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Editor: Dr Tim Harding |
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Editor: Dr Tim Harding |
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© Dr Tim Harding
Last modified:
13 October 2026
Round 8 at Hastings was played on the 14th of August 1895.
There is just one problematic game but it is a tricky case and one that it seems impossible to resolve definitively.
The score of this game in ChessBase’s Mega Database 2025 is as follows: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5 6.Nxe5 Nxe5 7.d4 Bd6 8.0–0 0–0 9.f4 Nc4 10.e5 Be7 11.exf6 Bxf6 12.d5 c5 13.Ne4 Bxb2 14.Bxb2 Nxb2 15.Qh5 Nxa4 16.f5 f6 17.Rf4 Qe8 18.Nxf6+ gxf6 19.Qg4+ Kh8 20.Re4 Qf7 21.Rae1 d6 22.Re7 Bd7 23.Rxf7 Rxf7 24.Re6 Rg7 25.Qh4 Bxe6 26.dxe6 Nb6 27.Qxf6 Nd5 28.Qb2 Kg8 29.f6 Nxf6 30.Qxf6 Rf8 31.Qh4 Re8 32.Qf6 Rf8 33.Qh4 ½–½
There are three different versions of how this game ended, with some sources (including the official tournament book) giving an additional move pair in the repetition sequence. If that was the only issue it would be trivial, but Schlechter (who after all was one of the players involved) said Black played a different 30th move and that the game then immediately ended in a draw.
The diagram shows the position after White’s 30th move.
The Deutsche Schachzeitung (November 1895, pages 337-338) said the game ended in a draw after 30…Re8, which agrees with Schlechter’s own column in the Vienna Allgemeine Sportzeitung of 6th October (page 1034). Since Schlechter was not yet on the editorial team at the DSZ, these are independent sources.
Moreover, Hoffer annotated the game in The Chess-Monthly, (volume xvii, December. 1895, pages 115-116) and he also ended “30…R to K sq, Drawn game.”), p115.
Schallopp even referred to the Schachzeitung in a note on page 152 but he gave a different finish! He preferred the version with 30…Rf8 that appeared in the Deutsches Wochenschach (20 October 1895, pages 369-370) which seems to have become the accepted version.
All the tournament books have 30…Rf8 31 Qh4 Re8 32 Qf6 Rf8 and now most databases including Britbase follow Schallopp and the Wochenschach by ending with 33 Qh4 draw. This follows Schallopp. Spielmann's book (in Swedish) on Schlechter (game 8) also ends at 33 Qh4.
However, the official Cheshire tournament book (pages 126-127, with notes by Lasker) had an additional move pair, saying 33…Re8 34 Qf6 draw. This version was followed by Crouch/Haines and by Pickard and also Verkhovsky's book (in Russian) about Schlechter.
The DSZ even had a note saying that also after 30...Rf8 31 e7 etc. the result would probably not be different, whereas the sources that say 30...Rf8 was played do not comemnt on the 30...Re8 possibility. Stockfish17 says both moves are a safe draw for Black.
It is hard to be certain here. Did Schlechter misremember how the game ended or try to simplify it? He seems to have published the game first and the Wochenschach perhaps got its version from his opponent. Why are there two different finishes to the 30…Rf8 version?
Conclusion: Since I am doing deep research into Schlechter’s career and have found many other errors in the accepted versions of his games, I am going with 30…Re8 unless and until it is proved otherwise.
Round 9 had many problem games so the next article will require more preparation and probably will not be ready until next weekend.