A great gesture

Tomorrow at 1.00pm, at London's Brompton Cemetery, a unique event takes place. The grave of the great 19th century master, Johannes Zukertort, will be rededicated, in a ceremony attended by two Polish priests. Over a year ago, Grandmaster Stuart Conquest tracked down the grave, which had been long forgotten, and discovered that it was derelict and overgrown, after decades of neglect. Stuart launched a public campaign, to raise several thousand pounds, so that it could be restored. It was a great gesture by Stuart, and attracted support from many sources, including the Ken Whyld Association. Work on the grave was recently finished, and tomorrow will see it rededicated. The event is open to all, so please free to go along if you are able.

The restored grave (photo: Stuart Conquest)

Zukertort was one of the strongest players of the second half of the 19th century, and was Steinitz' challenger, in the first officially recognised world championship match, in 1886. Zukertort started the match brilliantly, winning four games in a row, after losing the opener. However, as the match dragged on, moving between various American cities, he weakened, whilst the indomitable Steinitz gradually got stronger, and in the end, Zukertort lost. Within two years, his health broken, he died in London, aged just 45.

Zukertort and Steinitz, playing the fateful match (photo: endgame.nl)

His immortal game was the win against Blackburne at London 1883, but since that is so well-known, here is one of Zukertort's wins, from the opening phase of the Steinitz match. The notes are from Megabase.