Heinrich Wolf vs David Janowski (1902)

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Heinrich Wolf vs David Janowski
Monte Carlo (1902), Monte Carlo MNC, rd 13, Feb-24
Spanish Game: Closed Variations. Morphy Attack (C78) · 0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

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Sep-04-10		Chessical: Janowski presses for a long time, and wins when Wolf makes an unfortunate and almost imperceptible error in the ending. I believe that Wolf could have saved the ending by moving his King to the short side: click for larger view <66. Kg5!> Kc8 67. f6 Kd8 68. Kh6 Ke8 69. Kg7 Rxg3 70. Re7+ Kd8 71. Kh7 Rf3=

Feb-11-23		KEG: Wolf collapsed (more than once) in the ending and Janowski remained in the hunt for a top prize. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Nc3 6. Re1 is of course the usual move here for White, but the text was popular in 1902 and is good for at least equality. 6... b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. d3 8. Nd5 is most usual here, but the text is sound if not very enterprising. 8... Na5 9. Bd2 NxB Janowski was well-known to prefer Knights to Bishops. 9...c6 or 9...Bd7 are also good, but the text was entirely predictable from Janowski. 10. axN Bb7 11. Qe2 0-0 click for larger view Chances were about equal. 12. d4 Probably premature. 12. Rfe1 or the prophylactic 12. h3 are likely better. 12... exd4 13. Nxd4 b4 A typical Janowski effort to inject tension in lieu of playing for a small edge with 13...Re8 or looking to keep White off f5 with 13...g6. 14. Nd5 NxN 15. exN Bxd5 16. Bxb4 Qd7 17. Bc3 click for larger view A difficult position to assess. White has the a-file while Janowski had his beloved two Bishops. Many would just play something like 17...Bb7 here with about equal chances. Others might opt for 17...c5. But Janowski liked action and decided to spring a little trap. 17... Bf6 "!"--(Tournament Book) 18. Rfe1 The Black pawn on a6 was not really hanging, since--as noted by the Tournament Book--18. Rxa6? RxR 19. QxR loses to 19...BxN and now if 20. BxB Black wins with 20...Qg4 winning the White Bishop. 18... Bb7 19. Qd3 Rfe8 20. Qf5 Getting the Queens off the board was generally a good idea when playing a tactical wizard such as Janowski 20... QxQ 21. NxQ BxB 22. bxB click for larger view So, after some not very inspiring but generally sound play, an endgame had already been reached. In fact, the game still had 60 moves to go, though the truly fascinating portion of the game was not destined to begin for quite a while. With Janowski, of course, nobody expected anything resembling a grandmaster draw.

Feb-11-23		KEG: Post II 22... Be4 22...RxR+ or 22...g6 or 22...Kf8 were easier routes if Janowski were aiming for a draw. But he was in a close tangle with Marshall, Teichmann, and Tarrasch for third place, and the top two places (occupied by Maroczy and Pillsbury) were still possibly in reach. Thus, Janowski was striving to win, as his later play confirms. 23. Ne3 Kf8 24. Ra4 click for larger view From here, Wolf's primary aim was to target Janowski's isolated a-pawn after addressing the Black Bishop on e4. 24... g6 25. f3 Bb7 26. Kf2 Re7 27. Nc4 Rae8 28. RxR KxR 28...RxR 28. Na5 could have been awkward for Black. 29. Na5 click for larger view 29... Bd5 29...Ba8 immediately was simpler, but--as might have been expected--Janowski sought tactical complications in the hope that Wolf would go wrong. In the fullness of time here, this strategy paid dividends for Janowski. Along the way, however, he took some (admittedly small) risks. 30. c4 Ba8 Obviously forced. 31. b4! click for larger view Now it appeared that Wolf was the one playing for a win. 31... Kd7 32. Nb3 Bb7 33. Ra1 Rb8 34. Ke3 Bc8 35. Ra4 Ke7 click for larger view 36. c3 Entirely safe. But 36. c5 was the only way to try to press for a win. Wolf, however, unlike Janowski, seems to have been satisfied with a draw. 36... c5! With this, Janowski had fully equalized. 37. Nd2 37. g4 was probably the only way to try to squeeze anything out of the position for White. Wolf, however, was apparently satisfied with the super-safe text. 37... f5! Meanwhile, Janowski was most definitely trying to make something out of nothing. 38. f4 The beginning of Wolf's effort to lock up the King's side. 38... Rb6 39. Kd3 Bb7 40. g3 h6 41. h4 h5 click for larger view With the King's side locked up tight, a draw seemed inevitable. But White has to exercise a modicum of precaution to avoid trouble on the other wing. As we will see, Wolf's failure to do so gave Janowski opportunities which he almost squandered.

