Saturday, May 2, 2009

de.wikibooks


When slightly-interested people write about the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) they are usually content to present the historic game Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1885 – usually with light, often outdated, notes.

I recently saw coverage in a German language wikibook that presented the game with a little bit more attention.



3. Miniatur
Gespielt in London 1880.
4.Lc4xf7+?
(Dies ist das Jerome-Gambit, das durch 7. ... Dd8-e7 8. De5xh8 De7xe4+ 9. Ke1-d1 De4xg2 10. Dh8xh7+ Kf7-f8 11. Th1-e1 d5 12. Te1-e8+ Kf8xe8 13. Dh7xg8+ Lc5-f8 widerlegt wird) Ke8xf7 5.Sf3xe5+ Sc6xe5 6.Dd1-h5+ g7-g6 7.Dh5xe5 d7-d6 Dieser letzte schwarze Zug eröffnet eine Falle. 8.De5xh8 Dd8-h4 9.0-0 Sg8-f6 Und die Falle hat zugeschnappt. 10.c2-c3? (10. Da8-d8 hält das Gleichgewicht)
Sf6-g4 11.h2-h3 Lc5xf2+ 12.Kg1-h1 Lc8-f5!
13.Dh8xa8 Dh4xh3+! 14.g2xh3 Lf5xe4#


The author not only points out White's better alternative, 10.Qd8, he indicates that the game is then in balance – most sources unaware of the analysis of Chandler and Dimitrov say that White has the advantage.


Also, it is heartening to see Whistler's Defense, 7. ... Dd8-e7, given as the refutation to the Jerome Gambit. The wikibook author sees Blackburne's 7...d6 as setting a trap – which snaps shut on White after 9...Nf6.



Friday, May 1, 2009

Jerome - A/Z


It's always fun to find a new Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game, especially one played by its originator, Alonozo Wheeler Jerome.

The other day I thought I had made a discovery, but it turned out that Jerome's game vs Mr. Z was already in my database, as a game vs Mr. A(mateur).

Jerome - Zimmerman, correspondence, 1880
St. Louis Daily Globe-Democrat, April 18, 1880: We are indebted to Mr. A. W. Jerome for the subjoined game, played by letter with Mr. J. K. Zimmerman.

Pittsburgh Telegraph, February 2, 1881: The following game played betwen the author of the "Jerome Gambit" and another amateur.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

Pittsburgh Telegraph: This move constitutes the gambit, and although unsound, as shown by Mr. Charles's analysis in this column, yet leads to some interesting and critical positions.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 d6

This is a line popular with computers, and is the refutation International Master Gary Lane suggests in his The Greatest Ever Chess Tricks and Traps.

It figured in six of Jerome's games against
S. A. Charles in their unfinished 1881 correspondence match.

It was first seen in
D'Aumiller - A.P., 1878

8.f5+

Rejecting the offer of a piece. 8...Qh3+ was seen in one of the Jerome - Charles, correspondence 1881 games.
8...Ke7
The alternative 8...Kd7 was seen in one of the Jerome - Charles games.

9.Nc3 Nf6 10.Qh4 c6 11.d3 Qe8 12.Bg5 b5
St. Louis Daily Globe-Democrat: Black could now get his King into safe quarters by going to Q2, QB2, etc., but as Mr. Jerome justly remarks "While playing part of this game Mr. Zimmerman was chasing Utes and trying to keep warm with the mercury at 20 degrees below zero on the 'tented field' in Colorado; some allowances must therefore be made for failure to make the best moves." - Turf
13.0-0-0 h5
This move is hard to fathom. Either here or on the next move ...b4 seems best.

14.d4 Bxd4 15.Rxd4 c5 16.Bxf6+ gxf6 17.Nd5+
White is developing a bit of initiative, which Black should blunt with either 17...Nf7 or 17...Qf7, when it is unclear how White can reach an advantage.
17...Kf7 18.Qxf6+ Kg8 19.Ne7+ Kh7 20.Rxd6 Ng4 21.Qg5 Black resigns

Thursday, April 30, 2009

A Jerome Endgame


From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, Sunday June 18, 1876



End Game No. 4




White - K at KKt6, Kt at KB6, P at KR6 and P at QR3
Black - K at KR, P at QB6, P at QB5 and P at QR3



The above position, which we take from the "Dubuque," is from actual play; A.W. Jerome (white) versus Mr. Steele (black). White had the move, and was about to resign; he played instead and won.

