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Dawid Janowski

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Belarusian-French chess player (1868–1967)
Dawid Janowski
Janowski, c. 1910
Full nameDawid Markelowicz Janowski
CountryFrance/Poland
Born25 May 1868
Wołkowysk, Grodno Governorate, Russian Empire
(modern Vawkavysk, Belarus)
Died15 January 1927(1927-01-15) (aged 58)
Hyères, Var, France

Dawid Markelowicz Janowski [ˈd̪avʲit̪ ˈmaʁkəlɔvit͡ʂ ˈjanɔfski] (25 May 1868 – 15 January 1927; often spelled David) was a Polish chess player. Several opening variations are named after Janowski.

Biography

Born into a Jewish-Polish family in Wołkowysk, Russian Empire (now Belarus), he settled in Paris around 1890 and began his professional chess career in 1894. He won tournaments in Monte Carlo 1901, Hanover 1902 and tied for first at Vienna 1902.

Janowski was devastating against the older masters such as Wilhelm Steinitz (+5−2), Mikhail Chigorin (+17−4=4) and Joseph Henry Blackburne (+6−2=2). He had minus scores, however, against newer players such as Siegbert Tarrasch (+5−9=3), Frank Marshall (+28−34=18), Akiba Rubinstein (+3−5), Géza Maróczy (+5−10=5) and Carl Schlechter (+13−20=13). He was outclassed by world champions Emanuel Lasker (+4−25=7) and José Raúl Capablanca (+1−9=1), but scored respectably against Alexander Alekhine (+2−4=2). In particular, he was able to beat at least once each of the first four world champions, a feat shared with Siegbert Tarrasch alone.

Janowski played three matches against Emanuel Lasker: two friendly matches in 1909 (+2−2 and +1−7=2) and one match for the world chess championship in 1910 (−8=3). The longer 1909 match has sometimes been called a world championship match, but research by Edward Winter indicates that the title was not at stake.

In July–August 1914, he was playing an international chess tournament, the 19th DSB Congress (German Chess Federation Congress) in Mannheim, Germany, with four wins, four draws and three losses (seventh place), when World War I broke out. Players at Mannheim representing countries now at war with Germany were interned. He, as well as Alexander Alekhine, was interned but released to Switzerland after a short internment. In 1915, he left Europe for the United States and spent the next nine years there before returning to Paris. At New York 1916, in the final, he shared second place with Oscar Chajes, after José Raúl Capablanca. He won at Atlantic City 1921 (the eighth American Chess Congress) and took third place at Lake Hopatcong 1923 (the ninth ACC).

He died in France on 15 January 1927 of tuberculosis.

Playing style

Janowski played very quickly and was known as a sharp tactician who was devastating with the bishop pair. Capablanca annotated some Janowski games with great admiration, and said, "when in form is one of the most feared opponents who can exist". Capablanca noted that Janowski's greatest weakness as a player was in the endgame, and Janowski reportedly told him, "I detest the endgame." American champion Frank Marshall remembered Janowski's talent and his stubbornness. In Marshall's Best Games of Chess he wrote that Janowski "could follow the wrong path with greater determination than any man I ever met!" Reuben Fine remembered Janowski as a player of considerable talent, but a "master of the alibi" with respect to his defeats. Fine said that his losses invariably occurred because it was too hot, or too cold, or the windows were open too far, or not far enough. He also noted that Janowski was sometimes unpopular with his colleagues because of his predilection for doggedly playing on even in an obviously lost position, hoping his opponent might blunder. Edward Lasker in his book Chess Secrets I Learned from the Masters recalled that Janowski was an inveterate but undisciplined gambler who would often lose all of his chess winnings at the roulette wheel.

Legacy

This section uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.

Several openings variations carry Janowski's name.

