1901 Moscow, 2nd All-Russian Championship
Standing: F.I. Duz-Chotimirsky, K.V. Rozenkrantz, D.M. Janowski, S.V.
Lebedev, V.N. Kulomzin
Seated: E. S. Schiffers, S.V. Antushev, V.I. Tabunshchikov, M.I. Tschigorin
The caption reads: "A group of participants from
the second
All-Russian tournament. At the chessboard E. S.
Schiffers and
M. I. Tschigorin. Far left F. I.
Duz-Chotimirsky."
Memories of
Tschigorin
F. Duz-Chotimirsky
Shakhmaty v SSSR #11, November, 1950. Pgs. 329-331
For centuries in Russia
there was always an abundance of Ilya Muromets's - great heroes
of the mental force and physical strength, people of high morals. Talent,
work and life were given to them to serve the Native land and to serve the
people.
Also related to such workers of the Russian soil is
Mikhail Ivanovich Tschigorin, a tireless worker who turned his talent and
all his energy to the art of chess, who is glorified in this realm in
Russia.
Mikhail Ivanovich lived and worked in difficult times.
The Tsarist government did not want science and culture to become the
property of the broad masses. It did not want «simple people» to have public
organizations, including even chess clubs.
Rich Maecenases, admiring the successes of Tschigorin
in words, turned away from him with striking indifference when his successes
began to decrease, when he was sick and support was especially necessary to
him.
Tschigorin was deprived of the opportunity to improve
in his favorite vocation, he always experienced material want. Mikhail Ivanovich repeatedly told me that with each trip to an international
tournament there arose for him the question -Where can I get money for the
journey?
To our Soviet people such a situation will seem
outrageous, when the most important master, who defends the sporting honor
of his country, must gather donations from rich patrons.
Alas! This is the bitter truth of capitalist society.
And now, today, in the USA, England and other capitalist countries the
masters of culture are also forced to be humiliated before the
strongest of this world.
Tschigorin
possessed a salient chess talent. For this reason, even in such severe
conditions, he created the Tschigorinsky understanding of chess and
has given a number of such games which we now study with admiration
* * * * * * *
50 years have passed since I saw Tschigorin for the
first time, the Tschigorin, who by his amazing skill inculcated in me a love
for chess.
In 1899, S. A. Shimansky and I organized a chess club
in Kiev and gathered together a group of
amateurs in this club. Soon after we invited the grandmaster D. Janowsky for
appearances at the club.
Janowsky related sympathetically to my enthusiasm for
chess and he gave a quite good assessment of my play and even recommended me
to the organizer of the second All-Russian tournament, P. P. Bobrov.
And here on December 25th, 1900, I arrived in
Moscow for the first time and the next day at 5 o'clock in the
evening I appeared at The Doctor's Club on Greater Dmitrovka.
The big hall, the parquet floor and the luxurious
conditions confused me... A waiter, seeing the unprepossessing appearance of
a poorly dressed young man, hurried over to accost me, questioning me about
what I wanted there.
I said that I had arrived for the All-Russian
tournament and I asked to be led to the organizer of the tournament.
It turned out that I had arrived too early, and Bobrov
was not yet at the club. The waiter suggested that I go in to the buffet and
there he pointed out to me a man of stern appearance and enormous size. This
man had a large grey beard and a magnificent head of hair.
He addressed me: - “Are you, young man, also a
participant in the tournament? Sit yourself down. Allow me to introduce
myself: Emanuel Stepanovich Schiffers".
Soon the tournament participants and guests began to
gather. By 6 o'clock the hall was full. We awaited Tschigorin.
Suddenly the noise in the hall ceased. A whisper swept
among the public: "Tschigorin! Tschigorin!... "
With a sinking heart I turned to my neighbors: - "Where
is Tschigorin?".
Finally, I saw Mikhail
Ivanovich. He was of short stature. The face familiar from portraits seemed
to me more affable than in the pictures of photographers. Dark with grayish
hair, a broad thick beard; dark brown eyes that were large with a somewhat
severe and sad expression.
The tournament began.
Recently, Tschigorin had played unsuccessfully in international tournaments
and the majority predicted victory for Janowsky. But, contrary to general
opinion, Tschigorin amassed victory after victory.
