lines of play, which after conscientious examination, to the best of my ability, I have thought it my duty to introduce into this treatise. But I trust that such flaws will be found in a minority by far and that at any rate the innovations, which I propose will give material for practical trials and theoretical researches that will be useful for the development of our scientific pastime.

For the game department I have chiefly selected striking examples of brilliant combinations in the conduct of the kingside attack for, as a matter of course, their study is quite indispensable to the learner. As only very few of the innovations, which I propose have been tested in actual play, it is only natural that I could not give many practical illustrations of the application of modern principles. But just because the examples quoted from old masters do not generally conform with the maxims of development and the precautions of modern play which are laid down in the treatise, they afford earlier and more brilliant opportunities for the display if ingenuity in the direct kingside attack, and as the amendments on the basis of more modern ideas are pointed out in the notes as much as possible within the scope of this volume, I feel satisfied that the study of the game department will at least afford as much instruction to the large majority of readers as the perusal of the analysis. As far as practicable, I have endeavored to supplement in the examples from actual play any important variations that had been omitted in the main analysis.

As regards the arrangement of the matter presented in this volume I have introduced several new improvements with the view of giving greater facilities for following the analysis and studying the Illustrative Games. The most notable novelty in that respect is the addition of diagrams in the analytical pages, which I trust will have the desired effect.

The various authorities quoted in this treatise have been of great assistance to me in forming the outlines of this treatise, and I am also much indebted to them for some parts of my analysis and annotations, as well as for the greater portion of the selected games. But as I did not wish to introduce any kind of controversy I have deemed it advisable to quote them only when I quite agreed with their demonstrations, and in very rare cases when I accepted the latter but differed from their conclusions without adding any analytical proof. It is, however, only due in this preface to acknowledge my general obligations to those authorities and to bring them fully to the notice of amateurs who wish to form chess libraries.

They are principally Bilguer’s Handbuch des Schachspiels; edited by Baron von Heydebrand und der Lasa (Leipzig, Veit & Co.); Teoria e Practica, by Signor Salvioli (Venice, O. R=Ferrari); Führer durch die Schachtheorie, by Oscar Cordel (Berlin, Julius Springer); Lehrbuch des Schachspiels, by J. Dufresne (Leipzig, Ph. Reclam jun.); The Chess Player’s Manual, by G. H. D. Gossip; American Edition, by S, Lipschütz (London and New York, Routledge & Co.); Staunton’ Handbook, (Bohns Library, London); Cook’s Synopsis, (W. W. Morgan, London); The American Edition of same, by J. W. Miller (Robert Clarke & Co., Cincinnati); The London International Tournament of 1883, by J. I. Minchin (London, Jas. Wade); The London Chess Congress of 1862, by J. Löwenthal (London, Henry G. Bohn); The Chess Openings, by Howard Staunton and R. B. Wormald (London, Virtue & Co.); Morphy’s Games, by J. Löwenthal (London, Henry G. Bohn); and various other works on the game.

My special thanks are also due to my friend Professor Waller Holladay for his kind assistance in the revision of the MS., and the correction of proofs of this volume, which I now beg to submit to all chess students in the hope that in the main it will give general satisfaction.

Wilhelm Steinitz

New York 1889

May 1889

Chapter I

Description of the game; the board and chessmen; movement of the pieces and mode of capture

The game of chess is a mental contest between two players who endeavor to imprison and attack the hostile king in a position from which he cannot be released. This is called checkmate (see Chapter IV, Technical Terms). The game is played on a board of 64 squares, which are colored alternately white and black. The chessmen are 32 in number, one player having 16 white and his opponent 16 black units.

The chessmen

Each player’s units consist of eight pieces and eight pawns, thus named and figured:

The following diagram represents the chessmen arranged in proper order on the board at the commencement of a game: (D1)

As shown above, the board must be so placed that each player must have a white square at his right hand corner of the board. [For an explanation of the letters and numbers along the side and bottom, see Chapter II on notation. – Ed]

The players draw by lot for move and choice of color. In all international and public chess matches and tournaments, however, it is the rule for the first player to have the white chessmen.

The white queen must always occupy a white square and the black queen a black one on commencing a game. Servat Regina colorem. But the white king must always occupy a black square and the black king a white one, the kings and queens facing one another. The bishops on each side occupy the squares nearest to the kings and queens; then come the knights, and the rooks are posted in the corner squares.

The King

The king, the most important of the pieces, moves only one square at a time – backwards, forwards, diagonally and laterally, or he may capture a hostile chessman in the same way; which means that he may take off any hostile piece or pawn that stands on any square immediately adjoining his own, and then occupy the vacated square. Once in the game he has the privilege of moving two squares, i.e., when he performs the operation of castling, which is explained under Technical Terms. He cannot, however, move to a square next the one occupied by the hostile king, as the opposing monarchs must always be separated from each other by a square. Nor can the king be moved into check, i.e., on to any square commanded by a hostile chessman. He can, however, capture any unguarded piece or pawn of the enemy on any square next his own in any direction. When the king is so situated that he cannot avoid capture hi is checkmated, and the game is lost.

