Un-Improvement

I seem to be pushing the boundaries of my own personal "Worst. Jerome. Gambit. Game. Ever." I thought that I had hit the wall a while back (see "SNAFU"), but the following game shows that there is lots of room for un-improvement.


perrypawnpusher - MrScrumps
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.0-0

This is the part in the Blackburne Defense where Black slams the door on the White Queen with 9...Nf6!

9...Bg4

Actually, MrScrumps had a different idea.

10.Qc3

Extracting the Queen.

An alternative, equally as good, was 10.d4 as in MrJoker-submariner/Internet Chess Club 2011 (1-0, 24).

10...Be2

This move, attacking the rook that protects the f-pawn from the double attack by the enemy Rook and Queen, unnerved me.

It should not have: 11.d4 was an adequate response, as was the move that I played; both preserve White's advantage.

11.g3 Qh3

Now 12.Re1 would force one Bishop to retreat, 12...Ba6, when 13.d4 would force the other one to, as well.

But I didn't see the move.

The square f1 is doubly-attacked, and I could not see that moving the Rook would leave the square protected.

Instead: White resigned.

Only then did I remember the fresh-brewed pot of coffee in the room next door...

Now, that's sad.

(As it turns out, this was my second game – and my second loss – against MrScrumps. The earlier game was almost as weird, but even shorter. See "From Tragedy to Farce".)

They Walk!

After posting the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit game for "Is Still Not" I wondered what the current state of the main line in that variation (6.c3 vs 6.Qh5 as in the game) was. I came across the following fantastic game. The center "Jerome Pawns" advance in a mass, like a zombie horde... 



brandonn - Sali
blitz, FICS, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4

4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6

6.c3 Kxe5 7.cxd4+ Ke6

Stepping back from the center is the safe way to play (see "More Updating"). Capturing the White d-pawn is not worth it.

8.d5+ Kf7

An alternative was seen in an earlier game: 8...Ke7 9.d4 Ke8? 10.0-0!? (10.Qh5+!?+-) 10...Qf6 11.f4 Bb4 12.Nc3 Ne7 13.Qd3 Bxc3 14.bxc3 b6 15.c4 Bb7 16.h3 h6 17.g4 Qh4 18.Kh2 Rf8 19.f5 d6 20.Bf4 Ng8 21.e5 Rd8 22.Rae1 Kd7 23.c5 (23.f6!?+-) 23...dxc5 24.e6+ Kc8 25.dxc5 Rxd5 26.Qb5 c6 Black was better, White forfeited on time, iliapana - Sali, FICS, 2005.

9.d4

In a couple of games earlier this year, Black faced 9.e5: drpeker - Sali, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 37) and drpeker - Sali, FICS, 2011 (0-1, 38).

9...Qf6 10.e5 Qg6

11.0-0 Ne7 12.Nc3 a6 13.f4 Nf5 14.Qb3

Also seen on the same day, in a game between the same opponents, was 14.Re1 Bb4 15.Qb3 Bxc3 16.bxc3 Qb6 17.Qc2 g6 18.Kh1 Re8 19.Bb2 Kg8 20.Rad1 Qa5 21.c4 b5 22.c5 c6 23.d6 Qd8 24.Qb3+ Kh8 25.d5 Ng7 26.e6 dxe6 27.dxe6 Bb7 28.e7 Qd7 29.Qf7 Rg8 30.e8Q Raxe8 31.Bxg7+ Rxg7 32.Rxe8+ Qxe8 33.Qxe8+ Rg8 34.Qe5+ Rg7 35.d7 Black resigned, brandonn - Sali, FICS, 2011.

14...Ke8 15.Qc4 b5 16.Qxc7 Nxd4 17.Be3 Nc2 18.f5 Qg4

19.Rf4 Qg5 20.Bd2

Moving the Bishop out of the range of the enemy Knight, but more aggressive in this tactical mess was 20.Ne4.

20...Nxa1

This is really not the time to go grabbing material, at least without shoring up the King's defenses.

Houdini suggests that the Black Queen return home with 20...Qd8, after which White has a delightful draw by repeating the position (which Black avoids only to his disadvantage): 21.Nxb5 Nxa1 22.Qxd8+ Kxd8 23.Ba5+ Ke7 24.Nd6 Bb7 25.Be1 Kd8 26.Ba5+ Ke7 27.Be1, etc. 

21.d6

Even stronger was 21.f6.

21...Qd8 22.Qc5 Rb8 23.Nd5 Bb7 24.Nc7+ Kf7

25.e6+ Kg8 26.f6 dxe6 27.f7 checkmate

Wow!

MultiTasking

It is quite possible that some Readers are superior MultiTaskers, capable of doing several things at once, each of them capably. My suggestion is, however, if you are playing a game of chess against Bill Wall, it would be a good idea to give it your complete attention, even if he is playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) against you. Otherwise, you could wind up having to explain a few things...