Janowski Variation
in the Old Indian Defence
abcdefgh
8a8 black rookb8 black knightd8 black queene8 black kingf8 black bishoph8 black rooka7 black pawnb7 black pawnc7 black pawne7 black pawnf7 black pawng7 black pawnh7 black pawnd6 black pawnf6 black knightf5 black bishopc4 white pawnd4 white pawnc3 white knighta2 white pawnb2 white pawne2 white pawnf2 white pawng2 white pawnh2 white pawna1 white rookc1 white bishopd1 white queene1 white kingf1 white bishopg1 white knighth1 white rook8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d6 3.Nc3 Bf5 		Janowski Variation
in the Queen's Gambit Declined
abcdefgh
8a8 black rookb8 black knightc8 black bishopd8 black queene8 black kingf8 black bishopg8 black knighth8 black rookb7 black pawnc7 black pawnf7 black pawng7 black pawnh7 black pawna6 black pawne6 black pawnd5 black pawnc4 white pawnd4 white pawnc3 white knighta2 white pawnb2 white pawne2 white pawnf2 white pawng2 white pawnh2 white pawna1 white rookc1 white bishopd1 white queene1 white kingf1 white bishopg1 white knighth1 white rook8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 a6
Showalter vs. Janowski, London 1899 		Janowski Variation
in the Queen's Gambit Declined
abcdefgh
8a8 black rookc8 black bishopd8 black queenf8 black rookg8 black kinga7 black pawnb7 black pawnc7 black pawnd7 black knighte7 black bishopf7 black pawng7 black pawnh7 black pawne6 black pawnf6 black knightd5 black pawng5 white bishopc4 white pawnd4 white pawnc3 white knightd3 white bishope3 white pawnf3 white knighta2 white pawnb2 white pawnf2 white pawng2 white pawnh2 white pawna1 white rookd1 white queene1 white kingh1 white rook8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 0-0 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Bd3
Janowski vs. Goetz, Paris 1896 		Janowski Variation
in the Queen's Gambit Declined
abcdefgh
8a8 black rookc8 black bishopd8 black queenf8 black rookg8 black kinga7 black pawnb7 black pawnd7 black knighte7 black bishopf7 black pawng7 black pawnh7 black pawnc6 black pawne6 black pawnd5 black knightg5 white bishopc4 white bishopd4 white pawnh4 white pawnc3 white knighte3 white pawnf3 white knighta2 white pawnb2 white pawnf2 white pawng2 white pawnc1 white rookd1 white queene1 white kingh1 white rook8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 0-0 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Rc1 c6 8.Bd3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 Nd5 10.h4
Janowski vs. Capablanca, New York 1924

Janowski–Larsen Variation
in the Queen's Gambit Accepted
abcdefgh
8a8 black rookb8 black knightd8 black queene8 black kingf8 black bishoph8 black rooka7 black pawnb7 black pawnc7 black pawne7 black pawnf7 black pawng7 black pawnh7 black pawnf6 black knightc4 black pawnd4 white pawng4 black bishope3 white pawnf3 white knighta2 white pawnb2 white pawnf2 white pawng2 white pawnh2 white pawna1 white rookb1 white knightc1 white bishopd1 white queene1 white kingf1 white bishoph1 white rook8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bg4
Marshall vs. Janowski, St. Petersburg 1914
Szabó vs. Larsen, Portoroz 1958 		Janowski Variation
in the Albin Countergambit
abcdefgh
8a8 black rookc8 black bishopd8 black queene8 black kingf8 black bishopg8 black knighth8 black rooka7 black pawnb7 black pawnc7 black pawng7 black pawnh7 black pawnc6 black knightf6 black pawne5 white pawnc4 white pawnd4 black pawnf3 white knighta2 white pawnb2 white pawnd2 white knighte2 white pawnf2 white pawng2 white pawnh2 white pawna1 white rookc1 white bishopd1 white queene1 white kingf1 white bishoph1 white rook8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Nbd2 f6
Bernstein vs. Janowski, Barmen 1905 		Janowski Variation
in the French Defence
abcdefgh
8a8 black rookb8 black knightc8 black bishopd8 black queene8 black kingh8 black rooka7 black pawnb7 black pawnc7 black pawnf7 black pawng7 black pawne6 black pawnf6 black knighth6 black pawnd5 black pawne5 white pawnb4 black bishopd4 white pawnc3 white knighte3 white bishopa2 white pawnb2 white pawnc2 white pawnf2 white pawng2 white pawnh2 white pawna1 white rookd1 white queene1 white kingf1 white bishopg1 white knighth1 white rook8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4 5.e5 h6 6.Be3
Janowski vs. Burn, Ostend 1907 		Janowski Variation
in the French Defence
abcdefgh
8a8 black rookb8 black knightc8 black bishopd8 black queene8 black kingf8 black bishopg8 black knighth8 black rooka7 black pawnb7 black pawnc7 black pawnf7 black pawng7 black pawnh7 black pawne6 black pawnd5 black pawnd4 white pawne4 white pawne3 white bishopa2 white pawnb2 white pawnc2 white pawnf2 white pawng2 white pawnh2 white pawna1 white rookb1 white knightd1 white queene1 white kingf1 white bishopg1 white knighth1 white rook8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Be3

