On April 17, 1886, the first widely recognized World Chess Championship match commenced, featuring Wilhelm Steinitz of Austria (later associated with the United States) and Johannes Zukertort of Poland/Prussia. The match is regarded by most chess historians as the first true modern world championship because it was a head-to-head contest explicitly staged to determine the world’s best player, with agreed conditions, stakes, and an extended series of games. Context and organization By the mid-1880s, Steinitz had been widely acknowledged as the strongest active player after prominent victories and his theoretical contributions to positional play. Zukertort, who had finished ahead of Steinitz at the 1883 London tournament, secured backing from organizers and patrons in the United States. The match was arranged through negotiation between the players and sponsors; it was not run by a central governing body, as FIDE did not yet exist for world championship administration. Format and schedule The 1886 match was played across three North American cities—New York, St. Louis, and New Orleans—reflecting both promotional aims and logistical realities of transatlantic players seeking American patronage. The match was contested as the first to win 10 games, draws not counting toward that total, with a substantial stake for the winner. Play began on April 17 in New York and continued in stages through the summer months. Key developments and style The contest showcased a clash of styles: Steinitz’s emerging positional, scientific approach emphasizing accumulation of small advantages and defensive technique, and Zukertort’s romantic, attacking play and superior opening preparation in many games. Early wins by Zukertort gave him an initial lead, but Steinitz’s resilience and methodical style allowed him to recover ground as the match progressed. Outcome and significance Steinitz ultimately won the match, becoming recognized as the first official World Chess Champion under the modern convention of a formal title match. The result confirmed the shift in chess from a primarily tactical, combinational era to a more positional, strategic understanding—an evolution Steinitz himself helped articulate in his writings and play. Historiographical notes While earlier players such as Paul Morphy and Adolf Anderssen had been regarded as world-leading in their times, the 1886 Steinitz–Zukertort match is commonly cited by historians as the first organized world championship under parameters resembling later title matches. Some details of match conditions, financing, and exact contemporary perceptions varied among sources; where disputes exist, historians rely on contemporary newspapers, match scores, and later compilations of chess history. Legacy The 1886 match established conventions—head-to-head matches for the title, multi-game formats, and organized sponsorship—that shaped the institution of the World Chess Championship into the 20th century. Steinitz’s reign and theoretical work influenced generations of players, and the match itself remains a landmark in the professionalization and internationalization of chess.