Ahem... anyway... gah! Closed Game!!

Pheh... 12. gxh5 seemed a little odd to me... 12. g5 would keep the position sealed, and with gxh5, white opens the position a little, and if black happens to break open the position, white's king would be in great trouble. On a plus for white, white holds a good spatial advantage on the kingside.

I would have liked to have seen more of this game, I believe black resigned too quickly.

21...Rdf8 doesn't seem to accomplish much, by trading off the kingside pieces, black is stuck with awkwardly trapped queenside pieces. Not only that, but white has the response of Qg4+ when the king must retreat. RxR, RxR, Rf1 either controls the f-file, or trades off the queenside pieces where white has the obvious advantage.

With that in mind, I suggest 30. Rf6! If Black plays 30...Rxg7, White wins by 31. hxg7 Rg8 (or 31...Re8 32. Rxg6 Qd8 33. Bh6, with the same basic idea) 32. Rxg6 Qd8 33. Bh6, threatening Rf8.

1. e4 e5
2. Nc3

The Vienna Game, a favorite opening for Mieses.

2... Nf6

Much ink has been spilled over the respective merits of 2...Nf6 and 2...Nc6. Suffice it to say that both moves are fine if properly followed up and the choice is one of style. In either case, an intense tactical duel can be on the horizon.

3. Bc4 Bc5
4. d3 d6
5. f4?!

Many of the possible sharp lines in the Vienna Game involve the advance of White's f-pawn and attacks on the f-file. 5. Na4 (to get the two Bishops) or 5. Nf3 are safer alternatives, but "safety first" was not the motto of either of the contestants here.

5... Nc6
6. f5?!

This hyper-aggressive advance was praised by Teichmann in his commentary on this game, but the preparatory and less committal 6 Nf3 was the soundest move here

6... Na5

Harshly criticized by Marco and by Tartakower-DuMont, but it is neither "valueless" nor the road to a bad game for Black. Janowski's plan to trade Knight for Bishop (giving him his beloved two Bishops) was not unreasonable (and had been played by Tchigorin). Tartakower-DuMont's 6...Nd4 was probably better, but their line is flawed: 6...Nd4 7. Bg5 (weak, better for White would be 7...Nge2 or 7. Nf3) c6 8. a3 b5 (8...a5 or 8...h6 were better moves and better plans) 9. Ba2 Qb6 (giving away what remained of his advantage, which he could have maintained with 9...0-0 or 9...h6).

7. Qf3

"An energetic course, conforming to the idea of the preceding move, namely to lay stress on king side operations" (Tartakower-DuMont). While the text is fine and does indeed fit in with Mieses' planned king-side assault, it hardly leaves White better placed, and is no real improvement over 7...Bb3 which Tartakover-DuMont mock as "without backbone."

7... c6
8. g4?!

Mieses forges onward with his all-out attack. A positional player would try 8. a3

8... h6

Rosenthal in the Tournament Book correctly notes that 8...h5 would be worse for Black, but his analysis of the move is flawed. After 8...h5 9. g5! Black should play 9...Nd7 with approximately equal chances and not Rosenthal's suggested 9...Ng4 allows White to get the better game with 10. Nge2 (rather than Rosenthal's 10. Nh3 after which Black is much better with either 10...0-0 or 10...NxB).

Tartakower-DuMont claim a big edge for White after 8...Nd7, but only reach this result with poor analysis: 8...Nd7 (with 9...Qh4+ in mind) 9. g5 NxB 10. dxN Nb6 11. b3 (11. Qd3 was better, though Black is still slightly better) Bb4 (terrible, Black is still better with 11...d5) 12. a3 BxN+ 13. QxB Qe7 (13...h6 was better) 14. Nf3.

The text in fact is fine and leaves Black with at least equal chances. Perhaps 8...b5 was better.

9. h4 b5

Teichmann states that Black's position here is "already remedy." Really? Here was the position after 9...b5:

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10. Bb3 NxB

10...h5 immediately was better

11. axB h5
12. gxh5

"Much stronger than 12. g5" (Schlechter). After 12. g5, Black gets good play with 12...Ng4 (and not 12...Nd7 as suggested by Tartakower-DuMont).

The text is definitely best and warrants the ! Rosenthal gave it in the Tournament Book.

