Instead of the Sunday Book Review

Four days ago (see "GM Larry Evans and the Jerome Gambit"), Guido de Bouver, author of a rowdy, rollicking and bodacious book on the Blackmar Diemer Gambit, had a Comment to make on the post, which, of course, I took time to answer.

Guido De Bouver said...

Great work Rick ! Really great. I replayed the Evans game and it feels good to see also grandmasters are only human after all. But by curiousity, what do you play after 6...g6 7.Qxe5+ Qe7. I guess 8.Qf4+ but then black has both 8...Qf6 and 8...Kg7 ?

guido


Rick Kennedy said...

Hi Guido,

Here, as with an earlier comment (readers should check out "Slaughter" from 6/22/2011), you have touched on a very difficult defense for White to handle, Whistler's Defense, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Qe7! played by Lt. G.N. Whistler, Secretary of the Lexington, Kentucky Chess Club, against Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, in a set of correspondence games in 1876.

The Database contains 37 games with this defense, including one of the Jerome - Whistler games (0-1, 15) and a Jerome - D.P. Norton game (1/2-1/2, 20) from the same year. (I have a win from each side of the board.)

White scored 51% in The Database games, which seems a bit optimistic to me.

White's best response is 8.Qf4+, as you suggest.

8.Qxh8?? is, of course suicidal for the first player, although The Database has White scoring 55% in 29 games!

It looks like it is time for me to post an update on the status of the Whistler Defense.

Thanks for your comments.

Rick

So, I guess it is time to have another "Update", this time on the Whistler Defense, which runs

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5+ 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Qe7

As it turns out, only a few hours after I posted my response to Guido's Comment, I played a Jerome Gambit game at FICS – and somebody played the Whistler against me!

My opponent played his moves quickly, especially his 6th and 7th. Not for the first time did I suspect that I had found a defender who had been reading this blog...

So, I have jumped this most recent game to the top of the list (I usually present my games in the order that they were played) and will use it as the backbone of the Update.

Let me start by saying that, unless you are someone like Bill Wall, who can "bend steel in his bare hands" or who has the power to "cloud men's minds," don't play 8.Qxh8.

The game UNPREDICTABLE - sharepointme, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 26) is a lesson hard-learned (although I do not know if UNPREDICTABLE has learned it, as he has played 8.Qxh8 seven times, with a 4-3 record, at that).

Black can play 8...Qxe4+ and very bad things (Tyrin Price and Brian Wall have done a comprehensive analysis of the brutality, right down to the very last coffin nail, but I can't find a url to reference) can happen to White's King...

To Be Continued...