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.

Openings

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  • 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

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Steinitz Variation
in the Caro-Kann Defence
abcdefgh
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abcdefgh
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
abcdefgh
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abcdefgh
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
abcdefgh
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abcdefgh
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
abcdefgh
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abcdefgh
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
abcdefgh
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abcdefgh
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5
Steinitz Variation
in the French Defence
abcdefgh
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abcdefgh
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.dxc5
Steinitz Attack
in the French Defence
abcdefgh
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abcdefgh
1.e4 e6 2.e5
Steinitz Defence
to the Giuoco Piano
abcdefgh
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abcdefgh
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
abcdefgh
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abcdefgh
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
abcdefgh
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abcdefgh
1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 Ne7
Steinitz Attack
in the Petrov's Defence
abcdefgh
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abcdefgh
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4
Steinitz Variation
in the Petrov's Defence
abcdefgh
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abcdefgh
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 exd4 4.e5 Ne4 5.Qe2
Steinitz Variation
in the Philidor Defence
abcdefgh
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abcdefgh
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 Be7 4.c3
Steinitz Variation
in the Ponziani Opening
abcdefgh
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abcdefgh
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 d5 4.Qa4 f6
Steinitz Variation
in the Queen's Gambit Accepted
abcdefgh
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abcdefgh
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
abcdefgh
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abcdefgh
1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 c5
Steinitz Defence
to the Ruy Lopez
abcdefgh
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abcdefgh
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6
Steinitz Defence Deferred
to the Ruy Lopez
abcdefgh
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abcdefgh
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6
Steinitz Defence Doubly Deferred
to the Ruy Lopez
abcdefgh
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abcdefgh
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 d6
Steinitz Variation
in the Scotch Game
abcdefgh
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abcdefgh
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Qh4 5.Nc3
Steinitz Variation
in the Sicilian Defence
abcdefgh
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abcdefgh
1.e4 c5 2.g3
Steinitz Variation
in the Three Knights Opening
abcdefgh
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abcdefgh
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 g6
Steinitz Variation
in the Two Knights Defense
abcdefgh
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abcdefgh
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
abcdefgh
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abcdefgh
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4 d5 4.d3
Steinitz Gambit
in the Vienna Game
abcdefgh
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abcdefgh
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.d4

Notes

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  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.

References

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  • 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.