Chess - First World Championship: Steinitz vs Zukertort: March 29th, 1886

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The first official Chess World Championship took place in 1886.
The match was held between Wilhelm Steinitz and Johannes Zukertort, with Steinitz winning and becoming the first universally recognized World Chess Champion.
The First Championship Match
Dates: The match was played from January 11 to March 29, 1886.
Locations: Games were played across three U.S. cities: New York City, St. Louis, and New Orleans.
Format: The winner was the first player to achieve ten wins, with draws not counting.
Result: Steinitz won the match 10–5 (with five draws), securing his tenth win in the final game.
Before this match, the title of "world's best player" was informal and often self-proclaimed; the 1886 contest was the first event explicitly held to decide an official world champion.

Johannes Zukertort was 45 years old at the time of his death.
Birth Date: September 7, 1842.
Death Date: June 20, 1888.
He suffered a sudden collapse on June 19, 1888, while playing a tournament game at Simpson's Divan in London and died the following morning at Charing Cross Hospital due to a cerebral hemorrhage. He was buried in Brompton Cemetery.

Wilhelm Steinitz was born May 17, 1836, in Prague, and became the first official World Chess Champion in 1886 by defeating Hermann Zukertort, making him 50 years old at the start of that historic match, though he was nearing 51 by the match's end in New York.
Born: May 17, 1836, Prague, Bohemia (Austrian Empire).
First Official World Championship: 1886 match against Zukertort.
Age in 1886: Around 50 years old when the match began, turning 51 during the championship

[Event "Steinitz - Zukertort World Championship Match"]
[Site "New Orleans, LA USA"]
[Date "1886.03.29"]
[Round "20"]
[White "Wilhelm Steinitz"]
[Black "Johannes Zukertort"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/reallynotbatman"]
[Variant "Standard"]
[ECO "C25"]
[Opening "Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense: Steinitz Gambit"]
[StudyName "Steinitz vs. Zukertort; All 20 Games annotated"]
[ChapterName "Steinitz vs. Zukertort Game 20"]
[ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/s5sYqi1V/YW..."]

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. f4 exf4 4. d4 { This is the Steinitz Gambit invented by him in 1867 } 4... d5 (4... Qh4+ 5. Ke2 { The idea is to centralize the king, gaining an advantage in an eventual endgame }) 5. exd5 Qh4+ 6. Ke2 { The attentive reader of r/anarchychess might also know this variation as the "hyper-delayed Bongcloud" } 6... Qe7+ { This check seems a bit useless } (6... Nb4 7. Nf3 Bg4) 7. Kf2 Qh4+ 8. g3 fxg3+ 9. Kg2 (9. hxg3?! Qxh1 10. Bg2 Qh2 11. dxc6 Bd6 12. Qf3 { With chances for both sides }) 9... Nxd4 (9... Bd6 { Stopping hxg3 } 10. Qe1+ (10. dxc6 gxh2 11. Qf3 hxg1=Q+ 12. Kxg1 Qxd4+ 13. Be3) 10... Nce7 11. hxg3 Qxd4) 10. hxg3 Qg4 11. Qe1+ (11. Bf4 Qxd1 12. Rxd1 Nxc2) 11... Be7 12. Bd3 { Defending c2 } 12... Nf5 { A mistake. This might stop Rh4, but the only correct move was: } (12... Kf8! { Unpinning the bishop, thus stopping Rh4 } 13. Ne4 Qd7 14. c4) 13. Nf3 Bd7 14. Bf4 { Now black can't play 0-0-0 } 14... f6 { Defending against Ne5 } (14... O-O-O?? 15. Ne5 { Winning the queen }) 15. Ne4 { With the idea of Nf2 } 15... Ngh6 (15... O-O-O 16. Qa5) (15... h5 16. Nh4 Nxh4+ (16... g5 17. Nxf5 gxf4 18. Nxf6+) 17. Rxh4) 16. Bxh6 Nxh6 17. Rxh6 gxh6 (17... O-O-O { Black is lost } 18. Rh4) 18. Nxf6+ Kf8 19. Nxg4
{ Wilhelm Steinitz is the new world champion! }
{ 1-0 Black resigns. } 1-0