[Event "?"]
[Site "Vienna"]
[Date "1873.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Rosenthal, S"]
[Black "Steinitz, W"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Karpov, An"]

{ This game is an early example illustrating the techniques introduced by Steinitz for exploiting the latent power of the bishop pair - a strategy that is completely valid in today's middlegame theory. } 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 g6 4. d4 { As opening theory (even in the commonly played Open Games) was not well developed in the late nineteenth century, a critical analysis of the opening phase is redundant. } 4... exd4 5. Nxd4 Bg7 6. Be3 Nge7 $1 { Nevertheless, this is quite a "modern "idea as Black refrains from blocking the field of action from his Bg7, with for example 6...d6, followed by 7...Nf6. } 7. Bc4 { More aggressive is 7.Qd2 0-0 8.0-0-0. The text has the idea of hindering d7-d5. } 7... d6 8. O-O O-O 9. f4 $6 { This leaves the Be3 unprotected and a tactical liability in some variations. A more modern approach might be 9.Re1 when the bishop on c4 can retreat to f1, if need be. } 9... Na5 10. Bd3 { Better is 10.Be2. } 10... d5 $1 { With this pawn break, Black equalizes easily. As play unfolds, we will see that Black develops an initiative by virtue of having the more active minor pieces. } 11. exd5 { White cannot play 11.e5? because of 11...c5, followed by the pawn fork 12...d4. } 11... Nxd5 12. Nxd5 Qxd5 13. c3 { Necessary - now White's cluster of minor pieces on the central files have a loose feel to them. } 13... Rd8 { A very strong move, threatening 14...c5, so White must move his queen off the d-file. } 14. Qc2 { White plans to answer 14...c5 with 15.Be4. } 14... Nc4 { Because of the loose Be3, White is more or less forced to part with the bishop pair. } 15. Bxc4 Qxc4 { Black has the incidental threat of 16...Bxd4 17.Bxd4 Rxd4, thus he gains more time. } 16. Qf2 c5 { Over the next few moves, we will see the Steinitzian strategy for play with the bishop pair at work. He starts by driving the White knight into passivity by using judicious pawn advances to remove potential advanced knight outposts from the picture. These same pawn advances will gain a space advantage for Black that will last into the endgame. Black's bishops will become more powerful, and Black's king will be easier to activate in the endgame, so Black's advantage is a lasting one, and a difficult one for White to neutralize. } 17. Nf3 b6 18. Ne5 { An impressive but only temporary outpost for White's knight. } 18... Qe6 19. Qf3 Ba6 20. Rfe1 f6 $1 { Dislodging White's best placed piece. } 21. Ng4 h5 $1 { White's knight must once again retreat. } 22. Nf2 Qf7 23. f5 $6 { A sign of frustration. He had to play the passive 23.b3 in order to bring his Ra1 into the game. } 23... g5 24. Rad1 Bb7 { Black's light-squared bishop assumes a dominant and an unopposed role on the long diagonal. } 25. Qg3 Rd5 { Strengthening his position still further by simply intending to double rooks on the d-file. White is compelled to exchange rooks after which his remaining pieces all stand worse than their Black counterparts. } 26. Rxd5 Qxd5 27. Rd1 { There was no way to defend the overextended f-pawn. If 27.h4, Black simply increases his grip with 27...g4. } 27... Qxf5 28. Qc7 Bd5 29. b3 Re8 30. c4 Bf7 31. Bc1 { Not 31.Rd7? Rxe3 32.Rxf7 Re1 mate. } 31... Re2 { The penetration to the seventh rank is decisive. } 32. Rf1 Qc2 { With the threat of 33...Rxf2. } 33. Qg3 Qxa2 { Collecting a second pawn, with an easily winning position. The game finished... } 34. Qb8+ Kh7 35. Qg3 Bg6 36. h4 g4 37. Nd3 Qxb3 38. Qc7 Qxd3 0-1