We invite the close attention of solvers to this ending, and hope to receive solutions, though we don't expect many.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Playing At Odds


Although I always play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) for fun, sometimes I use the opening as a way of giving "odds" to a lower-rated player. Little did I realize that this strategy was over 150 years old!

The following excerpt should be of historical interest to those who play the Chicago Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nxe5) – see The Myers Opening Bulletin, New MOB No. 4, October - December, 1993 – as it is over 25 years earlier than examples generally known.

From the "Chess" column in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, July 12, 1856
We give place to the following communication from Mr. D.W. Fiske, of the Astor Library, inasmuch as it may interest those who are in the habit of giving odds. For our single self, we can only say that we do not delight in any games at odds, and – while we admit the necessity of thus equalizing the game by removing the disparity in force between different players – we never like to encounter "rook" or "pawn and two" men, when we can find an antagonist of the first rank. The toughest match we ever played was with our friend Hamilton, of St. Louis, giving the queen's knight and receiving the pawn and move in return. To those, however, who practice playing at odds, the suggestion of our young friend "Shabiludius" will prove curious and instructive.

SOMETHING NEW IN CHESS

I have been playing latterly some games at a new and curious kind of odds, namely: The odds of giving the Knight in the King's Knight's opening for the King's Pawn. Although my experience in giving these odds has been too brief to enable me to determine their precise value, yet I should hardly be surprised if, upon analysis, they should prove to be little greater than the odds of giving pawn and move – at least I have tried them successfully with players to whom I could only afford to give pawn and move. The following are the opening moves:
WHITE_____________ BLACK
1 P to K 4___________ 1 P to K4
2 Kt to KB3__________2 Kt to QB3
3 Kt takes KP ________3 Kt takes Kt
4 P to Q4
and Black must withdraw his Knight either to King's Knight's third or to Queen's Bishop third. In the former case, White appears to embarass Black's game materially by playing Pawn to King's Bishop's fourth. If he place his Knight at Queen's Bishop's third, perhaps White's best move is Pawn to Queen's fifth, compelling black either to carry his Knight home or to place it on the Queen's Rook's fourth.

CARRERA, who enumerates many curious methods of giving odds, does not, if my memory serves me right, even hint at this. PHILIDOR has left us some games in which he gave the Knight for the Pawn and move, but in that case the Queen's Knight was given by one party and the King's Bishop's Pawn by the other. I have been persuaded to communicate this very brief notice of these novel odds to the ILLUSTRATED NEWSPAPER, in the hope that, if they are of no value, some chess analyst will at once demonstrate their unworthiness. But I also hope that, should they be found to contain any elements of interest, they may be added to the list of the many beautiful and ingenious contrivances by which the devotees of Caissa seek to equalize their disparity at chess skill.
Shabiludius

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Disconnect


Every once in a while, a chess game that I am playing (often a Jerome Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) online gets interrupted when my opponent disconnects from the playing site (usually FICS).



Sometimes we can continue the game, sometimes it is like the game – or my opponent – has disappeared.


perrypawnpusher - Ykcir
blitz 14 0, FICS, 2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7
5.Nxe5+ Kf8
The defense recommended by Lt. Sorensen in his much-reprinted article on the Jerome Gambit in the Nordisk Skaktidende, May 1877.

6.Nxc6

If 6.Qh5 – the Banks Variation – then 6...Qe7!? is the strongest response, suggested last year by both International Master Gary Lane and Mika76.

6...dxc6

Or 6...bxc6 7.d4 Bb6 8.0-0 d6 9.f4 ( 9.Nc3 Qe7 10.f4 Nh6 11.f5 Bd7 12.g4 Bxd4+ 13.Qxd4 Nxg4 14.Bf4 Rb8 15.Rae1 Qf6 16.Qxa7 Qh4 17.Qxb8+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - mika76, GameKnot.com 2008) 9...Bb7 10.Nc3 Qf6 11.e5 dxe5 12.fxe5 Bxd4+ 13.Kh1 Qxf1+ 14.Qxf1+ Ke8 15.Bg5 Kd7 16.Qf7+ Kc8 17.Qe8 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - hdig, blitz 7 4, FICS, 2007

7.Nc3
Alonzo Wheeler Jerome gave 7.0-0 in his first analysis in the April 1874 Dubuque Chess Journal – a move he played a year later against Brownson (1/2 - 1/2, 29).

