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World Champions at their Best (1)

World Champions at their Best (1)

Silman
IM Jeremy Silman
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Learn from the greatest players of their eras!

This module is the first in a series that represents IM Jeremy Silman's best work ever and which have the earmarks of becoming classics. This first module will cover the period from the first World Championship match in 1834 between La Bourdonnais and MacDonnell up to the Steinitz era in the 1880's. Learn this chess history and start playing like the old masters today!

Here is what you will learn:

  • Calculate tactics from the key games in chess history!
  • Learn from the best players of their times!
  • Learn about chess from the 1830s-1880s!

Labourdonnais-McDonnell, London 1834

Though no official World Championship title existed at this time, the Frenchman Labourdonnais (1797-1840) was universally accepted as the finest player in the world.
10 Challenges

Variation from Labourdonnais-McDonnell, London 1834

White seems to be in trouble but an unexpected sacrifice takes advantage of the loose position of the Black King.
5 Challenges

McDonnell-Labourdonnais, London 1834

In this game McDonnell played his favorite 2.f4 versus the Sicilian (later to be known as the 'Big Clamp'), a choice that cost him a lot of points.
22 Challenges

Variation from McDonnell-Labourdonnais, London 1834

White has a few ways to draw this position (though all try to make use of a couple of basic rules) but one attempt leads to some tactical possibilities. It's this more active possibility that we are looking for.
4 Challenges

Saint-Amant-Staunton, Paris 1843

From the 9th game of their 21 game match. The Englishman Staunton (1810-1874) decisively won this match against the Frenchman Saint-Amant.
4 Challenges

Saint Amant-Staunton, Paris 1843

Saint Amant (playing Black) slices and dices his mighty opponent. See if you can find the same forced win that played in the game.
4 Challenges

Horwitz-Staunton, London 1846

Horwitz (1807-1885) was a German born artist who made his living teaching and playing chess.
12 Challenges

Possible variation from Horwitz-Staunton, London 1846

White is two pawns ahead and is obviously winning easily. How did White power his way to the full point?
6 Challenges

Harrwitz-Staunton, London 1846

Born in Germany in 1823, Harrwitz (not to be confused with Horwitz!) was considered by Emanuel Lasker and many others to be the world's strongest players.
7 Challenges

Bird-Horwitz, London 1851

The position under discussion is from the second game of the first round match between Bird and Horwitz.
17 Challenges

Staunton-Brodie, London 1851

Brodie, trying his luck with the Black pieces, played Staunton in the first match and was knocked out of the tournament when he lost by 2-0.
8 Challenges

Anderssen-Szen, London 1851

The German born Anderssen (1818-1879) was thought to be just one of many good players who could not aspire to the World's top one or two spots.
12 Challenges

Szen-Anderssen, London 1851

The London tournament of 1851 was fated to be won by the great German, Adolf Anderssen.
13 Challenges

A possible variation from Szen-Anderssen, London 1851

Black has two very tempting ways to continue his attack.
7 Challenges

Anderssen-Wyvill, London 1851

London 1851 was the world's first international chess tournament.
5 Challenges

Williams-Staunton, London 1851

Staunton (1810-1874) had dominated world chess since the deaths of Labourdonnais (died 1840) and McDonnell (died 1835).
5 Challenges

Morphy-Lowenthal, London 1858

The Hungarian born Lowenthal (1810-1876) was one of the finest players in the world at the time of this game.
11 Challenges

Harrwitz-Morphy, Paris 1858

Harrwitz (1823-1884) was perhaps the world's strongest player in the mid-1850's.
13 Challenges

Morphy-Harrwitz, Paris 1858

Morphy figured out that his opponent didn't just attack like most people of his day did.
6 Challenges

Anderssen-Morphy, Paris 1858

In 1858, Anderssen, the German professor of mathematics was considered to be the world's best player.
16 Challenges

Morphy-Anderssen, Paris 1858

In beating Anderssen 8-3, Morphy showed that he was by far the strongest player the world had ever seen.
14 Challenges

Mongredien-Morphy, Paris 1859

Morphy's final match before returning to the U.S. and giving up serious chess was against an Englishman named Mongredien (1807-88).
14 Challenges

Kolisch-Anderssen, London 1861

Kolisch (1837-1889) was one of the finest players in the world in the early to late 1860's.
11 Challenges

Deacon-Anderssen, London 1862

This great international tournament was held in London in 1862 and, like the one in 1851, it was won by Anderssen in dominating fashion.
11 Challenges

Possible variation from Deacon-Anderssen, London 1862

The main problem studied the continuation of Deacon-Anderssen, London 1862.
3 Challenges

Hannah-Anderssen, London 1862

By winning the London 1862 tournament, Anderssen quieted his detractors and showed that he was not only still the best player in the world (with the exception of Morphy).
9 Challenges

Mongredien-Anderssen, London 1862

Mongredien (1807-1888) was not a very strong player, as demonstrated by his match against Morphy.
11 Challenges

Green-Lowenthal, London 1862

Lowenthal (1810-1876) was one of the best players in the world in the 1850's.
5 Challenges

Anderssen-Paulsen, London 1862

As soon as the great London tournament of 1862 ended, the first (Anderssen) and second (Paulsen) place finishers played a match to see who the world's best player really was.
11 Challenges

Steinitz-Anderssen, London 1866

Born in Prague, Steinitz played in his first International tournament in London 1862.
23 Challenges

Anderssen-Steinitz, London 1866

When Steinitz won a match over an aging Anderssen by 8-6, though Anderssen was reaching the end of his career.
27 Challenges

Steinitz-Bird, London 1866

The English born Bird (1830-1908) was an accountant by trade but more or less lived to play chess.
4 Challenges

Zukertort-Steinitz, London 1872

Wilhelm Steinitz (1836-1900) enjoyed a long reign as world champion and his writings had a profound influence on the game.
13 Challenges

Steinitz-Zukertort, London 1872

Steinitz won this first match with Zukertort by an overwhelming 9-3.
11 Challenges

Steinitz-Blackburne, London 1876

By 1873 Steinitz's style had gone through an amazing transformation. He could still attack of course, but now he played with his pawns more; and strove for space.
9 Challenges

Zukertort-Steinitz, New York 1886

Steinitz and Zukertort played the first World Championship match in New York, St. Louis and New Orleans in 1886.
24 Challenges

Zukertort-Steinitz, New Orleans 1886

The first official World Championship Match was a tense, hard fought affair. Played in New York, St. Louis and New Orleans.
8 Challenges

Steinitz-Zukertort, New Orleans 1886

The fifty year old Steinitz wiped the forty-four year old Zukertort off the board in the first official match for the World Championship .
18 Challenges

Possible variation from Steinitz-Zukertort, New Orleans 1886

This is a possible variation from the game Steinitz-Zukertort, New Orleans 1886. It shows the balance between static advantages and dynamic advantages.
4 Challenges

Steinitz-Chigorin, Havana 1889

Steinitz was now the official Champion of the World and the Americans were proud of him. Why? Because he had moved to the US in 1883.
12 Challenges

Gunsberg-Steinitz, New York 1890

Gunsberg (1854-1930) was born in Budapest but made his home in London. After turning pro at the age of 25.
12 Challenges

Chigorin-Steinitz, Havana 1892

White has sacrificed a pawn in the opening and has certain pressure on the Black position. How can he turn this into a full-fledged attack?
14 Challenges

Steinitz-Chigorin, Havana 1892

After losing to Steinitz in 1889, Chigorin made one more try at the title.
6 Challenges

World Champions at their Best (1)

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43 Lessons
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461 Challenges
Released 11/13/2007

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