Feb-12-23		KEG: Post III 42. Ke3 Objectively, there is nothing at all wrong with this move. But White's only conceivable problem was on b4. In addition, with the move-45 time control approaching, the best way to avoid any possible problems was to play Kc2 so his King would be prepared to go to b3 as might be needed. 42... Kd7 43. Kd3 Seemingly prepared to repeat moves and agree to a draw. 43... Kc7 click for larger view There was just a drop of poison in this move, as Wolf only belatedly realized. 44. Ke3 "?"--(Tournament Book) "White overlooks the loss of a pawn. 44. Kc2 was necessary so as to play Kb3 later."--(Tournament Book) 44. Kc2 was indeed simpler. But even after the text, Wolf was fine. The text was not his losing move (or, more accurately, one of his upcoming losing moves). 44... Bc6 click for larger view 45. Ra5? Wolf panicked. This was the last move before the move-45 time control. He had plenty of ways to address the issue of his b-pawn even after his sloppy (but not fatal) 44. Ke3. He would have been fine had he here played 45. Ra1 or 45. Ra3 or 45. Ra2 (all of which would have allowed him to slide his Rook to the b-file if required. But--even after the inferior text--Wolf still need not have lost. 45... cxb4 46. cxb4 Kb7 click for larger view 47. c5 47. b5 axb5 48. Kd4! b4 49. Nb3 Be8 (49...Ba6 50. c5 d5 51. Kd3 RxR 52. NxR+ Kd7 53. Kd4 Be8 54. Nb3) 50. Ra1 Bf7 51. Rb1 Kc7 52. Nc1 draws for White despite Black's extra pawn. After the text, White was on the brink of defeat. 47... Rxb4 48. cxd6 Bb5 click for larger view With the d-pawn soon to fall, this looks a scary for White. But White still had drawing chances because of the potentially hanging Black g-pawn. 49. Ra2! Essential! 49... Kc6 50. Nf3 Also forced. It left: click for larger view 50... Kxd6? Over hasty. Black had much better winning chances with the key intermediate move 50...Re4+. White can maintain material equality by winning the Black g-pawn, but the Black a-pawn now becomes too strong, e.g., 51. Kf2 Kxd6 52. Ne5 Kc5 53. Rc2 (if 53. Nxg6 Kb6 54. Ne5 a5 55. Nf3 a4 56. Ne5 Ka5 57. Ra1 Re2+ etc.) Rb4 54. Ke3 a4 55. Rc3 Rb2. 51. Ne5 click for larger view Wolf remained in trouble, but as will be seen, he likely could still have saved the game even with best play by Janowski. And as will also be seen, Janowski's weak play in his next few moves should have forfeited any chance he might have had had to seek a win.

