White:HE Bird
Black: J Mason
New York 1876

(Notes by John Littlewood)

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 exd5 exd5 5 Nf3 Bd6 6 Bd3 0-0 7 0-0 h6 8 Re1 Nc6 9 Nb5 Bb4 10 c3 Ba5 11 Na3 Bg4 12 Nc2 Qd7 13 b4 Bb6 14 h3 Bh5 15 Ne3 Rfe8 16 b5 Ne7 17 g4 Bg6 18 Ne5 Qc8 19 a4 c6 20 bxc6 bxc6 21 Ba3 Ne4 22 Qc2 Ng5 23 Bxe7 Rxe7 24 Bxg6 fxg6 25 Qxg6 Nxh3+ 26 Kh2 Nf4 27 Qf5 Ne6 28 Ng2 Qc7 Although White has obtained some space advantage, the threats of …Rf8 and …c5 almost compel him to embark on a tactical adventure, which turns a rather dull game into a series of delightful surprises persisting until the very end.
29 a5!?
Forced and forcing.
29…Bxa5 30 Rxa5 Rf8
Of course not 30…Qxa5 31 Ng6! Qc7+ 32 Kg1 Rae8 33 Nxe7+ Qxe7 34 Nf4, which is winning for White.
31 Ra6!
The point of his play, giving up his queen for rook and knight in the hope of exploiting Black's king position.
31…Rxf5 32 gxf5 Nd8 33 Nf4 Qc8 34 Nfg6!
In order to answer 34…Rxe5 35 Rxe5 Qxa6 with 36 Re8+ followed by mate. If instead 34…Qxa6 I cannot resist giving the possible finish; 35 Nxe7+ Kf8 36 N7g6+ Kg8 37 Nd7! Nf7 38 Re8+ Kh7 39 Ndf8+ Kg8 40 Ne7+ Kh8 41 Nfg6+ Kh7 42 Rh8+! Nxh8 43 Ngf8 mate!
34…Re8 35 Nxc6!?
A cunning move, which must have been planned when sacrificing the queen, because otherwise the key f5 pawn falls. However, despite the fact that both 35…Rxe1? 36 Nce7+ and 35…Nxc6 36 Rxe8+ Qxe8 37 Rxc6 Qxc6? 38 Ne7+ win for White, Black should accept the welcome reduction of material in the second line and continue 37…Kh7, which prevents the threatened 38 Rc8 and puts the onus on White to draw.
35…Qc7+?!
A plausible alternative but Mason surely missed White's 37th move.
36 Nce5 Qxc3 37 Re3! Qd2
Since 37…Qxd4? fails to 38 Nf3!.
38 Kg2 Qxd4 39 f6! gxf6 40 Rxf6 Ne6 41 Rg3 Ng5
Though it appears that Black is now over the worst, Bird continues to confound his opponent with some splendid play. The game concluded:
42 Ng4 Kg7 43 Nf4! Qe4+ 44 Kh2! Nh7 45 Nh5+ Kh8 46 Rxh6 Qc2 47 Nhf6 Re7 48 Kg2 d4 49 Ne5! Qc8 50 Ng6+ 1-0