The fifth game, played on Saturday, Feb. 26, was opened by Steinitz with the Vienna opening. Blackburne defended on the second move by K Kt to B 3, and then on the fifth move introduced the novelty of sacrificing the K Kt, which gave him a fearful counter-attack. Steinitz, being thus early put on the defensive, conducted his game on the principle which prevails in the gambit named after him, namely, of marching out with his king to the front as far as possible, and then to endeavour to exchange queens, when having brought his king towards the middle of the board, and therefore more favourably placed for the end game. Mr. Blackburne, by a fine manœuvre, took the first opportunity of driving the hostile king back, and then offered to exchange queens, which offer, if accepted would have probably led to a draw. Steinitz immediately changed tactics, refused the exchange, and entered for a hard tussle of the middle game. Blackburne soon gave up a pawn in order to free his game a little, and after that Steinitz slowly gained ground, until it came to a general break-up of Black’s game on the 26th move, whereby Steinitz gained two pawns, and had afterwards easy work to win the game. (Vienna Opening.)

1. 4…Bb4 (a) This rarely adopted variation transfers to the second player the attack which is, however, a short-lived one if properly defended.
2. 5…Nxe4 (b) The sacrifice of the Kt is a novel introduction. P to Q 5 is generally preferred at this point, and the game is usually continued thus: 5... P to Q 5 6. P takes Kt; 6... P takes Kt 7. P to Q Kt 3; 7... Q takes P 8. Kt to K B 3; 8... B to K Kt 5 9. B to K 2; 9... Kt to Q B 3, &c., and most practitioners pronounce the game even.
3. 10.Qd4 (c) The saving clause which redeems White’s game, and leaves the opponent no option but to lose a move with the only piece he has got in play besides his Q.
4. 10…Bh5 (d) Black would have lost a piece if he had taken the Kt with the P checking, for White would have simply retaken with the P, and Black would have been compelled to sacrifice the pinned B for the adverse K B P, and then White’s K would have easily reached a safe goal after a few checks from the opponent.
5. 11.Ke3 (e) A number of ingenious traps were laid for White by Black’s last move. Had he now moved the K to Q 2, the reply would have been Q to K Kt 5; and if White then attacked the Q by P to K R 3, Black would have checked with the Q at B 5, followed by Q to Kt 6, ch, if the K moved to K sq., or, in the other alternative, if the K moved to Q sq. he would have won, by P takes Kt, followed by P takes P, dis. ch., in answer to B takes Q, &c. Again, if White now moved the K to Q sq. at once, Black might have sacrificed the Q by P takes Kt; for, if the Q took the Q in reply, he could also proceed to leave the B en prise by P takes Kt P, ch, winning the R, and making a new Q. We give a diagram of the position on the opposite page. The credit of the idea of boldly bringing out the King early in the game, and braving the hostile attack, merely for the sake of getting a better position of pawns, has been often erroneously ascribed to Steinitz, but it is only due to state that the Steinitz Gambit and the line of play adopted in this game owe their derivation from a favourite variation of Herr Hampe in Vienna, which usually went on as follows: 1. P to K 4; 1... P to K 4 2. Q Kt to B 3; 2... K Kt to B 3 3. P to K B 4; 3... P to Q 4 4. P takes Q P; 4... Kt takes P 5. P takes P; 5... Kt takes Kt 6. Kt P takes Kt; 6... Q to R 5, ch 7. K to K 2, &c., This line of play was much in fashion in Vienna, and was often most successfully played by Herr Hampe, until the late Dr. Nowotny suggested a reply for Black, vitiating the attack of the above variation, namely, to check with the Q at R 5 on the 5th move before exchanging Knights, for if then White played P to K Kt 3, the answer of Kt takes Kt led to an exchange of Queens, and to Black ultimately recovering the P with the better game, e.g.: 5... Q to R 5, ch 6. P to K Kt 3 (best); 6... Kt takes Kt 7. P takes Q; 7... Kt takes Q 8. K takes Kt; 8... B to K 2 9. Kt to B 3; 9... Q B to Kt 5 10. B to K 2; 10... Kt to B 3 11. R to K sq.; 11... Castles Q side, recovering afterwards the P with the superior position. Position after White’s 11th move, viz. K from K 2 to K 3.
