Unusual Notation
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I'm an algebraic kind of girl. I learned to play chess on a computer and that notation comes most natural to me. In the course of reading old texts, periodicals and books, I've had to transpose descriptive into algebraic notaion, though I have no facility using descriptive. Oddly, however, when I do describe a particular move, I tend resort to descriptive. Go figure. I've come across many different types of notations in my meanderings most of which never gained much popularity and usually for good reasons. In preparing a future article on Alexander Petroff, I've, of course, had to consult the writings of Carl Jaenisch. Jaenisch was an important 19th century theorist during a time when even the rules of chess hadn't been solidified. In Jaenisch's "New Analysis of the Openings of the Game of Chess," published at St. Petersburg in 1843, he praises Petroff's treatise, Systematized Chess Play, published in 1824. In turn, several sources praise Jaenisch's book. The 1852 translation of Jaenisch's Analysis used a very peculiar form of notation. It employs a style similar to many 19th century analyses, but adds a few twists of its own. At first it all looked like gibberish to me, but since I wanted to look at a particular game of Petroff, I had to learn how to use the notation. To my surprise, the notation was easy to learn and even easier to follow.
 
About the game itself -  
The volume concludes with a remarkably fine game, played by M. Petroff against the Warsaw club. Taken as a whole, the work is a specimen of extraordinary accuracy, and cannot fail being well received by all lovers of the game. - Chess Players' Chronicle Jaenisch, in his work, presents, as a model of beautiful play, a grand game played by Petroff (the Lion of Russia), single handed, against the whole Warsaw Club in council. The game consisted of three sittings over the board, and was then unfortunately interrupted altogether.
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