Chances are now roughly equal.

12... Nxh5

Contrary to the commentary of Tartakower-DuMont, 12...Rxh5 was also fine for Black after Tartakower-DuMont's 13. Bg5 or after the better 13. Be3.

13. Nge2 Qb6

Teichmann and Marco condemned the text and claim 13...Qc7 was best, but both moves seem sufficient to maintain the balance. The following moves reveal that Black is just fine until Janowski's 17th move.

14. Ng3 Nf6
15. Bg5 Bb7
16. h5!

This excellent move threatens h6, and the position is dangerous for both sides. The position was now:

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16... Nh7!

An excellent reply to Mieses' threat.

17. Bd2 0-0-0

"Hoping at one stroke to have displaced the center of gravity, but White shows that the king's-side is still the main theater" (Tartakower-DuMont).

Janowski's plan here backfires. His King is still in potential jeopardy and Mieses' King-side attack only picks up steam. Better by far was 17...Nf6 now that the Bishop had retreated.

The position was now:

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18. h6!

"The pivot" (Tartakower-DuMont).

18... g6

Janowski has a difficult position because of his 17th move, but he now hangs tough. Both the text and 18...gxh6 were god choices. Schlechter and Tartakower-DuMont condemn the latter choice, but after 19. Rxh6 f6 Black remains very much in the game.

19. 0-0-0

Mieses now can bring his Queen's-side Rook into the fray and throw everything into his King-side attack.

19... Rhg8

Janowski had to make a difficult decision here, and the text was not best.

If 19...g5 White would have strong play after 20. Nh5 (better than Schlechter's 20. f6).

19...Bf2? would lose to 20. fxg6 or 20. Rdf1 (but not Tartakower-DuMont's 20. Nce2).

Best was 19...Kb8.

20. fxg6 fxg6
21. Rdf1

The position was now:

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Janowski's next move came in for much criticism:

21... Kb8

"Why Black allows the enemy Queen to invade on f7 is incomprehensible" (Marco). Marco goes on to suggest 21...Qc7.

But Janowski would have been fine after the text had he not blundered on move 22 (see below).

21...Qc7 is no big improvement on the text, since White is still much better after 22. Nd1 (or 22. Nge2).

Marco is definitely correct that 21. Rdf8? would be bad after 22. Qg4+ Kb1 23. RxR+ (but not 23. Qd7? Qc7! [far better than Marco's awful 23...Nf6?]) NxR [or 23...RxR 24. Qxg6 as noted by dreamerman on this site] 24. Qh4! (and not Marco's 24. h7 because of 24...Rh8 or 24. Nh5 because of 24...Bc8).

22. Qf7

"The initial move of a fine combination" (Teichmann).

The position was now:

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22... Rh8?

The losing move which Mieses proceeds to demolish with a fabulous series of sacrifices.

As Marco pointed out, 22...Qc7! saves the came for Black here. Marco's line is correct until the last Black move: 22...Qc7 23. QxQ+ KxQ 24. Rf7+ Rd7 25. Rhf1 Bc8 (and not Marco's 25...Rgd8 26. Rg7).

23. Qxg6

"Brilliant and deeply calculated" (Schlechter).

23... Rdg8

"Will he win a piece? (Schlechter). "Obviously Janowski by his previous moves thought he would now win the Knight on g3" (Marco).

The position was now:

click for larger view

Best for Black had been 23...Bc8, though White would still have the game in hand.

But the text (23...Rdg8) certainly appears to win the g3 Knight with the Rook skewer. But now came a move that must have hit Janowski like a thunderbolt:

24. Qg7!!!

"This brutal move was apparently overlooked by Black when he gave up the g-pawn" (Teichmann).

24... Bc8

Black has nothing better. If 24...RxQ 25. hxR Rg8 26. RxN Qd8 27. Nf5 (Tartakower-DuMont's move, even stronger was 27. Nh5) or 26...d5 27. Rh8 Qd8 28. Rfh1 Kc7 (28...Bc8 is slightly better but still hopeless) 29. Nf5 Bc8 30. RxR QxR 31. Rh8 and wins (Teichmann).

25. Nf5!

The only winning move--and a pretty one is was. The Queen is still hanging!

25... BxN

25...Qc7 was better, but insufficient.