Wall,B - Tanha
blitz 10 0 Chess.com, 2011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 c6  

I was astonished to find only one game in The Database with this position, perrypawnpusher - Gary_Seven, JG3 Thematic Chess.World, 2008 (1-0, 35).

9.0-0 Nf6 10.e5 Ne4

KnightShade to place in the third race at Pimlico...

Black starts horsing around. It does not lose the game, but it does forfeit whatever advantage he had.

11.Qe3 Ng5 12.f4 Nf7 13.f5 Nh4

Okay, this will give White the advantage.

14.g3 Nxf5 15.Rxf5 Qb6 16.d4 g6 17.Rf6 Kd8?

What? A new fender is going to cost how much??

18.Rxf7 Kc7 19.e6 Qb4 20.Qe5+ Kb6 21.Bd2 Qxb2??

Our Anniversary is today??

22.Qa5 checkmate

On the other hand, maybe Tanha was paying attention, maybe he was just having a bad day...

One Reason

One reason to have access to The Database* can be seen in the Opening Report drawn from another, completely different, 4,399,153-game database:

http://studimonetari.org/edg/latex/jerome.pdf




(*- with only 24,650 games)

Take That!

What's with all the whining these days about the Jerome Gambit being a "refuted opening"?

The following game is White's first attempt at the line, at least as far as The Database can determine.

Yet he wraps up a checkmate against an opponent rated over 150 points higher, in under 10 moves.

Can your chess opening do that ??


joaoe - Barta
blitz, FICS, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.Bxf7+

5...Kxf7 6.Ng5+ Ke8 7.d3 h6 8.Qh5+ Kf8 9.Qf7 checkmate

Take that!

Research Mystery

Around 2003, Brazilian chess master Hindemburg Melão, Jr., wrote an article for the online chess site, SuperAjedrez, featuring Joseph Henry Blackburne's famous defeat of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).

Today I can only trace the essay as far as an essay which is no longer available, which is unfortunate, as it contained some very interesting analytical and historical information, including [Note: my translation - RK]  

...Some sources indicate year of the game as 1868, others indicate 1888, and others indicate 1880. Some sources affirm that it was played in Manchester, others in London. Normally the name of the adversary is not given, having only "NN" or "Amateur", but in at least one source "Millner" is indicated as the name. Also it is not known if it was an individual game or part of a simultaneous display... [T]he game deserves to be cited as one of most beautiful pearls of blindfold Chess...

Although it is in conflict with the information given in Mr. Blackburne's Games at Chess (1899) – that the game in question was played "around 1880" – my preferred source for information on Amateur - Blackburne, London (see "Flaws" 1 & 2) – the August 15, 1885 issue of the Brooklyn Chess Chronicle, edited by J.B. and E.M. Munoz – gives the year as 1885.

I would love to ask Senhor Melao about his sources, as he clearly has access to materials that I do not. (That would not be at all unexpected: Lt. S.A. Sorensen's seminal work on the Jerome Gambit, in the May 1877 issue of Nordisk Skaktidende, was subsequenly translated and reprinted around the chess world.)

For example, I have never seen the Blackburne game dated as having been played in 1868 – six years before Alonzo Wheeler Jerome published analysis of "his" opening in the Dubuque Chess Journal. Nor have I seen it reported as played in 1888 – the Brooklyn Chess Chronicle reported that it had been played "some months ago in London", highly suggestive of the year 1885.

As for the references to the game being played in Manchester and the naming of the Amateur as "Millner" – both were news to me as well. And: was it a blindfold game?

Is any reader familiar with the SuperAjedrez article?

Does anyone have acces to the Brazilian chess master, to pass on my questions? 

What a mystery!

Sunday Tournament Update

The ChessWorld Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament is underway, all 15 competitors and all 210 games!

We are already seeing results (8 completed games so far, 6 wins by White) from AsceticKingK9, mckenna215, Rikiki00, braken, blackburne, DREWBEAR 63, Knight32, Magni, pixifrufru, shm19cs, klonka59, Baron wd von Blanc heart pirate, martind1991, Luke Warm and Haroldlee123.

Many games are in their early stages, others are racing along.

There are a number of examples of the Jerome Gambit Declined (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kf8/Ke7) – a relatively rare beast making up only about 9/10th-of-a-percent of the games in The Database – those certainly will expand our understanding of that line.

At least 29% of the games are "classical" Jerome Gambits, with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7+ followed by 5.Nxe5+, which is the highest percentage that I have seen in a recent Jerome Gambit thematic tournament. Some "well established" theory is likely to be stood on its head by the time those games are done!

With about 7 out of 10 games following "modern" (non-5.Nxe5+ lines) there will be plenty of practice to round out the theory of this more tempered approach as well.

Next Sunday I will give further information on the progress of the tournament. When all games have developed far enough for me not to influence their play, I will begin presenting some with annotations.

(By the way, I predict that the tournament winner will score 24 out of 28 points.)