Saturday, March 20, 2021

Jerome Gambit: Nudged by A Jerome Enthusiast


A long time ago - almost a dozen years - I posted on this blog that "My Head is Spinning" as I had learned that Laszlo Orban's Schach Eröffnungen Das Königsbauerspiel als Schlüssel zu erfolgreichen Eröffnungssystemen erschienen, had been reprinted in honor of his 100th birthday.

At the time I simply noted that it had the Jerome Gambit in it.

Last year I was nudged by A Jerome Enthusiast to finally take a look at what Orban had included in his book. I found a game (with another imbedded) with notes (which I have worked to translate from German).


De Visser - Frankel

Holland

The author did not identify the players further, which is unfortunate. A W. M. de Visser and a Max Frankel were members of the Manhattan Chess Club in the 1880s, but the given location of the game seems to rule them out. 

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


Orban notes that while the opening is unsound, if Black is greedy or stingy, he can easily stumble.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 

The assessment: White wins one piece back without effort, and for the second he can get pawns for compensation, but if the Queen is played out too early his development will lag.

6.Qh5+ 

Here he mentions the game Tonetti - Ruggieri, Rome 1890 [sic]

6...Ng6 7.Qxc5? 


Orban is quick to note that 7.Qd5+ is more precise, driving the King back, in order to delay the development of Black's Rook at h8

7...d6! 8.Qb4 Nf6 9.O-O Rf8 10.Qb3+ Be6 11.Qxb7 


White has 3 pawns for the piece, which is sufficient material compensation, but the defender has built up a good position.

11...Kg8 12.f4 Bg4 13.Nc3 Qd7! 14.Qa6 Ne7 15.d4 d5 16.e5 Ne4 17.Qd3 Nxc3! 


18.bxc3 Bf5 19.Qd2 Be4! 

20.c4 c6 21.cxd5 cxd5 22.c4 Nf5! 23.Bb2 Qc6 24.g4? 


24.c5! was necessary.

24....Nh4 25.Rac1 Qg6! 


Orban laments that if White's pawn were still on g2, he would have a sufficient defense with 26...g3, but now his position collapses like a house of cards. He points out that most games are lost due to incorrect pawn moves.

26.Rc3 Nf3+!! 27.Rfxf3 Qxg4+ 28.Kf1 

If 28.Rg3 then 28...Qx4.

28...Rxf4 29.Rxf4 Qxf4+!

30.Qf2 

Or 30.Qxf4 Rf8! which would be the lesser of two evils.

31.Ke1 Rf8 32.Qg3 Qf5 33.Re3 Qf1+ 34.Kd2 Rf2+ 35.Kc3 Qxc4 checkmate




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