David Janowsky: the romantic of the bishops

In the era when chess still retained its Romantic spirit, David Janowsky was one of its last and most faithful representatives. His love for bishops was legendary, his aggressiveness constant, and his talent led him to challenge the world champion, though his temperament always worked against him.

Who Janowsky was

He was born on May 25, 1868 in Wołkowysk (then part of the Russian Empire, today Belarus). Of Polish-Jewish origin, he emigrated to Paris as a young man and developed his chess career there. By the early 20th century he was among the world’s top five players.

The man of the bishops

Janowsky’s passion for bishops was legendary. He kept the bishop pair at all costs, even when the position suggested trading one of them off. His handling of bishops in open positions was masterful: the diagonals became highways for his attacks.

This predilection, combined with his natural aggressiveness, made his games consistently spectacular.

Two matches against Lasker

Janowsky challenged Emanuel Lasker for the World Championship on two occasions (1909 and 1910). He lost both matches decisively, but the mere fact of reaching them showed his level. Janowsky’s problem was his temperament: when the attack didn’t work, he had no plan B.

He died in Paris in 1927, in poverty, one of the saddest fates of chess in his era.

His chess DNA

In our chess DNA system, Janowsky represents the profile of the aggressive romantic: constant attack, love for long-range pieces, and a solidity he sacrifices in favor of beauty. If your GM twin is Janowsky, your strength lies in open attack with bishops; your challenge is defense.

Keep exploring

• Adolf Anderssen, the king of Romantic chess
• Emanuel Lasker, the champion who defeated him
• Frank Marshall, another late Romantic
• All players