ZYTOGORSKI
In Adolph Zytogorski (properly - Adolf Żytogórski - "Vistula) there has
passed away a player of considerable eminence, who but for adverse
circumstances would have achieved a far higher reputation among the master
of a game. His name has been for many years so little before the public that
it may even be unknown to the younger generation: yet it is one of those
which ought not to be altogether forgotten.
Mr. Zytogorski died on the 27th February in The German Hospital, Dalston,
at the age of 75. He was one of the numerous band of Polish refugees who,
after the ill-starred rising of 1831, overspread the capitals of Western
Europe. Like too many of his fellow-exiles, he passed his long life in
poverty and obscurity.
If Fortune was unkind to Zytogorski, it is but fair to Fortuna to say that
he had opportunities of bettering himself which he was too much of a
Bohemian to turn to account. He is believed to have passed the greater part
of the last half-century in England, but occasionally heard of in Germany.
In the earliest volumes of the Chess Player's Chronicle, 1841-2. A few of
his games are recorded; and he contributed a valuable analysis of the problem
of Rook and Bishop against Rook, partly reproduced in Staunton's Handbook.
His conclusions on this point, like those of Philidor, were too favourable
to the attack: and they were partially corrected by Kling and others. He was,
indeed, a master alike of the theory and practise of end-game; he conducted
endings, whether of Pawns or Pieces, with the accuracy of a Szen, and published
many ingenious positions. In 1843 he played a match with Staunton, then at
the height of his strength and reputation, receiving Pawn and two moves,
and won six games right off the reel. Others, who were less successful at
these odds, rose in time to be acknowledged first-rates. Staunton suppressed
all mention of this match; and; as long as he controlled the Chess organs,
nothing more was heard of the winner. George Walker, who was always ready.
to bring to light whatever merit Staunton sought to obscure, does not mentioned
him in his Chess Studies of 1844; a fact which must now remain unexplained.
Zytogorski was befriend by the late Mr. Brien, who succeeded Staunton as Editor
of the Chronicle in 1854-56; and Brien, after his quarrel with Staunton,
published for the first time the particulars of the above match. In those
years we find Zytogorski taking part in various matches and tourneys at Kling's
Chess Rooms in New Oxford Street, and at the "Philidorian". In the Chronicle
for 1855, p. 204, he is described as :
"veteran who opposed, in "auld lang syne", such chess warriors as Staunton,
Buckle, Popert, and Perigal in upwards of three thousand games.".
He won a short match of Brien by the odd game; but in a pool or triangular
duel between Brien, Falkbeer, and Zytogorski, Falkbeer was the victor. Many
of his games appear in the series of C. P. C., as well as in the next which
followed after an interval in 1859-62; but for the last twenty years we have
scarcely met with his name in the public prints. Among his recorded casual
games we find several with Harrwitz, both won and lost: a win of Anderssen
in 1851, a draw in 1861, but no mention of total scores. Enough has been
said, it is hoped, to justify the opinion that Zytogorski, if he had been
in a position to assert himself, would unquestionably have taken a high
place among the masters of European reputation.
W. W(ayte), "The British Chess Magazine" 1882, p. 141-142.
Games of A. Zytogorski
Zytogorski,A - Anderssen,A [C52]
London, 1851
1.e4 e5 2.Sf3 Sc6 3.Gc4 Gc5 4.b4 G:b4 5.c3 Ga5 6.d4 e:d4 7.0-0 d:c3 8.Hb3
Hf6 9.Gg5 Hg6 10.S:c3 G:c3 11.H:c3 Sge7 12.G:e7 S:e7 13.Se5 Hf6 14.G:f7+
Kd8 15.Wac1 Sc6 16.f4 Wf8 17.Gd5 a5 18.S:c6+ b:c6 19.e5 He7 20.G:c6 Wa7
21.Wcd1 Hb4 22.Hd4 Ke7 23.H:a7 1-0.
Zytogorski,A - Bateman [C54]
Cambridge qf, 1860
1.e4 e5 2.Sf3 Sc6 3.c3 Gc5 4.Gc4 Sf6 5.d4 e:d4 6.e5 Se4 7.0-0 d6 8.c:d4 Gb6
9.Gd5 f5 10.e:f6 S:f6 11.G:c6+ b:c6 12.We1+ Kd7 13.Gg5 We8 14.Sc3 W:e1+ .
