His resignation was accepted by the old board just prior to their annual meeting. At the election several new members were voted into office and it was possible that things might have been different had his resignation been tendered to the new board instead of the old one.
Steinitz’ resignation was the second of a prominent player. Two years earlier the U.S. champion Harry N. Pillsbury had trouble with a member who swiped his umbrella and the club refused to meet Pillsbury’s demands that the thief be disciplined, so he resigned.
Steinitz’ grievance was different and affected all the masters because it called to attention the club's attitude toward professional players. Among other things, Steinitz was in a snit because about three years earlier a report had reached him in St. Petersburg that a speech had been made at the club’s annual meeting by a member, a New York City judge named Jerome, who stated, “This is not a club for professional players. Any two gentlemen may sit down to play a game of chess without prostituting it by playing for money.” After his speech the judge was loudly applauded. Steinitz stated that had he been present he would have moved for the judge’s expulsion then and there.
The newly elected club vice president, Dr. Louis Cohn, took umbrage with Steinitz’ attitude. He stated that while many members preferred to encourage amateur chess instead of spending money on professional players, all the masters who had partaken of the club’s hospitality had been treated with fairness and consideration. Cohn also pointed out that the judge’s speech was a long one and the applause at the end was not an endorsement of one isolated comment.
In other news, the match between David Janowski and Jackson W. Showalter that began in November, 1898, concluded on January 12, 1899 when Janowski won the 13th game. His score was +7 -2 =4. Showalter put up a gallant fight, but he was simply no match for Janowski.
Actually, this turned out to be their first match; they met in four different matches, three during a visit by Janowski to New York in 1898-1899 and a fourth in 1916 when Janowski was in the U.S. during World War I.
Shortly after their first match had finished, they played a second match. Originally meant to be a series of five games played at the Manhattan Chess Club from March 15-20, 1899, they agreed to six games when the score was tied 2-2. Showalter took the next two games to win by a score of +4 -2 =0.
Not long after that, they met again at the Brooklyn Chess Club for a seven game match held from March 29 through April 7, 1899. Showalter took that match, too, by a score of +4 -2 =1.
But wait! There's more! They were scheduled to play another match of five games beginning on April 22, but they came to the conclusion that they had had enough...at least for the time being.
Their last match was played in 1916. Leading by one game, Janowski won the last four games and won easily +7 -2 =2. Thus, he took the overall victory +18 -12 =7.
Here is Janowski’s win in game 12 of their first match. Talking to a friend at the Manhattan Chess club, Janowski said he thought that game was perhaps the best he had ever played. If he had continued with 26.Be5 instead of 26.Nc5, the game would have been perfect. Let’s see if he was correct.
David Janowski - Jackson W. Showalter
Result: 1-0
Site: Match, New York
Date: 1899.01.10
Queen's Gambit Declined
[...] 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.♘c3 ♘f6 4.♗f4 The popularity of developing the B on f4 has waxws and waned over the years, but even today it remains a good choice. 4...♗e7 5.e3 O-O 6.♘f3 a6 A good alternative is 6...c5 7.c5 ♘c6 8.♗d3 b6 9.cxb6 cxb6 10.♖c1 ♗b7 11.♘e5 ♖c8
34.♗d3 ♔h5 35.♖xh7 ♔g4 36.♔h2 Black resigned. Not perfect as Janowski claimed, but still a pretty nice game! (36.♔h2 ♕h8 37.♖xh8 e5 38.♖h4#)
11...♘xe5 12.♗xe5 b5 13.O-O ♕a5 14.a4 b4 is equal. Barnaure,V (2445) -Vajda,L (2541)/Bucharest 2005
12.O-O ♘xe5 13.♗xe5 ♘d7 14.♗g3 f5 Black should have played 14...b5 immediately. After 14...f4 white gains the advantage. 15.♕b3 b5 16.a4 b4 17.♘e2 ♕b6 18.♘f4 The backward e-Pawn won't ever get captured, but its weakness will affect black's prospects for the entire game. 18...a5 19.♖xc8 ♗xc8
19...♖xc8 runs into 20.♗xf5 This wins a P since the B cannot be taken. 20...exf5 21.♘xd5 and wins
20.♖c1 ♗b7 21.♗b5 Janowski has already obtained a strategically won position. 21...♘f6 22.♕c2 g5 Black has no real chances on the K-side, but what else can he do?
22...♖c8 After this Stockfish found the following amazing series of moves. 23.♕xc8 ♗xc8 24.♖xc8 ♗f8 25.♘d3 ♕b7 26.♖b8 ♕e7 27.♘e5 ♘e4 28.♖e8 ♕d6 29.♘d7 ♘xg3 30.hxg3 ♔f7 31.♖xf8 ♕xf8 32.♘xf8 ♔xf8
23.♘d3 ♖c8 24.♕xc8 So, one move later Janowski also finds this brilliant move. White has only a minimal advantage after the wimpy 24.Qd2. 24...♗xc8⩲25.♖xc8 ♔g7
25...♗f8 is no better. 26.♗e5 ♘e4 27.♘c5 ♘xc5 28.dxc5 ♕b7 29.♖e8 ♕f7 30.♗d6 wins.
26.♘c5 Not bad, but with this move Janowski's claim of a perfect game is gone because he would have had an even greater advantage after 26.Be5.
26.♗e5 ♔g6 27.♖c7 ♗d8 28.♖c6 ♕b7 29.♘c5 ♕f7 30.♘xe6 ♗e7 31.♘c7 ♗d8 32.♘e8 and wins. 32...♕f8 33.♘xf6 ♗xf6 34.♖xf6
26...f4 27.exf4 ♘e4 28.♖c6 This move really negates all his previous fine play!
28.fxg5 ♘xg3 29.hxg3 e5 30.♖c7 ♔f7 31.♖d7 and white has enough compensation for his Q so that the win should present no problems.
28...♗xc5 After this the chances are now equal. 29.dxc5 ♕b8 30.fxg5 ♘xg3 31.hxg3 ♕e5 32.f4 ♕xb2 33.♖c7 Here all black has to do is retreat the K to the 8th rank and white has nothing better than a draw. 33...♔g6 With this move Showalter stumbles into a mate in 5 moves.
33...♔g8 34.c6 The only try for a win. 34...b3 35.♖d7 ♕c1 36.♔h2 b2 37.♖d8 ♔g7 38.♖d7 ♔g8
38...♔g6 This is still a losing move. 39.♗d3 ♔h5 40.♖xh7 mates next move.
39.♖d8 draws. Powered by Aquarium
History can be so cruel to the "nearly great." Janowski is chiefly remembered as a high-class punching bag for Lasker and Capablanca, but he played scores of lovely attacking games
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