The Match
Play commenced on January 11, 1886 at 14.00 hours, in the Cartiers Academy Hall, No. 80, Fifth Avenue, New York. After the first five games, the venue switched to St. Louis for a further four. With the match result still in the balance (4-4, with one draw), the concluding chapter was played out in New Orleans, by which time Zukertort was said to be living on his wits, physically fatigued and approaching mental breakdown. Steinitz on the other hand, appeared to be playing more robustly, with a bottomless pit of mental stamina. His strategic mastery quickly took control of the match and he wrapped things up with a further six wins, four draws and just one defeat. The final game ended on March 29, 1886 when Zukertort tended his resignation and congratulated the new World Champion.
In the aftermath, it was apparent that Zukertort's play had been overly impulsive; he had regularly taken half the time of Steinitz and it is likely that this was connected to a heart condition he had carried since childhood. Two years later, Zukertort died of a heart attack.
Read more about this topic: World Chess Championship 1886
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