As mentioned in the previous post, the earliest example that I have found of the Two Knights "impatient Jerome Gambit" line, 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bxf7+, is the following game. It is just the start of the investigation, as it raises many more questions than it answers.
Draper, Dr - Child, AW.
Belfast - Dublin team correspondence match-2 1891-2
My source for this game is Dr. Timothy Harding's very reliable UltraCorr 3A (2010) collection of correspondence chess games (an updated version is due in early 2022).
However, examining Dr. Harding's thesis,‘Battle at long range’: correspondence chess in Britain and Ireland, 1824-1914, a social and cultural history, I immediately ran into difficulties.
Appendix III, titled "Matches between clubs" ("This appendix lists the known correspondence matches played between U.K. clubs, or between clubs and individuals, between 1824 and 1914"), does not list a Belfast - Dublin correspondence match for 1891.
[In 1891, Ireland was still part of the U.K.]
On top of that, Appendix IX, titled "A-Z of Chess People", does not list an AW Child or a Dr. Draper.
Clearly, I have more research ahead of me.
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Qe2
Placing the Queen on e2 as a strategic and tactical idea must have been "in the air" at the time the game was played. I have looked at 4.Qe2 in earlier posts.
White has a different idea. To put it into context, see "No Way A GM Plays the Jerome Gambit! (Part 1)".
There is also the historical perspective reflected in "Proto-Jerome Gambits? (Part 3)".
The earliest example that I have seen with this move is Pollock, W.H.K. - Vernon, J.E., Bath vs Bristol match, 1883 (1/2 - 1/2, 29).
It was also played in Gunsberg - Burn, 6th American Chess Congress, 1889 (1/2-1/2, 27) and Bird - Chigorin, 6th American Chess Congress, 1889 (0-1, 53).
In the current game, White's Queen puts pressure on Black's e-pawn, while readying the simple threat, 5...Bc5? 6.Qc4+.
5...d5
Black hits the center right away. He envisions trouble for White, who has his Queen and King on the same file (we have recently warned about this).
6.exd5 Nxd5
7.O-O
Prudent. If White had originally planned 7.Nxe5+ Nx5 8.Qxe5, perhaps he now realized that after 8...Qe7 the Queens will be exchanged, and he will not have much of an attack. As in the regular Jerome Gambit, White would have two pawns for his sacrificed piece, but that would not be a lot of comfort in a quiet game - especially an open one, where his opponent has the two Bishops.
7...Bd6 8.d4 Re8 9.Ng5+
Optimistically putting his hopes on the chance of a Kingside checkmate.
9...Kg8 10.Qh5 Nf6 11.Qf7+ Kh8 12.Qc4 Qe7
Black's King is secure, and now the Knight checks at f7 are dealt with.
White's tactical threats would probably amount to something in blitz, but, remember, this is a correspondence game.
13.Be3 Be6 14.Qa4
Allowing a tactical shot.
14...exd4 15.Bxd4 Bxh2+ 16.Kh1
Avoiding 16.Kxh2 Ng4+ 17.Kg1 Qxg5, but it does not matter.
16...Bd5 17.f3
Blunting the power of Black's light-squared Bishop, but the danger comes from elsewhere.
17...Nh5 18.Kxh2 Qxg5 19.Bf2 Nf4 20.Bg3 Qh6+ White resigned
Checkmate comes after the very attractive 21.Kg1 Ne2+ 22.Kf2 Qe3+ 23.Ke1 Nc3.
[to be continued]
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