Delusions of Grandeur

Years before starting this Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) blog, I had researched the history of the opening and its inventor, and put what I had found into an article that I then brazenly submitted to Stefan Bücker, for his Kaissiber magazine.

Much to my amazement (and delight) Stefan showed interest. As I reported in the first week of JeromeGambit.blogspot.com, in "To Infinity... And Beyond! (Part II)"

Some time this year, perhaps in the fall issue, Kaissiber will publish an article outlining the history of the Jerome Gambit, based on my researches.

The idea of having an article published in the world's #2 chess magazine was not a complete pipe dream: Kaissiber 27 actually included my article on the game Alekhine - Marshall, Baden-Baden, 1925, which featured 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nf6!?.

Still, I probably amused and annoyed a lot of people with my predictions of publication.

In June of 2008, I was still optimistic about the Jerome Gambit article, as I mentioned in "Breaking News"

He's still interested in publishing an article on the Jerome Gambit, based on all the information I've been sending him. In the fall. In a much more succinct format than what I've written.

A couple of months later ("Jerome Gambit Blog: Tidying Up") I could still report "Current speculation is there may be a short article in the October 2008 issue."

However, October came and went, and at the end of 2008 I could only report ("Jerome Gambit Blog: More Tidying Up") "I'm still hopeful."

Toward the middle of the next year, that optimism expired ("Jerome Gambit Blog: Still More Tidying Up") 

I'm not hopeful any more. It's unlikely that my history of the Jerome Gambit will appear in the pages of Stefan Bücker's amazing chess magazine, Kaissiber. While the audacity of such an opening appealed to the editor, the story of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's creation is a history of questionable analysis and even more questionable play. Although Kaissiber does not shy away from creative chess notions, its focus on an accurate assessment of things would require massive corrections and/or footnoting – to start.

Will the Jerome Gambit ever get its due in the pages of Kaissiber? Some skeptics would say that if it is never, ever mentioned, that is what is due. (Occasionally, I am inclined to agree.)

Since then, though, Stefan has made occasional mentions in emails. He is probably just being polite.

But, hope has not completly vanished. (If it ever does, I'll probably switch to the Ruy Lopez, too.)