In the ninth round I won
in good style from Sharov. Tschigorin and Janowsky interested themselves in
the game. Apparently, this game created a favorable impression of me on
Tschigorin and he began paying attention to me. On another day, Tschigorin
approached me and affectionately offered good advice:
- “Do not be confused by your losses. In the
beginning I too lost often, and only then did I begin to win”.
* * * * * * *
In Kiev at that time there were many chess
amateurs and admirers of M. I. Tschigorin's talent. In 1902, we invited Mikhail Ivanovich to Kiev. Tschigorin gave several
séances and played two consultation games.
I bring one of these games to attention of readers:
No. 208 SPANISH GAME
F. Duz-Chotimirsky,
A. Galatzky,
M. Tschigorin
S. Zemsh
1. e4 e5 2.
Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 d6 7. c3 O-O
8. Nbd2 b5 9.
Bc2 d5 10. Re1 dxe4 11. dxe4 Bg4 12. Qe2 Bd6 13. Nf1 Ne7
14. Bg5 Ng6
15. Ne3 Be6 16. Nf5 h6 17. Bxf6 …
An unsuccessful move. Now Black wins the initiative,
and Tschigorin rapidly creates dangerous threats.
17… Qxf6 18. Nxd6 cxd6
19. Nd2 Nf4 20. Qf3 Qg5 21. Nf1 Bg4 22. Qg3…
It is impossible to play 22. Qe3 because of 22. …Bd1.
22. … Ne2+ 23. Rxe2 Bxe2
24. Qxg5 hxg5 25. Ne3 Rfd8 26. f3 Bc4 27. Bb3 Rac8 28. Rd1 Kf8 29. Kf2 g6
30. Kg3 Ke7 31. h3 f6 32. Kf2 Rc5 33. g4 Rb8 34. Rd2 a5 35. Bxc4 bxc4 36.
Kg3 Rb7 37. Kg2 a4 38. a3 Ke6 39. Kg3 …
We evaluated this position too optimistically. It
seemed to us that it is not easy for Black to attain victory; however, Tschigorin rapidly destroyed our hopes.
39… Rcb5 40. Nxc4 d5 41. exd5+ Rxd5 42. Re2
Rd3 43. Ne3 f5 44. Nc2 e4 45. gxf5+ gxf5 46. Nd4+ Rxd4 47. cxd4 Rb3 48. Rf2
Kd5 49. Kg2 exf3+ 50. Kg3 Kxd4 White resigned.
During his stay in
Kiev, Mikhail Ivanovich talked to us about
the development of chess in Russia and asked
us about all the details of chess life in our city.
I was especially amazed at
how seriously and closely Michael Ivanovich listened to even weak amateurs
who addressed him. He answered their questions in detail and he analyzed
individual positions together with them
He suggested to our active
membership the idea of organizing the Third All-Russian tournament in
Kiev, moreover he promised to help in this
matter.
In
Kiev at that time resided the Prince Dadian
of Mingrelia. Not long before Tschigorin’s arrival there, an incident
occurred between the chess club and the "His Highness the Prince". In the
chess column of a Kiev newspaper, which was
edited by the club, there appeared a game lost by the Prince. For this
"insult" the Dadian of Mingrelia challenged all the members of the club’s
administration to a duel, which remained, of course, unaccomplished.
The next day, on
Tschigorin’s arrival, the Prince invited Mikhail Ivanovich to his place, but
Tschigorin, after learning about the incident, refused to visit the Dadian
of Mingrelia’s. "His Highness" was enraged and decided to get revenge. An
opportunity soon presented itself. Tschigorin was invited to the
international tournament in Monte Carlo in
1903. At the meeting of the participants the honorable chairman of
tournament Prince Dadian of Mingrelia demanded Tschigorin’s exclusion from
the tournament, declaring, that otherwise he would resign from the
presidency and would take back his donation of 500 francs. This threat
worked. The committee gave in to the Prince, and Tschigorin was excluded
from the ranks of the tournament participants.
My third encounter with
Tschigorin took place in 1903 at the All-Russian tournament in
Kiev. Unfortunately, the tournament
committee not was equal to the occasion. It did not create normal conditions
for play.