The following diagram illustrates the move of the king: (D2)

The Queen

The queen is by far the most powerful of the pieces, moving or capturing in any direction on an unobstructed range – backwards, forwards, laterally or diagonally, and capturing in the same way. When she occupies any one of the four center squares, she commands no less than 27 out of the 64 squares of the board.

Diagram illustrating the move of the queen: (D3)

The Rook

The rook is next in importance to the queen. He moves or captures in straight lines along the ranks and files to the extent of the board on an unobstructed range – backwards, forwards and laterally, but not diagonally. He has also the privilege, in conjunction with the king, of castling once during the game.

Diagram illustrating the move of the rook: (D4)

In the foregoing diagram the black rook on d4 (see Chapter II on notation) commands 14 different squares on a clear range.

The Bishop

The bishop only moves and captures diagonally on squares of his own color; i.e., the black dark-square bishop can never move on a white square, nor the white light-square bishop on to a black one. On a clear diagonal the bishop can be moved from one corner square to the opposite corner.

Diagram illustrating the move of the bishop: (D5)

In the above diagram, the black bishop, standing on d4, commands 13 squares on unobstructed diagonal, viz.: on a7, b6, c5, e3, f2, g1, a1, b2, c3, e5, f6, g7, and h8.

The Knight

The knight’s move is a peculiar one, as he alone of the pieces has the privilege of leaping over other pieces and pawns, whether his own or hostile forces. He moves or captures from the square where he stands to any third square of an opposite color to the one from which he started, by skipping one diagonal square and then landing on the next square of the same line or row, or vice versa.

Diagram illustrating the move of the knight: (D6)

The above diagram illustrates the black knight, occupying e4, commands no less than eight squares, viz.: f6, g5, g3, f2, d2, c3, c5, and d6. If any hostile piece or pawn were posted on any of these squares he could capture it and himself occupy the vacated square, and he could leap over pieces or pawns of either color standing between in order to do this.

The Pawn

The pawn can only move forward one square at a time, except at his first move, when he has the choice of advancing one or two squares, but in the latter case he is sometimes liable to be captured en passant, or in passing (see Technical Terms). He can never command more than two squares, and captures diagonally like a bishop, but only on the two squares next his own. He, however, alone of all the chessmen, has the privilege of promotion, i.e., on reaching the eighth rank (for a white pawn) or the first rank (for a black pawn), he may be exchanged for a queen or any other piece his player may select except another king.

Diagram illustrating the move of the pawn: (D7)

The above diagram illustrates the various moves of the pawn. the e2-pawn may move to e3 or e4 or it may capture the f3-pawn; the f3-pawn may move to f2 or capture the e2-pawn.

[This diagram and examples of the pawn’s move has been added to the original for clarity. – Ed]

Chapter II

Algebraic Notation

[This chapter and portions of Chapter I have been substantially altered from the original to comply with the times. The other notations that Steinitz presented are no longer used, while algebraic notation is universally known throughout the chess world. – Ed]

Each square of the chessboard has a separate and distinctive designation. The eight squares of each rank, commencing from the left hand corner of the board, are designated by letters, from the letter a through the letter h, as illustrated by the following diagram: (D8)

Commencing from the same corner, the eight squares of each file are also numbered upward from 1 to 8, and by a combination of the corresponding letter and figure; each square is differently though quite distinctly marked. Thus the bottom left, dark square on the a-file would be marked by the letter and figure a1; the second (light) square on the file is a2; the dark squares nearest the top left are a7 on the a-file and b8 on the b-file. The central squares are marked in the same way; intersecting the e-file and the fourth rank is e4, while intersecting the d-file and the fifth rank is d5, etc.

In describing a move, the name of the piece or its symbol is given, followed by the square on which it lands, either in the ordinary way or by capture. The move number followed by a period precedes this. Thus the move of the knight that begins on the g1-square to the f3-square is designated as 1.Nf3 or 1.Nf3. The latter is called figurine algebraic, and is the notation used exclusively throughout this work.

For moves of the black pieces and pawns, if separated from the white move by a comment or if a black move begins an example, an ellipsis is used in place of the period. Thus if Black answers by jumping the knight that starts on b8 to the c6-square, this move is indicated as 1…Nc6. It is simpler if there is no separation between the moves; in that case the black move follows the white move with one space between the moves and no additional move number. Thus the first move we have been looking at for White and Black at the start of a game would look like 1.Nf3 Nc6.

As the game goes along, it is possible that one of two pieces can land on the same square. In such cases adding a rank number or file letter of the piece doing the moving solves the ambiguity. Thus, in a case where two white knights are positioned on b1 and f3: (D9)

The move 1.Nd2 would have to read either 1.Nbd2 or 1.Nfd2. Notice that the symbol (D) is used to indicate a diagram whenever the position under discussion is illustrated with one.

