He subsisted on "soup" made from potato peels, and his dacha on Krestovsky Island had no furniture, for he had used it for firewood.

He had lost consciousness, and his rescuers had put him on an easbound train. Vladimir Alatortsev found him on a train in Alexandrov. He was on the verge of death, but Alatortsev was able to get him into a local hospital. Four days later Romanovsky regained consciousness and slowly recovered. A few months later he was transferred to a government sanitorium in Ivanovo. There was a tournament at Ivanovo, which Romanovsky won easily 10-0.

Also at Ivanovo he met the woman who later became his second wife, and he began his second family of children.

--- Romanovsky ---

Soviet Championships 1920: 2nd after Alekhine: http://members.aol.com/graemecree/c...

Soviet Championships 1923: 1st: http://members.aol.com/graemecree/c...

Moscow 1925: Shared 7th, even with Reti: http://xoomer.alice.it/cserica/scac...

Soviet Championships 1927: Shared 1st with Bohatirchuk: http://members.aol.com/graemecree/c...

Romanovsky had some good results also in the 1930's. In Leningrad 1934 he was far ahead of Euwe, that would become World Champion the next year, behind only Botvinnik (with ½ point). He also drew Capablanca and Lasker in Moscow 1935, where he had a plus score in a strong field.

The incredible tactical finish is so -INSTRUCTIVE- that it is given as the only example on the Wikipedia page for the topic <Combination (chess)>: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combin....

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< The position below begins a combination which illustrates several forks and skewers.

Stepanov-Romanovskij, Leningrad 1926.

Black to play.

Black played 1... Rxf3+! White dare not take the rook with 2.Kxf3 because of the royal fork 2... Nd4+, which would win the white queen. Retreating with 2.Ke2 instead would run into the same fork. The move 2.Kd2 looks more promising, but after 2...Rf2+ (skewering the white king and queen) 3.Be2 Rxe2+ 4.Kxe2 Nd4+ the white queen will be lost anyway. Therefore White was forced to play 2.Ke4.

After 2...d5+!, White resigned. White still could not take the black rook without losing his queen, but the alternative 3.cxd5 exd5+ 4. Kxd5 Be6+ would leave White with no good defense. Taking the bishop with 5.Kxe6 allows the long-threatened fork 5...Nd4+, while taking the knight with 5.Kxc6 allows the skewer 5...Rc8+ followed by 6...Rxc2. Retreating with 5.Ke4 permits the black bishop to skewer the white king and queen with 5...Bf5+, so White has only one option left: 5.Kd6.

I have submitted the game into the DB but if you can't wait until it appears here is the gamescore.

White: G. Stepanov

Black: P. A. Romanovsky