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Siegbert Tarrasch vs David Janowski
Ostend Champions (1907), Ostend BEL, rd 8, May-25
Four Knights Game: Spanish. Symmetrical Variation (C49)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

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sac: 28.Qxf8+ PGN: download | view | print Help: general | java-troubleshooting

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Kibitzer's Corner
Apr-07-04  boobsmacfadin: Hint: everytime white has a queen on the board for one of these puzzles, look for a way to sacrifice it.
Apr-07-04  sisyfus: Black has to exchange the queen for the rook. Otherwise 30.R2f7+, winning the queen anyhow, or otherwise mate with either one of the rooks after 30.... Kh6
Apr-07-04  sisyfus: If 30....Kg8, then 31.h7+ Kg7 32. Rxf8 Kxf8 33.h8=Q+
Apr-07-04  DexterGordon: Does the immediate 28. h6+ work? Seems to win a rook.

Does 29...Qc5 allow black to fight for a while? Hmmm, no, I guess not -- 30. Rf7+ Kg8 31. h6 will win pretty quickly.

Apr-07-04  chessfected: I agree. 28.h6+ Rxh6 29. Qxf8+ Qxf8 30. Rxf8 Rxg6 31. Rf7+ and 32. Rxb7 should win as well.
Apr-07-04  rochade18: I think it is even won for white if he just exchanges all pieces and then plays h6
Apr-07-04  d4Nf6Bg5: does 30. Rxf8 also work? If 30....Kxf8 then 31. h6, and the white king marchs up the board to promote if black trys to block. If 30...Kh6 31.Rh8+ Kg7 31.Rh7 32.Rf7, ect and white gets to promote the pawns, instead of losing them. I like this variation better- but I'm afraid it might not really be much different if 30...g4
Apr-07-04  cydmd: I guess not, <DexterGordon>. The line 28. h6+ Kxh6 29. Qh3+ Kg7 30. Rf7+ Rxf7 31. Rxf7+ Qxf7 and 32. Qxh8+ is forced to not lose material. I didnĀ“t see any other promising line, did you ?
Apr-07-04  DexterGordon: I think you're right about 28. h6+, <cydmd>. I must have only been looking at 28...Rxh6!

But I'm not sure <d4Nf6Bg5's> 30. Rxf8 is as simple as it seems. After e4, Black will have some threatening passed pawns himself.

Apr-07-04  kevin86: This is another case of "robbery";white start a series of exchanges and ends up a rook ahead!!
Apr-07-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  Honza Cervenka: <Does the immediate 28. h6+ work?> What about 28...Kxh6?

<I think it is even won for white if he just exchanges all pieces and then plays h6> After 30.Rxf8?? Kxf8 31.h6 e4 32.Kf2 g4 black also has two passed pawns, which must be guarded by white King, and the game should finish as a draw. The point of Tarrasch's 30.h6+! is 30...Kg8 31.h7+! (31.Rxf8+ would be the same mistake as 30.Rxf8.) 31...Kg7 32.Rxf8

Apr-07-04  OktHorse: I think 28. h6+ equalizes at best. 28. h6+ Kxh6 29. Rh3+ (or Qh3+ as shown by cydmd or Rh2+) Kg7 yields nothing since the rooks are connected. Also, 29. Qxf8+ Rxf8 30. Rxf8 Kxg6 is just an exchange of the Q for 2 R's.
Apr-07-04  euripides: Some creative thinking on both sides about the significance of K-side pawn weaknesses in this game.
Apr-13-04  d4Nf6Bg5: <DexterGordon> With Rxf8, e4 doesn't mean anything, black's king cannot help the passed pawn on e4. White has all the time in the world. Atleast thats what I think
Apr-13-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  Honza Cervenka: <d4Nf6Bg5> As I wrote here already 30.Rxf8 does not win. It is not important that after 30.Rxf8 Kxf8 31.h6 e4 32.Kf2 g4 black King cannot help the passed pawns e4 and g4 as white King cannot support passed pawns g6+h6 either. If white King goes on g3 now (33.Kg3), then black will play 33...e3, if white King goes on e3 (33.Ke3), then simply 33...g3. In both cases white King must go back to block the advance of black pawns and the game is clearly drawish.
Jun-13-05  ksadler: My records have this game over after 30. h6+, but nonetheless a brilliant conclusion to this game!
May-28-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: The second time Tarrasch got to play this game, more or less.

