Steinitz Variation

A Steinitz Variation is any of several chess openings introduced and practiced, or adopted and advocated by Wilhelm Steinitz, the first officially recognized World Chess Champion.

This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.

Openings

Steinitz Variation in the Caro-Kann Defence: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7^{[note 1]}
Steinitz Variation in the Evans Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.d4 exd4 7.0-0 d6 8.cxd4 Bb6 9.Nc3 Na5 10.Bg5 f6 11.Be3
Steinitz Variation in the Evans Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.0-0 Qf6
Steinitz Variation in the French Defence: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.Bxe7 Qxe7 7.f4
Steinitz Variation in the French Defence: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5
Steinitz Variation in the French Defence: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.dxc5
Steinitz Attack in the French Defence: 1.e4 e6 2.e5
Steinitz Defence to the Giuoco Piano: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bh4 g5
Steinitz Variation in the Giuoco Piano: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Nc3 Nxe4 8.0-0 Bxc3 9.bxc3 d5 10.Ba3
Steinitz Variation in the King's Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 Ne7
Steinitz Attack in the Petrov's Defence: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4
Steinitz Variation in the Petrov's Defence: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 exd4 4.e5 Ne4 5.Qe2
Steinitz Variation in the Philidor Defence: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 Be7 4.c3
Steinitz Variation in the Ponziani Opening: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 d5 4.Qa4 f6
Steinitz Variation in the Queen's Gambit Accepted: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Bxc4 c5 6.0-0 cxd4
Steinitz Countergambit in the Queen's Pawn Game: 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 c5
Steinitz Defence to the Ruy Lopez: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6
Steinitz Defence Deferred to the Ruy Lopez: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6
Steinitz Defence Doubly Deferred to the Ruy Lopez: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 d6^{[note 2]}
Steinitz Variation in the Scotch Game: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Qh4^{[note 3]} 5.Nc3
Steinitz Variation in the Sicilian Defence: 1.e4 c5 2.g3
Steinitz Variation in the Three Knights Opening: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 g6
Steinitz Variation in the Two Knights Defense: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Be2 h6 9.Nh3
Steinitz Variation in the Vienna Game: 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4 d5 4.d3
Steinitz Gambit in the Vienna Game: 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.d4

Illustrations

Steinitz Variation
in the Caro-Kann Defence

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 (also called the Nimzowitsch Variation or the Smyslov Variation)

Steinitz Variation
in the Evans Gambit

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.d4 exd4 7.0-0 d6 8.cxd4 Bb6 9.Nc3 Na5 10.Bg5 f6 11.Be3

Steinitz Variation
in the Evans Gambit

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.0-0 Qf6

Steinitz Variation
in the French Defence

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.Bxe7 Qxe7 7.f4

Steinitz Variation
in the French Defence

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5

Steinitz Variation
in the French Defence

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.dxc5

Steinitz Attack
in the French Defence

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.e4 e6 2.e5

Steinitz Defence
to the Giuoco Piano

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bh4 g5

Steinitz Variation
in the Giuoco Piano

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Nc3 Nxe4 8.0-0 Bxc3 9.bxc3 d5 10.Ba3

Steinitz Variation
in the King's Gambit

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 Ne7

Steinitz Attack
in the Petrov's Defence

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4

Steinitz Variation
in the Petrov's Defence

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 exd4 4.e5 Ne4 5.Qe2

Steinitz Variation
in the Philidor Defence

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 Be7 4.c3

Steinitz Variation
in the Ponziani Opening

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 d5 4.Qa4 f6

Steinitz Variation
in the Queen's Gambit Accepted

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Bxc4 c5 6.0-0 cxd4

Steinitz Countergambit
in the Queen's Pawn Game

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 c5

Steinitz Defence
to the Ruy Lopez

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6

Steinitz Defence Deferred
to the Ruy Lopez

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6

Steinitz Defence Doubly Deferred
to the Ruy Lopez

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 d6

Steinitz Variation
in the Scotch Game

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Qh4 5.Nc3

Steinitz Variation
in the Sicilian Defence

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.e4 c5 2.g3

Steinitz Variation
in the Three Knights Opening

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 g6

Steinitz Variation
in the Two Knights Defense

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Be2 h6 9.Nh3

Steinitz Variation
in the Vienna Game

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4 d5 4.d3

Steinitz Gambit
in the Vienna Game

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.d4

Notes

^ Also called the Nimzowitsch Variation or the Smyslov Variation.
^ Also called the Russian Defence.
^ Steinitz favored this move and it is commonly identified as a Steinitz Variation in books; however, it originated with English player Wellington Pulling in the 1830s and is named the Pulling Counterattack.

References

Barden, Leonard (1963). The Ruy Lopez • Winning Chess with 1 P-K4. Pergamon Press. ISBN 0-08-009997-1.
Botterill, G. S.; Harding, Tim (1977). The Scotch. B.T. Batsford Ltd.
Harding, Tim; Botterill, G. S. (1977). The Italian Game. B.T. Batsford Ltd. ISBN 0-7134-3261-6.
Hooper, David; Whyld, Kenneth (1996) [First pub. 1992]. The Oxford Companion to Chess (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-280049-3.

This set index article includes a list of related items that share the same name (or similar names).
If an internal link incorrectly led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

[1] Also called the Nimzowitsch Variation or the Smyslov Variation.

[2] Also called the Russian Defence.

[3] Steinitz favored this move and it is commonly identified as a Steinitz Variation in books; however, it originated with English player Wellington Pulling in the 1830s and is named the Pulling Counterattack.

[note 1]

[note 2]

[note 3]