The fourth game was played on Thursday, 24th of February. Blackburne, who had the first move, repeated the same attack of the Scotch Gambit which he had tried on the previous occasion. Steinitz this time, on the ninth move, adopted the defence of P to Q R 3, followed by Q to K 4 (on the Q Kt attacking the Q), and afterwards P to Q Kt 4, which shuts out the K Kt from action. Blackburne developed his forces rapidly, regardless of the loss of the piece threatened by Black advancing the P to Q Kt 5, to which he had at any time a fine answer by Kt to Q 5. Steinitz kept himself strictly on the defensive, brought his Q R out of the range of the hostile B, and developed at last the Q B by P to Q 3, followed by B to Q 2 instead of B to Kt 2, as in the second game of the match. Thus he stood resisting the attack which the opponent, who was a P behind, was bound to pursue energetically. The storm was at last, on the 19th move, commenced by Blackburne, who adopted a ruse de guerre which has been often successfully tried by Anderssen, namely, of sacrificing a piece in order to complicate the position at a point when his opponent was hard up for sufficient time to reflect upon his moves. Fortunately, Steinitz for the next few moves, each time rapidly hit upon a safe defence, until on the 26th move, he seized an opportunity of reducing matters to simplicity, by offering an exchange of queens which the adversary was obliged to accept, unless he was willing to submit to a harassing attack with a piece behind. After that exchange, Black remained with a clear piece ahead, and even a weak move made in a hurry could not much hurt his prospects of winning. Having recovered time and breath on the 30th move, Steinitz proceeded, after an hour’s adjournment, to force the gain of pawns, and the exchange of one of the rooks, and the superiority of his forces soon proved too much for Blackburne’s clever and obstinate resistance. (Scotch Gambit.)

1. 9…a6 (a) This line of play has already been recommended in the analysis of the Vienna game of the match between London and Vienna, published by Messrs. Potter and Steinitz, in The Field of April 18th, 1874. It is superior to Kt to K B 3, adopted by Steinitz at this point in the second game of the match, and has the effect of blocking the K Kt for some time.
2. 11…b5 (b) Best at once, but not so much with the view of attacking the two pieces as with the object of paralysing the action of one of the knights.
3. 13…Qf5 (c) It may be observed, that at this point and subsequently Black had to avoid the temptation of forking the two knights by P to Kt 5, as on each occasion White would have obtained a winning attack by the reply of Kt to Q 5.
4. 14…Rb8 [1st hour]
5. 15.Qe2 (d) Mr. Blackburne, upon consideration, thinks that this move involved a serious loss of time, though White now threatens the formidable B to K Kt 4, and we are disposed to agree with him. He evidently concluded, from the experience obtained in the match between London and Vienna, that he would gain a target for his attack if he could force the opponent to advance the Q P. Steinitz, on the other hand, did not hesitate to advance that P, calculating that the analogy between the two positions failed in the one most important distinction, that in the Vienna game White’s Q B P had been early advanced to Q B 4, and it was therefore absolutely necessary to leave the Q P untouched. Q to K 3 at once would have been better on principle, as it left an additional square open for the K R and Q Kt, and kept the hostile Q Kt fixed.
6. 16.Ne4 [1st hour]
7. 16…Bd7 (e) For the same reason as given in our last note, and also for the purpose of affording the Black king an additional cover (necessary in the present position, where White evidently directs all his attack against the Q P), this mode of bringing out the B is now stronger than that chosen in the London and Vienna match, and also in the second game of this match, namely of posting the B at Q Kt 2.
8. 19.Nxd6 (f) In match games regulated by time limit the expedient is often adopted, to try to confuse the opponent when he is short of time, by raising complications even at great hazard. The present, strictly speaking, incorrect sacrifice belongs to that category. The defence was extremely ticklish, and, as Steinitz had nearly exhausted his second hour, the chances were in favour of his not hitting always upon the right move in the course of the vehement attack to which the sacrifice gave rise.
9. 21.Bxc6 (g) We give a diagram of this highly interesting position on the opposite page. This exchange gave the most chance of continuing the pressure of a violent onslaught. Had he played the Q to K B 4, Black might have replied Kt to K 4; for if White’s K R took the Kt, the P would retake, attacking the Q. Mr. Blackburne informs us that at the time he sacrificed the Kt he contemplated at this point the ingenious Q to Q B 5, and, upon the opponent answering Q to Kt 4, to leave his Q en prise, and take the K Kt with the R, e.g.: 21. Q to B 5; 21... Q to Kt 4 22. K R takes K Kt; 22... Q takes Q 23. R from K 7 takes B, ch; 23... K to Kt 3 24. R takes Kt, ch; 24... Q takes R 25. R takes Q; 25... K takes R 26. R takes P; but he overlooked that at this stage Black could force the exchange of rooks, with a winning position, by playing either rook to K Kt sq. Position of the game after White’s 21st move, White’s last move having been B from K B 3, capturing a Black Kt that stood at Black’s Q B 3.
10. 21…Nxc6 (h) Had he taken the R with the K, White would have simply replied B takes B.
11. 22…Kc8 (i) He could not capture the K Kt P with the Q on account of the reply B takes B, double ch, winning the Q.
12. 24…Nb8 (j) Better than Kt to K 4, which would have been of little use for aggressive purposes, while now the Kt affords additional protection to Black’s much-exposed right wing.
13. 30.Kg2 [2nd hour]
14. 31…Bd7 (k) At this stage the game was adjourned for an hour. [2nd hour]
15. 38.Nd2 (l) White might have here won the exchange, but it would have simplified the position too much, e.g.: 38. R takes Kt; 38... R takes R 39. R takes R; 39... R takes R 40. K takes R; 40... R to Q 8 41. Kt to B 3; 41... R to Q 7, ch, etc.
16. 39.Ne4 (m) Best. Had he removed the R from Q 5 instead, the answer of R to K Kt 7, ch, would have been deadly.
17. 46.Ke4 [3rd hour]
18. 51…c3 (n) There is no means of stopping the P now, excepting at the cost of a clear R. If the R move to Kt 7, the answer is R to Q 7; and if the B move to K Kt sq or K Kt 3, with the intention of afterwards stopping the P accordingly, either by R to Q B sq or R to Q B 3, Black may still advance the P to B 7, followed by R to Q 8, for the R will be lost, after his taking the P, by Kt to Q 5, ch. Resigns. [Duration, six hours.]