More of Tim Harding

 

Having mentioned Tim Harding in the earlier  post, "Family Resemblance" - looking at openings related to the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) - I would like to share a bit more about his writing.

Tim Harding, Bishop's Opening, (1973)

After 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nxe4 Harding wrote

The possibility of 3...NxP [3...Nxe4] was recognized by such early nineteenth cenury theoreticians as Jaenisch and Staunton, who belieed however that White simply go the advantage by 4.BxP+ [4.Bxf7+], disturbing Black's king position at no material cost. But Morphy was to show that this sort of position is ooften favourable to the second player (e.g. the famous Meek - Morphy game in the Scotch Gambit) since he is left with central control and the two bishops and can usually perform a slow castliing. This lesson was slow to be learned, however, 4.BxP+ still being seen some 30 - 40 years after Morphy's retirement.

Tim Harding, Vienna Game, (1976)

Of 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 (or 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nxe4)

Harding wrote

the violence in the play was such that "a game between Dracula and the Frankenstein Monster would not seem out of place."

The name of the variation stayed, as you can see in the image, above, of Eric Schiller's Frankenstein-Dracula Variation (1999).

Written about the line related to the Jerome Gambit, note the move evaluations

T. D. Harding, G.S. Botterill, The Italian Game (1977)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 NxP!? 5.BxP+?

From which we might conclude that the line is exciting, but not sound. Truly does sound like a Jerome Gambit relative!