15.H:e1 h6 16.G:f6 H:f6 17.Wd1 Gb7 18.Se4 Hf7 19.Sc5+ G:c5 20.d:c5 Hf6
21.c:d6 c:d6 22.Se5+ Kc7 23.Ha5+ Kc8 24.Sc4 d5 25.Se3 H:b2 26.Hc5 Hb6
27.Hf8+ Hd8 28.H:g7 Hg5 29.Hf7 a5 30.Sf5 Kb8 31.Wb1 Wa7 32.Hf8+ Kc7
33.Hd6+ 1-0.
Bateman - Zytogorski,A [C70]
Cambridge qf, 1860
1.e4 e5 2.Sf3 Sc6 3.Gb5 a6 4.Ga4 Gc5 5.c3 b5 6.Gb3 Sf6 7.d4 e:d4 8.c:d4
Gb4+ 9.Gd2 G:d2+ 10.Sb:d2 0-0 11.0-0 Gb7 12.d5 Se7 13.e5 Sf:d5 14.G:d5
S:d5 15.a4 h6 16.Sd4 c5 17.Sf5 Hg5 18.g4 h5 19.h3 h:g4 20.H:g4 H:g4+
21.h:g4 g6 22.Sd6 Gc6 23.a:b5 a:b5 24.W:a8 W:a8 25.S2e4 Kg7 26.S:c5 Sf4
27.f3 Wa2 28.Se8+ Kf8 29.Sf6 W:b2 30.Sc:d7+ Ke7 31.Sc5 b4 32.g5 Sh3+h"
33.Kh1 S:g5 34.Sce4 S:e4 35.S:e4 G:e4 36.f:e4 We2 37.Wf4 b3 0-1.
Anderssen,A - Zytogorski,A [C58]
London, 1851
1.e4 e5 2.Sf3 Sc6 3.Gc4 Sf6 4.Sg5 d5 5.e:d5 Sa5 6.Gb5+ c6 7.d:c6 b:c6
8.Ge2 Gd6 9.Sc3 Gf5 10.d3 0-0 11.0-0 Wc8 12.a3 Gb8 13.b4 Sb7 14.Sge4
G:e4 15.d:e4 Hc7 16.f4 Wcd8 17.He1 Wfe8 18.f5 Hb6+ 19.Kh1 Sd6 20.Gg5
Kf8 21.G:f6 g:f6 22.Hh4 Ke7 23.Wad1 a6 24.Wd3 Wg8 25.Sa4 Hc7 26.Sc5 a5
27.Wfd1 a:b4 28.a:b4 Ga7 29.Se6 Hb6 30.S:d8 W:d8 31.He1 S:e4 32.W:d8 Sf2+
33.H:f2 H:f2 34.W1d7# 1-0.
Harrwitz,D - Zytogorski,A [C59]
London Club , 1851
1.e4 e5 2.Sf3 Sc6 3.Gc4 Sf6 4.Sg5 d5 5.e:d5 Sa5 6.Gb5+ c6 7.d:c6 b:c6
8.Ge2 h6 9.Sf3 e4 10.Se5 Hd4 11.Sg4 G:g4 12.G:g4 e3 13.Gf3 e:f2+ 14.Kf1
0-0-0 15.He2 (We prefare 15.c3, and if 15...Hd3, then 16.Ge2.) 15...Gc5
16.c3 Ha4 17.d4 Sb3 18.Hc2 Whe8 19.K:f2 S:c1 (A splendid coup, which amply
illustrates the great power of combination which Herr Zytogorski possessed.)
20.H:c1 W:d4 21.c:d4 H:d4+ 22.Kg3 He5+ 23.Kh3 Hf5+ 24.Kg3 (Black mates
in four moves: if 24...Ne4+, 25.Kh4 (best), 25...Ge7+ etc.) 0:1.
Notes: "The Chess-Monthly" 1882, p. 249.
Anderssen,A - Zytogorski,A [C33]
London Haringay, 1851
1.e4 e5 2.f4 e:f4 3.Gc4 Hh4+ 4.Kf1 d6 5.Sf3 Hh5 6.d4 b5 7.Ge2 c6 8.G:f4 f6
9.Sg5 Hh4 10.g3 Hh6 11.Gh5+ g6 12.Gg4 f:g5 13.G:c8 g:f4 14.Gb7 f:g3 15.Kg2
g:h2 16.W:h2 Hf4 17.Sd2 Gg7 18.Sf3 Sf6 19.G:a8 Sg4 20.Hd3 S:h2 21.S:h2 0-0
22.Kh1 We8 23.We1 g5 24.a4 a6 25.d5 c5 26.a:b5 a:b5 27.H:b5 Wf8 28.Gc6 Ge5
29.He2 Hh4 30.Wg1 Wf2 31.W:g5+ Kh8 32.Wh5 Hf4 0-1.