Janowski Variation
in the Four Knights Game
abcdefgh
8a8 black rookc8 black bishopd8 black queenf8 black rookg8 black kinga7 black pawnb7 black pawnc7 black pawnf7 black pawng7 black pawnh7 black pawnc6 black knightd6 black pawnf6 black knightb5 white bishope5 black pawne4 white pawnc3 white pawnd3 white pawnf3 white knighta2 white pawnc2 white pawnf2 white pawng2 white pawnh2 white pawna1 white rookc1 white bishopd1 white queene1 white rookg1 white king8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.0-0 0-0 6.d3 Bxc3 7.bxc3 d6 8.Re1
Janowski vs. Pillsbury, Paris 1900

Notes

  1. Primarily called the Botvinnik Variation.
  2. Sometimes called the New York Variation.
  3. Sometimes called the Modern Variation.
  4. Primarily called the Alapin Variation.

References

  1. "JEWS RANKED AMONG THE 64 STRONGEST CHESS PLAYERS OF ALL TIME", JINFO.ORG.
  2. For instance: "From Morphy to Fischer", Israel Horowitz, Batsford 1973, p. 64; "The Centenary Match - Kasparov-Karpov III", Raymond Keene and David Goodman, Batsford 1986
  3. Chess Notes 5199, by Edward Winter
  4. "Das unvollendete Turnier: Mannheim 1914". 20 December 2005.
  5. ChessBase.com - Chess News - Edward Winter presents: Unsolved Chess Mysteries (28)
  6. Name Index to Jeremy Gaige's Chess Tournament Crosstables, An Electronic Edition, Anders Thulin, Malmö, 2004-09-01 Archived July 4, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  7. Old Indian Defense, Janowski Variation, old.chesstempo.com, access date 2 April 2021
  8. Queen's Gambit Declined: Janowski Variation, www.chess.com, access date 2 April 2021
  9. "Jackson Whipps Showalter vs. David Janowski, London 1899". Chessgames.com. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  10. ^ Hooper & Whyld (1996), p. 186. Janowski Variation.
  11. "David Janowski vs. Alphonse Goetz, Championship of the Cafe de la Regence, Paris 1896". Chessgames.com. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  12. "David Janowski vs. Jose Raul Capablanca, New York 1924". Chessgames.com. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  13. Hooper & Whyld (1996), p. 186. Janowski–Larsen Variation.
  14. "Frank Marshall vs. David Janowski, St. Petersburg 1914". Chessgames.com. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  15. "Laszlo Szabo vs. Bent Larsen, Portoroz Interzonal, Portoroz 1958". Chessgames.com. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  16. "Ossip Bernstein vs. David Janowski, Barmen Meisterturnier A, Barmen 1905". Chessgames.com. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  17. "David Janowski vs. Amos Burn, Ostend Championship, Ostend 1907". Chessgames.com. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  18. "David Janowski vs. Harry Nelson Pillsbury, Paris 1900". Chessgames.com. Retrieved 11 February 2023.

Bibliography

Further reading

  • Cherniaev, Alexander; Meynell, Alexander (2005). David Janowski: Artist of the Chess Board. Hardinge Simpole. ISBN 9781843821687.
  • Ackermann, Daniel (2005). Vabanque Dawid Janowsky 1868–1927. Schachverlag Dreier. ISBN 3-929376-65-2.
  • Voronkov, S.B. and Plisetsky, D.G. (1987). David Yanovsky. Fizkultura i Sport.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links

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