Mikhail Chigorin

The father of Russian chess who twice challenged Steinitz. His romantic attacking style and creative approach to the game laid the foundation for the Soviet chess dynasty that would dominate the 20th century.

The Romantic Against the Scientist

Mikhail Ivanovich Chigorin was born on November 12, 1850, in St. Petersburg. He represented the romantic, attacking tradition in chess at a time when Steinitz was building the positional foundations of the modern game. Their two matches were not just contests between two players but clashes between two philosophies of chess.

The 1889 match in Havana was competitive, with Chigorin losing 10.5-6.5. The 1892 rematch in Havana was much closer: Chigorin led at one point before Steinitz's greater stamina and endgame technique told. The final score of 12.5-10.5 could easily have gone the other way. Chigorin's two challenges established that the romantic style could compete with positional chess, even if it could not quite overcome it.