When the dust had settled on Steinitz' victorious clash with Zukertort in 1886, the Austrian was widely acknowledged as having reached the pinnacle of world chess and yet, there was no international organisation with whom he could register the formal title of World Champion. Neither was there any authoritative body or forum that would choose him a worthy challenger. If Steinitz had a period of popularity, then it was short-lived. For pretty soon there was a growing number of chess players turning against him, either because of his strategic method of play, or because of his personality. The public had previously championed Zukertort and before him, Morphy; two men with an abundance of charisma and fiery chessboard skills to match. In comparison, the new champion's endorsement of a passive, positional style was, for many, unpalatable. Steinitz' had developed a wonderful understanding of 'attack and defence' and was able to sit back and invite his opponents to attack him. All too often they were tempted into unjustified onslaughts, which he would parry with remarkable ease, ultimately repelling the invading forces with defensive play of great dexterity. When he had the initiative, he would inflict imperceptible weaknesses on his opponent's structure, stifling their middlegame and endgame survival prospects. His methods, though successful, were unfortunately not spectacular enough to win public support and many of his critics refused to believe that swashbuckling, 'blood and guts' chess could be so readily dismissed. On occasion, Steinitz took his strategy too far, by adopting absurdly passive formations that over-stretched his defensive capabilities, or left him with insufficient opportunity for counterplay. When he lost in this manner, it renewed the faith of those who craved a return to attacking chess.
Preparations
The time was therefore right to speculate on who might de-throne Steinitz and the HavanaChess Club charged themselves with the task. They invited Steinitz to play in Cuba against a challenger of his own choosing. This was the way such matters were conducted prior to 1914; the incumbent champion having final say over the challenger, venue, playing conditions - just about everything. His poor record against Mikhail Chigorin in previous tournament meetings meant that the Russian had good credentials and Steinitz was ready to show that he feared no one. Chigorin was generally toppling everyone in his path and so the announcement of a match between the two met with universal approval. Of added interest was the pitting of Chigorin's old-fashioned, 'bludgeoning' style against Steinitz' new teachings. Commentators saw it as a match between the 'Romantic' and 'Modern' Schools of chess.
The match
Chigorin accepted the match conditions and the bookmakers began to take wagers on the outcome. It quickly became apparent that in spite of the public's dissatisfaction with Steinitz, they still believed him to be overwhelmingly the best player. The pre-match betting receipts showed that $52,000 had been placed on Steinitz, compared with a mere $900 on Chigorin. The match was played in Havana, between January 20 and February 24, 1889. The total purse for the contestants was a disappointing $1,150, the smallest prize fund of all the world championship encounters.
Results
The match was to last a maximum of 20 games, so the winner would be the first to reach a minimum of 10½ points. In the event of a 10-10 tie, the defending champion would retain the title. Steinitz retained his title.