At the tournament there were many incidents. Some of the younger
participants, attempting to usurp Tschigorin’s superiority, behaved
provocatively. Tschigorin painfully endured all this.
But nevertheless at the
third All-Russian tournament Tschigorin again came out the victor.
My fourth encounter with
Mikhail Ivanovich occurred at St. Petersburg
in 1906. I lived then at the home of an amateur chessplayer and close friend
of Tschigorin’s, Sergey Yakovlevich Rozhdestvensky. Once we received a
letter from Mikhail Ivanovich inviting us to come to his place on his
birthday. Tschigorin cordially accepted us and after dinner we settled down
at the chessboard.
I then stayed with Tschigorin for two days. During
these days Tschigorin told me much about his meetings with well-known chess
players. He appreciated highly Steinitz, Janowsky, and, in particular,
Lasker. « Not soon will there be found a player who will conquer Lasker"- he
said.
Tschigorin related skeptically to the chess creativity of Tarrasch and Schlechter. He was irritated by the countless dogmatic lectures of Tarrasch,
which filled each of this boastful German champion's appearances in the
press.
We played many casual games, perhaps about hundred. In the beginning, I, as
White, selected the first move 1. d2-d4, and defended Black with the
Sicilian Defence.
Using only these openings, I caused Tschigorin to remark with
dissatisfaction:
- «Why do you avoid the open games, Feodor Ivanovich? Perhaps someone has
proved that after 1. e2-e4 it is bad to answer 1... e7-e5?».
In order not to distress him, I began to play the King's gambit, but for
Black's defense in the King's gambit, Tarrasch's recommendation of
2...Bf8-c5.
Tschigorin again rebuked me: «This defense of Tarrasch's is the defense of a
coward. Be more daring and this will bring benefit to you. Dare and live by
your mind. Only then you will really create».
The year 1907 is also memorable to me. I lived then in
Moscow. Here a small tournament was
organized to which Tschigorin was invited from St.
Petersburg. The participants were Tschigorin, myself, Goncharov,
Nenarokov and Ostrogsky. The position of the tournament after the third
round was such: Duz-Chotimirsky - 3, Tschigorin and Goncharov, -1 point,
Nenarokov and Ostrogsky- at 0.
In the fourth round I was due to play with Goncharov. I felt unwell this day
and consequently asked Goncharov to postpone the game. He agreed, but
Tschigorin protested. The tournament committee ordered me to play. I
refused, and they forfeited me.
I was upset and Tschigorin was upset as well.
However, afterward I realized my mistake. This incident distressed me to
depths of my soul. I addressed Tschigorin with an apology. To my relief,
Tschigorin tenderly accepted me and explained, that, in his opinion, it is
impossible to permit any deviations from the tournament order to anyone of
the participants.
In the same year, 1907, I received a letter from the chairman of the
All-Russian Chess Union, Saburov. Saburov informed me, that the All-Russian
Chess Union had received from the committee
of Carlsbad International tournament an invitation to the tournament of one
Russian chess player who had yet to achieve the rank of master. Saburov had
turned to Tschigorin requesting him to specify whom he advised to send to
the tournament. Tschigorin named myself and Evtifeev.
And here, thanks to Tschigorin, I had an opportunity to participate in an
international tournament.
The heads of the Chess Union sent me to the
tournament but without giving me the means for the trip. At that time each
participant went to a tournament at his own expense. My money only sufficed
for me to reach Carlsbad and to pay for an
apartment.
I played the first half of the tournament hungry. Tschigorin, having seen me
become emaciated and pale, asked whether I was sick. Receiving a negative
answer, he surmised that I was simply starving.
After calling the leaders of All-Russian Chess Chess Union "heartless
scoundrels", Tschigorin helped me to arrange and organize my life
Tschigorin’s help favorably affected my game. In first half of tournament I
collected 2.5 points out of 10, in the second - 7.5 points out of 10, and I
not only earned the title of master, but also became a prize-winner of an
international tournament.
In Carlsbad I usually accompanied Tschigorin
to the hotel after the game. He felt very unwell then and could hardly
move. We slowly reached his room.
These were my last encounters with Tschigorin. (END)
* * * * * * *
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