26. RxB

26. exB was even better, but the text is plenty good enough.

The position was now:

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White's Queen is still en prise. Can Black take it now?

The answer to the question with which I ended my last post is an emphatic "NO," Janowski could not have played 26...RxQ here. If 26...RxQ 27. hxR Rc8 28. RxN Qd8 29. Rf8 or 27...Rg8 28. RxN Qd8 29. Bh6 d5 30. exd5 Qc8 31. Rf3 Be7 32. dxc6 Qxc6 33. Rf8+

So Janowki played:

26... Bb4

26...Qd8 was "better" though Black would still be doomed.

27. Kb1

27. Qe7 or 27. Qd7 but the text is more spectacular, since the Queen has now been en prise for four consecutive moves, the position now being:

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Can Janowski take the Queen now? This time the answer is a bit more complex. Taking the Queen was probably best, but White still wins using what Honda Cervenka on this site has aptly called a "Really funny variation": 27...RxQ 28. hxR Rg8 29. RxN Qg1+ leaving:

click for larger view

Here White wins with the spectacular 30. Nd1!! [and not Marco's 30. Ka2 Qg6! and Black survives (Marco only gives the flawed line 30...Rxg7 31. Rf8+ Kb7 32. Rg8! and wins)] 30...Kb7 31. BxB (a more reasonable line than Honda Cervenka's 30...QxN+ ?? 31. Ka2 Kb7 32. Rf8 BxB 33. RxR and wins, but only because of Black's awful 30th move in this line).

Anyway, let's get back to the game. After 27. Kb1, Janowski played:

27... BxN

This was even worse than 27...RxQ.

28. bxB

For the fifth consecutive move, White's Queen is en prise:

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In fact, Janowski should probably have played 28...RxQ, but this would not have saved him in light of 29. hxR Rg8 30. Rf7 (30. RxN also wins, but now it's more difficult after 30...Qg1+)

Janowski's actual move was no improvement:

28... f8
29. Rhf1

Logical and a winning move, but faster would have been 29. Qe7 or even the diabolical waiting move 29. Kb2.

Now, for the sixth consecutive move (!!) White leaves his Queen en prise:

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Can Janowski take the Queen now? Obviously not: 29...RxQ 30. hxR and Black is finished.

The best chance for Janowski in the last diagrammed position was to concede his last move was rotten and play 29...Nh7. Instead, Janowski played:

29... Ng6?

And not, after leaving his Queen en prise for six consecutive moves, Mieses played:

30. Qd7

This is sufficient for victory, but even better was the sweet 30. Rg5!! (leaving the Queen to be captured for a record 7th move).

Of well, Mieses has thrilled us for quite a long while in this game, so we have no basis to grump is he seeks a prosaic ending to the game.

30... Rd8

"Best" would have been the line given by Rosenthal in the Tournament Book, though it would not have saved the day in the long run: 30...Qc7 31. QxQ+ KxQ 32. Rf7+ Kb6 (32...Kb8 was the only way to continue the game, but it too would have lost after 33. Rg7 or 33. R1f5) 33. Be3+ (better still would be 33. R1f6, but Black is dead in any case) c5 34. R1f6.

31. Qe6 Nf4

31...Nf8 would get demolished by 32. RxN as pointed out by Tartakower-DuMont).

32. BxN exB
33. Rfxf4

The position was now:

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The dust has settled and Mieses is now up two pawns and has--to quote Tartakower-DuMont--"a dominating position."

After 33. Rfxf4 the result was not in doubt, but the concluding moves were not without interest.

33... Qc5

33...c5 or even 33...Ka8 were better, though also hopeless.

34. Rf7!

Crushing. White threatens 35. Qe7.

The position was now:

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34... Qg5

"Prevents 35. Qe7 but there follows another surprise" (Tartakower-DuMont).

The only even forlorn hope here for Janowski was 34...Qe5.

35. Rf8

"Another pretty move which finishes the game at once" (Teichmann).

This is a pretty way to end the game (though the brutal 35. Rg7 would also have ended the game.

The position after 35. Rf8 was:

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35... Qc5

Hopeless, as was everything else. If 35...R(either)xR 36. RxR RxR 37. Qxd6+ Kb7 38. QxR "theatening Qg7 and Queening the pawn" (Teichmann).

36. Qe7

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