Tarrasch vs Pillsbury, 1898

Sep-14-11  tacticalmonster: 1 Qxf8+ Rxf8 2 Rxf8 Qxf8 (2 Qc5 2 d4 exd4 3 R2f7+ Kh6 4 Rh7#) 3 h6+ Kxh6 ( 3 Kg8 4 h7+ Kg7 5 Rxf8 ) 4 Rxf8

time: 4 min

Oct-21-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  GrahamClayton: If Janowski had played 20...♖h6 to try and capture the pawn on g6, then Tarrasch would have achieved a winning postion after 21.♖xf6! ♔xf6 22.♖f1+ ♔g7 23.♖f7+ ♕xf7 24.gxf7+ ♔xf7 25.♕d7+, with a Queen and Rook versus Rook, as well as the White Queen starting to pick off the scattered Black pawns.
Jun-04-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  Volcach: Instructive moments for me:

<10 f3!> I would've moved the Queen, because I want to play f4 in one go without losing a tempo. But this Queen move is actually what loses a move! After f3 the Bishop must move and f4 can be played without having lost any time.

<21 h4!> Would never have even calculated, but once on the board it's obvious how strong it is. g6 is now becoming a protected passed pawn and there's the whisper of g2-g4-g5 realized later in the game.

<30 h6!!> The only way to win, Rxf8 followed by h6 allows passed pawns of Black's own after e4! The computer thinks for a minute before declaring the position drawn. h6 is another brilliant move I would've never even calculated.

This is definitely a game I'll be commiting to memory.

Jun-05-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  fredthebear: When an exchange sequence/multiple captures are possible, it often pays to be the first to make a capture - initiate the sequence. You take his soldier first, instead of allowing his soldier to capture yours. Captures often seize the initiative if the opponent is forced to recapture immediately, giving the turn back to you. This "strike first" concept is a good general tip that certainly depends upon the alignment of the pieces; it definitely does not hold true in all positions.

It can be unwise to capture first if it releases the tension in the position. "...in chess the threat is often stronger than the execution," said Aron Nimzowitsch. This is a form of keep your opponent waiting, sitting passively on the defense.

Z z z z z z z . . .

Always look for zwischenzug checks (30.h6+) and threats to promote or capture more important pieces (highly forcing moves that dictate the opponent's response away from immediate recapture) during an exchange sequence. The zwischenzug move alters the position (in this case, it removes the king as defender of the queen, but a zwischenzug can be used as a desperado or safe escape of thy own unit w/a gain of time to rescue another unit next).

In other words, it's not always Capture, then Recapture. The recapture might be delayed by either party.

It's a German word: https://www.chess.com/article/view/...

Blogger: https://www.chess.com/blog/ForwardC...

Here's is GM Naroditsky's explanation: https://www.chess.com/article/view/...

Article w/famous examples: https://enwik.org/dict/Zwischenzug

Don't sweat bullets over this German word. It all falls under the general concept of "Don't buy the first move you see (don't automatically recapture); shop around for the best deal. Compare different moves by different pieces." This comes from the German world champion Emanuel Lasker, who said: "When you see a good move, WAIT --- look for a better one!"

If you don't find a better move, you can always comeback to the original good move that you saw and play it.

Nov-20-23
Premium Chessgames Member
  GrahamClayton: Unusual pawn formation for Janowski after 14...hg6:


click for larger view

Feb-16-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  plang: Four rounds earlier Janowski had played 9..Be6 against Schlechter and White had gone on to win; 9..Bg4 was new but has not been repeated. 9..d5 is the main line. 20..Qxg6 21 Qd7+ favors White and 20..Rh6 21 Rxf6 just wins for White so Black already had a shaky position.

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