The Jerome Gambit: Return to Pollock (Part 1)

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

Return to Pollock (Part 1)

I continue to keep an eye open for games by W.H.K. Pollock, despite his dismissive attitude toward the Jerome Gambit ("Every form of the Jerome Gambit is, I believe, unsound...").

This blog has taken a peek at 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qe2 from (among others) Pollock, W.H.K. - Vernon, J.E., Bath vs Bristol match, 1883 (1/2 - 1/2, 29).

It has presented some history of 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nxe4 5.Bxf7+, variously referred to as the Noa Gambit / Monck Gambit / Open Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit, as well as a couple of Pollock's games with the line.

I recently encountered W.H.K. Pollock A Chess Biography with 523 Games, by Olipiu G. Urcan and John Hilbert, (2017), which includes an odds game by Pollock, using

[T]he Sarratt or Vitzthum Attack, a possible fore-runner to the Jerome Gambit. See "A Bridge To... Somewhere?", "Another Distant Relative?", "The Sarratt Attack", "Another look at the Sarratt Attack" and "Sarrat Attack: No Way A World Champion...".

Pollock - Rumboll, A.

Bath, 1882

Remove White's Knight at b1

notes by Pollock

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.Ng5 Nh6 6.Qh5

6...Ne5

A more precise defense was 6...Qf6 7.O-O Qg6.

7.Ne6

This beautiful move, which wins a piece by force, is mentioned in [George H.] Selkirk's The Book of Chess but in very few, if any, more recent works in English.

[Selkirk's suggestion came in a note to the game Pindar and Beaver, consultation vs Anderssen, Manchester, 1857 (1-0, 17). No odds were given. - Rick]

7...Bb4+

Producing a veritable vortex! It would have been better to play 7...dxe6 and the game would be about even.

8.c3 Nd3+?

Giving away the advantage. Black could have maintained the edge with 8...dxe6! 9.Qxe5 Be7 10.Qxg7 Bf6 11.Qxh6 dxc3 12.Be3 cxb2 13.Rb1 Bc3+ 14.Ke2 Qd6.

9.Bxd3 dxc3?

Best was 9...dxe6! 10.Qb5+ c6 11.Qxb4 e5 with chances for both sides.

10.Nxg7+! Kf8