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Johannes Zukertort
Johannes Zukertort.jpg
Zukertort, early 1880s
Full name Johannes Hermann Zukertort
Country German Empire (before 1878)
United Kingdom (after 1878)
Born (1842-09-07)7 September 1842
Lublin, Congress Poland, Russian Empire
Died 20 June 1888(1888-06-20) (aged 45)
London, England

Johannes Hermann Zukertort (born Jan Hermann Cukiertort; 7 September 1842 – 20 June 1888) was a very skilled chess master. He was one of the best chess players in the world during the 1870s and 1880s. He played against Wilhelm Steinitz in the first official World Chess Championship match in 1886. Zukertort lost this match. He also lost to Steinitz in an earlier, unofficial championship in 1872.

Besides chess, Zukertort had many other talents. He was a soldier, a musician, a linguist (meaning he knew many languages), a journalist, and even a political activist. He achieved a lot in his fairly short life.

Early Life and Other Talents

Johannes Zukertort was born on 7 September 1842. His birthplace was Lublin, which was then part of Congress Poland in the Russian Empire. His birth name was Jan Hermann Cukiertort.

His father was a Christian Protestant missionary. Because this type of mission was not allowed in Russian-occupied Poland, his family moved to Prussia. Zukertort studied at a high school in Breslau. In 1866, he graduated from the University of Breslau with a degree in medicine.

He served in the Prussian army as a medical helper. He was part of the army during the Austro-Prussian war in 1866. He also served during the Franco-Prussian war from 1870 to 1871.

Stories About His Life

Some people believe that Zukertort may have made his life story sound more exciting. In 1872, a newspaper article about him made several claims. It said he came from a noble family. It also claimed he spoke nine languages, or even fourteen, and was good at fencing.

The article also stated he played 6,000 chess games with Adolf Anderssen. It said he fought in many battles and received several military medals. These included the Order of the Red Eagle and the Iron Cross. While some parts of these stories might be true, many details seem to have been exaggerated. For example, he did help write chess books and edit a chess magazine.

Chess Career

How Zukertort Played Chess

Zukertort had a special way of playing chess. Unlike many attacking players, he liked to start games with moves like 1. c4 or 1. Nf3. These moves often lead to "closed" or "semi-closed" games. This means the game starts slower, and pieces are not immediately attacking each other.

These openings also allowed for "transpositions." This means the game could change into a different type of opening later on. In the early 1880s, the move 1. Nf3 was even called "Zukertort's Opening." This was 40 years before it became known as the Réti Opening.

Zukertort was also very good at blindfold chess. This is when a player plays without looking at the board. In 1876, he played sixteen games at the same time while blindfolded. He won eleven of these games, drew four, and lost only one. This shows how amazing his memory and chess skills were.

Learning and Improving in Chess

Zukertort learned chess in Breslau when he was about 19 years old. He entered a tournament there but lost every game. After this, he decided to study a famous chess book called Handbuch.

His hard work paid off. In 1862, he started winning games against Adolf Anderssen. Anderssen was a top German chess player at the time. Zukertort studied with Anderssen and quickly became one of Germany's strongest players.

Zukertort played many important matches against Anderssen. He beat him in 1866. He lost to him in 1868, but then won convincingly in 1871. In 1867, Zukertort moved to Berlin, and in 1872, he moved to London. In London, he played against Wilhelm Steinitz and lost the match.

Top Tournaments and Matches

Even though Zukertort lost his matches against Steinitz, he showed he was better than most other players. This was true throughout the late 1870s and early 1880s. During this time, big chess tournaments were rare. Zukertort's best wins were often in matches against single opponents. He famously beat Anderssen in 1871 and Joseph Henry Blackburne in 1881.

Zukertort was also very successful in tournaments. He took third place in London in 1872. He won first place in Cologne in 1877. He tied for first with Simon Winawer at the Paris 1878 chess tournament and won the playoff.

His biggest success was winning the London 1883 chess tournament. He scored 22 out of 26 points. He finished 3 points ahead of Steinitz, who came in second. This tournament showed that Steinitz and Zukertort were the two best players in the world. This led to the first official World Chess Championship match between them.

The 1886 World Chess Championship

The 1886 World Chess Championship match took place from January 11 to March 29, 1886. Zukertort started strong, taking a 4–1 lead. However, he then became weaker, losing four of the last five games. He ended up losing the match to Steinitz by a score of 12½–7½.

Later Years and Death

After his defeat in 1886, Zukertort's health got worse. He was not as strong a player in the last two years of his life. Doctors thought he might have had problems with his heart or kidneys.

His results in tournaments after 1886 became much worse. He lost a match against Blackburne in 1887. His health and lack of physical energy seemed to be a problem for him. In the 1883 London tournament, he won 22 of his first 23 games. This was enough to win the tournament. But he lost his last 3 games, which might have been due to his health.

Another weakness was that Zukertort was an amazing attacker, but he didn't understand "positional play" as well as Steinitz. Positional play is about setting up your pieces well for the long game. Steinitz often outsmarted him in this area.

Brompton Cemetery – 20180204 133944 (39455874844)
Rededicated grave of Zukertort, in Brompton Cemetery

Johannes Zukertort died on 20 June 1888, in London. He suffered a brain bleed after playing a game in a tournament. He was leading that tournament at the time. He is buried in Brompton Cemetery, London.

Trivia

There is a famous story about Steinitz and Zukertort. It is said that they were at a dinner party, and someone made a toast to the "greatest chess-player in the world." Both Steinitz and Zukertort supposedly stood up. However, some research suggests this story might have been made more dramatic over time.

Notable Games

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4 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black pawn {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king 4
3 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white pawn {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white rook {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king 3
2 {{{square}}} white pawn {{{square}}} white bishop {{{square}}} black rook {{{square}}} white queen {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white pawn {{{square}}} white pawn 2
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Zukertort-Blackburne, 1883. Zukertort (white) here played 28 Qb4!! and the queen cannot be taken, due to: 28...Qxb4 29 Bxe5+ Kxh7 30 Rh3+ and mate soon follows.

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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Johannes Zukertort para niños

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