Feb-12-23		KEG: Post IV 51... Rb3+? If there is a way for Black to win, it lies in 51...Re4+ (e.g., 52. Kf2 Kc5 53. Nxg6 Kb6 54. Ne5 a5 55. Ra1 a4 56. Nf7 Re2 57. Kf3 Rd258. Nh6 Rd5). 51...Kc5 was also much better than the text. 52. Kf2 click for larger view 52... Kc5? 52...Rb1 or maybe 52...Rc3 were practical ways to try to squeeze out a win. But theoretically, the game was now a draw. After the text, Wolf would have been in no jeopardy had he played sensibly. 53. Nxg6 click for larger view 53... Kb4 The win for Black was now gone, and the text gave up any real chance to make life tough for Black (53...Kb6 or 53...Kd6 or 53...Kd5 were perhaps better practical attempts. 54. Ne7! Now Black had too many weaknesses for Janowski to have any realistic hope of winning. He would now need a miracle to take the full point. Luckily for him, miracles would soon emerge here. 54... Bd3 54...a5 also gets Black nowhere; e.g., 55. Nxf5 Rd3 56. Rb2+ Kcr 57. Rc2+ Kb4 etc. click for larger view 55. Nd5+? 55. Nc6+ would have held the game; e.g., 55...Kc5 56. Ne5 Bb5 57. Ng6. After the text, by contrast, Wolf was in trouble and probably theoretically lost. 55... Kb5 56. Nc7+ Kc5 click for larger view A key moment. If White grabs the White pawn on a6, he loses his Knight. But anything else would have been even worse. Sooo... 57. Nxa6 Kb6 58. Nb8 Bb5 This move sealed the fate of the White Knight: click for larger view White nonetheless had at least a practical fighting chance to save the game: 59. Rd2 Kc7 60. Rd5 KxN 61. Rxf5 Rb2+ 62. Ke3 Be2 click for larger view Can Black win this position against best play by White? This is a close question so far as I can see. But what followed provided no answer, since from here both sides erred badly up through Wolf's horrible blunder on move 70. I will discuss the sorry continuation in my next post on this game.

Feb-12-23		KEG: Post V 63. Rf7? This should have lost the game for Wolf. By contrast, with 63. Rc5 he would have had at least decent practical chances; e.g., 63. Rc5 Bg4 64. Kd4 Re2 65. Rc3 Kb7 66. Rc1 Kb6 67. Rc3. Other moves superior to the text were 63. Ke4; 63. Rd5; and 63. Ra5. But now: 63... Bg4 64. f5 White's best (and perhaps only even practical) chance. It left the position as follows: click for larger view 64... Rb3+? Blowing the win. Janowski would likely have won with 64...Rb4 [keeping the White King from advancing] 65. Rh7 Rb3+ [now this could be played] 66. Ke4 Rf3 67. Rg7 Kc8 68. Rg6 Rxg3 and Black should win in the fullness of time with his extra piece. 65. Kf4 Forced, but sufficient to save the game. 65... Rf3+ click for larger view 66. Ke5? As <Chessical> has pointed out in his 2010 post concerning this game, 66. Kg5 draws. While the text was indeed a mistake, it is doubtful that Black can win even with this misstep by Wolf. 66... Rc8 67. Ke6 Rf1 click for larger view "Black abandons his attack on the g3-pawn in order to win the one on f5." (Tournament Book) But it's not that simple..at all. 68. Rf8+ Kc7 69. Rf7+ Kc6 click for larger view Now, with 70. Rf5 or 70. Ke5, it is hard to see how Janowski could have made progress. But here the game came to a shocking conclusion when Wolf blundered with: 70. Rf8? "?"--(Tournament Book) click for larger view Black to play and win/

Feb-12-23		KEG: Post VI Not very hard when posed as a problem: 70... Re1+ Game over. 71. Kf6 Bxf5 click for larger view 72. KxB?! This drops the Rook, but nothing else held out any long-term hope. If, for example, 72. Rd8 Bg4 ends White's hopes. Perhaps Wolf didn't fancy getting slowly ground down in an absolutely hopeless endgame that might extend the game another 20 or 30 moves. The text had the merit of a quick finish. 72... Rf1+ 73. Kg5 RxR 74. Kxh5 click for larger view For whatever reason, Wolf chose to play this out another 8 moves: 74... Kd6 75. g4 Ke6 76. Kg5 Rg8+ There were faster ways to wrap this up, but it hardly mattered, and Janowski was famous for enjoying himself in totally won positions. 77. Kf4 Kf6 78. Kf3 Ke5 79. Kg3 Ra8 80. h5 Kf6 81. Kh4 Rg8 82. h6 Kg6 click for larger view 0-1

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