The only difference in notating a piece move that involves a capture is that an x is used to indicate a capture. This x is placed between the piece symbol and the square the capture is made on. (D10)

Thus if White chooses to capture the knight on c6 with his bishop the move would read 4.Bxc6.

The move of a pawn is written a little differently. The pawn has no symbol in algebraic notation; it is only necessary to indicate the square the pawn is moving to. Thus the first move of a game in which a pawn moves from the e-file on the second rank to the fourth rank would have to be described thus: 1.e4. The first three moves leading to the position in the previous diagram would read: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6.

Position after the first three moves

The case where a pawn makes a capture is a little different. To illustrate we create the following diagram through the following opening moves: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6 4.d4 (D11)

If Black decides to capture the d-pawn the move reads 4…exd4. The case of a pawn capture involving an ambiguity is taken care of the same way piece moves are handled; by adding a file number or rank letter that the capturing pawn comes from: (D12)

Position after the first two moves

If White decides to capture the black d-pawn, the move must read either 1…cxd5 or 1…exd5, depending on whether the c-pawn or the e-pawn does the capturing.

A check is indicated with a + after the move, like this: (D13)

Position after the first three moves

If White chooses to capture the knight, delivering check, the move reads 4.Bxc6+.

Castling reads a little different from the other moves. From a position where both sides can castle, we see how it is done: (D14)

Position after the first seven moves

We indicate that White castles (he can do so only on the kingside or short), by 8.0-0, and that Black castles (he can do so only on the queenside or long), by 8…0-0-0.

Other abbreviations in notation are ± for an advantage for White and ∓ for an advantage for Black.

Chapter III

The Laws of the Game

We approve in the main of the Code of Laws of the British Chess Association, which has been adopted in many chess congresses.

[The laws of chess have changed since Steinitz’s day, but the following is the chapter as Steinitz wrote it – Ed]

I. The Chessboard

The board must be so placed during play that each combatant has a white square on his right-hand corner. If, during the progress of a game, either player discovers that the board has been improperly placed, he may insist on its being adjusted.

II. The Chessmen

If, at any time in the course of a game, it is found that the chessmen were not properly placed, or that one or more of them were omitted at the beginning, the game in question must be annulled. If, at any time, it is discovered that a chessman has been dropped off the board, and moves have been made during its absence, such moves shall be retracted and the chessman restored. If the players cannot agree as to the square on which it should be replaced, the game must be annulled.

III. The Right of Move and Choice of Color

The right of making the first move (if either player requires it) of choosing the color, which shall be retained throughout the sitting, must be decided by lot. In any series of games between the same players at one sitting, each shall have the first move alternately in all games, whether won or drawn. In an annulled game, the player who had the first move in that game shall move first in the next.

IV. Commencing out of Turn

If a player makes the first move in a game when it is not his turn to do so, the game must be annulled, if the error has been noticed before both players have completed the fourth move. After four moves on each side have been made, the game must be played out as it stands.

V. Playing two Moves in Succession

If, in the course of a game, a player moves a chessman when it is not his turn to play, he must retract the said move; and after his adversary has moved, must play the chessman wrongly moved, if it can be played legally.

VI. Touch and Move

A player must never touch any of the chessmen except when it is his turn to play, or except when he touches a chessman for the purpose of adjusting it; in which latter case, he must, before touching it, say I adjust, or words to that effect. A player who touches with his hand (except accidentally) one of his own chessmen when it is his turn to play, must move it, if it can be legally moved, unless, before touching it, he says I adjust, as above; and a player who touches one of his adversary’s chessmen, under the same conditions, must take it, if he can legally do so. If, in either case, the move cannot be legally made, the offender must move his king; but, in the event of the king having no legal move, there shall be no penalty. If a player hold a chessman in his hand, undecided upon which square to play it, his adversary may require him to replace it, until he has decided on its destination; that chessman, however, must be moved. If a player, when it is his turn to play, touch with his hand (except accidentally or in castling) more than one of his own chessmen, he must play any one of them legally movable that his opponent selects. If, under the same circumstances, he touches two or more of the adversary’s chessmen, he must capture whichever of them his antagonist chooses, provided it can be legally taken. If it happen that none of the chessmen so touched can be moved or captured, the offender must move his king; but if the king cannot be legally moved, there shall be no penalty.

VII. False Moves and Illegal Moves

If a player makes a false move – that is, either by playing a chessman of his own to a square to which it cannot be legally moved, or by capturing an adverse chessman by a move which cannot be legally made – he must, at the choice of his opponent, and according to the case, either move his own chessman legally, capture the chessman legally, or move any other chessman legally moveable. If, in the course of a game, an illegality be discovered (not involving a king being in check), and the move on which it was committed has been replied to, and not more than four moves on each side has been made subsequently, all these latter moves, including that on which the illegality was committed, must be retracted. If more than four moves on each side have been made, the game must be played out as it stands.

VIII. Check

A player must audibly say check when he makes a move, which puts the hostile king in check. The mere announcement of check shall have no signification if check be not actually given. If check be given but not announced, and the adversary makes a move which obviates the check, the