In the previous issue, BCM, January 1899, page 7, there had been a discussion of the game, with a slightly different move order (6...Nxe5 7 Rxe5+ Be7 8 Bd3 0-0 9 Nc3 Ne8 10 b3 c6 11 Bb2 d5 12 Qf3 g6 13 Nxd5), followed by an entirely different finish - 13...gxh5 14 Bxh7+ Kxh7 15 Rxh5+ Kg6 16 Nf4#.

Here's Ward's letter...

To the Editor of the B.C.M.
Dear Sir,
Referring to the game between Mr. H. H. Cole and myself, on which you comment in your last issue, it may be interesting to your readers to know that although the game has appeared in several papers, it has not yet been published exactly as it was played. The actual moves were as follows : —

[score follows - as shown here]

If the Black Q retreats on the 14th move, White does not play 15 K — K R 5, as you suggest, but 15 Q x P ch !.

I had, of course, seen the game between Janowski and Burn, at Cologne, and in fact intended to follow Mr. Burn's defence : but, playing without much consideration as one frequently does in "skittle" games, I went wrong on the 12th move. Mr. Cole made his reply 13 Kt x P almost instantly, so that, as he informed me at the time that he had not worked out the combination beforehand, he must have made the move simply for the reason that it looked one likely to result in an interesting position. And this I believe to be the case. After the qame was over we played through a few of the variations, and it is probable that when Mr. Cole first published it, he forgot which one had actually occurred in play. The whole game, and the subsequent analysis, did not occupy much more than a quarter of an hour.

I should hardly have taken the trouble to write the above but for the comments of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. For my own part, I have never previously heard of the game between Janowski and Meyer, and the Eagle does not state where, if at all, it has been published. The fact that M. Janowski retains the postal cards in his possession does not assist in making the game known to any one who has not seen them.

The suggestion that the game was played by pre-arrangement is almost too ridiculous to treat seriously; but since it has been put forward, and Mr. Cole is unfortunately too unwell to combat the charge himself, I may say that on the evening the game was played Mr. Cole and I met casually at the City of London Chess Club, and sat down to play "skittles" in order to pass away a little spare time, and the above game was one of those played.

It has always been stated to have been an "offhand" game, and in my opinion Mr. Cole only published it as an interesting variation of the Ruy Lopez, which to the best of his belief had not before appeared in print.

Yours truly, Wm. Ward

16, King Street, Cheapside, E.C.
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