6. 12.Bb5+ (f) The only move to prevent an immediate draw, which Black would have obtained by checking backwards and forwards with the Q at K 8 and K R 5, if White had captured the B at once with the P. White wished to avoid that contingency, relying upon his K getting into the middle of the board, ready to support the pawns of both wings, which would be more favourable to him in the ending game if he succeeded in exchanging Queens.
7. 14…Qh6+ (g) Much superior to exchanging queens, whereupon White would have retaken with the K. White’s K is now driven more to the rear and the exchange can be offered more conveniently on the next move. If White in reply move the P to K B 4, Black would obtain a good game by Kt to B 3.
8. 15.Kf2 [1st hour]
9. 16…Na6 (h) Black chose this mode of development for the Kt with the object of getting rid of the hostile Q B as early as possible. Kt to Q 2 would have led to various complications of a character which must have made Black’s game exceedingly difficult, for White would have replied K R to K Kt sq., attacking the K Kt P, which could not be defended by P to K Kt 3 or castling on the K side, on account of the rejoinder P to K 6. The most likely continuation would have been thus: Supposing 16... Kt to Q 2 17. K R to K Kt sq.; 17... Kt to B sq. 18. B to R 3; 18... Kt to K 3 If Q to K R 3 instead, White would answer R to Kt 2, threatening Q to Q Kt 4 or B to Q 6. 19. Q to Q 2; 19... R to Q sq. 20. Q to K 3, followed soon by Q R to Q sq. with an excellent game, since Black cannot castle or bring his other R into play.
10. 17…b4 (i) Black could not afford to allow the B to be planted at Q 6, and the sacrifice of the P was quite judicious under the circumstance that White’s material advantage consisted afterwards in a doubled pawn. [1st hour]
11. 20…b6 (j) Taking the Q B P would have been disadvantageous to Black, e.g.: 20... Q takes Q B P 21. Q takes Q; 21... R takes Q 22. R takes P; 22... R takes P, ch 23. K to K 3, and wins the Q R P.
12. 23…Qh6 (k) The counter attack looked promising at first sight; but R to Q B 4, with the object of castling, was in reality safer play. White’s best reply was then to challenge the exchange of queens by Q to R 4, and he would have still retained the best of the game, but his chances of winning must have been considerably diminished in that case.
13. 24…g5 (l) A desperate sortie, which involves the exposure of the K to a strong attack by White’s forcible reply. We give a diagram: Position of the game after White’s 25th move, viz. P to K 6. Q to B 3 offered better chances of recovering ground, though White would even then have kept the attack in hand by Q to R 4, ch, followed either by Q takes R P, or by R from Kt 3 to Kt 4, according to Black’s reply.
14. 25…fxe6 (m) Black had nothing better, for White threatened an extremely harassing check at Q R 4.
15. 26…Ke7 (n) Again the only move. Had he interposed the R, White would have won as follows, supposing— 26... R to Q 2 27. R to Q 4; 27... Q to Kt 2 28. R takes P; 28... P takes R 29. Q to R 8, ch; 29... K to K 2 30. R takes R, ch; 30... K to B 3, best; for if K takes R, White wins the Q by Q to R 7, ch 31. P takes P, ch, and wins; for if the K move to B 4, White would reply Q to K 4, ch.
16. 28…Rc8 [2nd hour]
17. 33.Rf4+ (o) Here White missed the shortest way of winning the game right off. He ought to have doubled the rooks by moving the same rook to K Kt 4, threatening Q to B 4, ch, followed by R to Kt 7, ch. [2nd hour]
18. 34.Qe5 (p) There was only one answer to this, and that was the one actually made.
19. 36.Qf6 (q) Q to Q B 7 would have been of no use, for Black would have replied with R from Q sq. to Q 2. The move in text forces the exchange, and leaves Black no game to fight with.
20. 40…Rdd5 (r) Here the game was adjourned, and resumed after an hour’s interval.
21. 53.c6 Resigns.