7...Nf6 8.d3 Kf7 9.0-0 Rf8 10.Bg5 Kg8
Black has castled-by-hand and has the familiar piece-for-two-pawns advantage. White's "Jerome pawns" look a bit healthier due to the doubled black c-pawns. Black now stays on top with 11...h6.

11.e5 Bg4

Here my opponent lost his connection with FICS, and the game was automatically adjourned.

After some time passed, I requested from FICS that the game be adjudicated as a draw, as after 12.Qd2 White will recover his sacrificed piece, e.g. 12...Bd4 13.exf6 Bxf6 and after something like 14.Ne4 Bxg5 15.Qxg5 Qxg5 16.Nxg5 White's edge is not great.

For some reason the response was that FICS aborted the game. Nonetheless, I consider it drawn.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Sicilian Jerome Gambit




In a comment to my post "Attacking the King" Jyrki Heikkinen, the creative gambiteer host of the blog "Gambits and Pieces" mentioned that he had played a Sicilian Jerome Gambit (see "Sicilian Jerome"):


Jyrki Heikkinen - Timo-Pekka Lassila,
Tampere, Finland, 1987

1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.Nf3 e5 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke8 7.Qxd4 Nc6 8.Nxc6 dxc6 9.Qc4 Qa5+ 10.Nc3 Bb4 11.Bd2 Bxc3 12.Bxc3 Qb5 13.Qd4 Kf7 14.a4 Qg5 15.O-O Bh3 16.Qc4 Kg6 17.g3 Bxf1 8.Rxf1 Rae8 19.f4 Qg4 20.f5+ Kh5 21.Qf7+ g6 22.Qxf6 Qxe4 23.h3 Qe3+ 24.Kg2 Qe2+ 25.Rf2 Qe4+ 26.Kh2 Black resigned

An equally outrageous anti-Sicilian line, although a bit less Jerome-ish, can be seen in Stefan Bücker's ChessCafe.com Over the Horizons column, titled "Don't Name the Gambit after Me", where he presents the Al Hadhrani Gambit (with deep analysis that improves on the outcome of this game):


Al Hadhrani - Klinger
Novi Sad Olympiad, 1990

1.Nc3 c5 2.e4 a6 3.Bc4 b5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Qh5+ g6 6.Qd5+ e6 7.Qxa8 Qc7 8.d3 Bb7 9.Bf4 d6 10.Qa7 b4 11.Na4 e5 12.Be3 Nd7 13.Nf3 Ne7 14.Bxc5 dxc5 15.Nxe5+ Nxe5 16.Nxc5 Bg7 17.Nxb7 Rb8 18.Qxa6 Rxb7 19.Qa4 b3 20.axb3 Qxc2 21.0-0 Qxd3 22.f4 Ng4 23.e5 Qxb3 24.h3 Ne3 25.Qxb3+ Rxb3 26.Rf3 N7d5 27.Ra2 Kg8 28.Ra8+ Bf8 29.g4 Kf7 30.f5 gxf5 31.gxf5 Bc5 32.Kh1 Rxb2 33.h4 Rb1+ 34.Kh2 Ng4+ 35.Kh3 Nxe5 White resigned

Sunday, April 26, 2009

The Game is Afoot!


More information generously provided by a poster at rec.games.chess.misc on "A Small Clue to Follow..."


I am guessing that this is the St Louis chess player AF Reed, whose name appears often in the St Louis Globe-Democrat chess column. He was a regular solver of the problems in the column, is noted as losing to such players as Max Judd and Zukertort. More specifically, he was one of the leading members of the South St Louis Chess Club; not in the sense of chess strength, but as a regular attendee. If you are in St Louis, he was part of a photo group of S St Louis players donated to the St Louis Chess Club; the picture may still exist somewhere.


The most interesting thing I know about AF Reed is his uniqe money- raising idea. He bought a silver pitcher, and you would play Reed games; if you won, you got a raffle ticket for the pitcher, and if you lost you paid 50 cents. The pitcher was won by AH Robbins.


Can't tell you much more about him, I'm afraid. The Globe-Democrat columns end in 1888. I had computer access to some St Louis Republican columns from later, but I didn't realize that I would lose access to them and thus did not make copies.


If you are near a university with access to the Readex database of 19th century newspapers, this has the St Louis Republican, and you can try a word search for
Reed.



Jerry Spinrad






Many, many thanks Jerry!