Another Charlick Gambit

Henry Charlick was known for his gambit 1.d4 e5!?, (also known as the Englund Gambit). That was not his only sacrificial creation, however. One is reminiscent of a reversed Jerome Gambit.

From the Adelaide Observer, Saturday, June 14, 1884 (page 44) column CHESS, "Chess in Adelaide". Notes are from the column, changed from descriptive notation to algebraic notation. Diagrams have been added.

Appended are two [see previous post for Charlick - Cooke, Adelaide Chess Club, 1884, a Jerome Gambit - Rick] of a series of even games now being contested between Messrs. H. Charlick and W. Cooke, of the Adelaide Chess Club. The notes are by Mr. E. Govett, of the Semaphore Chess club.

Cooke, W. - Charlick, H.
Adelaide Chess Club, 1884

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5!

The Charlick Gambit. This move will probably not more surprise our readers than it did Mr. Cooke. No walnut shells are needed. Mr. Cooke humourously dabbed this "alarming sacrifice" the " Charlick Gambit."

[The line is also known by the modern name the Busch-Gass Gambit, although Salvio's analysis of the line, from Il Puttino, altramente detto, il Cavaliero Errante, del Salvio, sopra el gioco de Scacchi, dates back to 1604. After a further 3.Nxe5 Nc6 it is known as Chiodini's Gambit. The similarity to a reversed Jerome Gambit is noted. - Rick] 

3.Nxe5 Bxf2+!!

"Let shining charity adorn your soul."

4.Kxf2 Qh4+ 5.g3 Qxe4 6.Nf3 Nf6 

7.Qe2 d5 8.Qxe4+

This must have placed Black in the same uncomfortable position as the woman who - 

Before her face her handkerchief she spread  

To hide the flood of tears - she did not shed.

8...dxe4 9.Nd4 O-O

10.Bg2

He should stop the range of the N. 

10...Ng4+ 11.Ke2 f5 12.h3

Somewhat weakening. He should develop his pieces quickly.

12...Ne5 13.d3 c5 14.Nb5 Nbc6 15.dxe4

The Black pawns have a sinister look, but there is nothing immediately dangerous about them if White's position is assisted by Be3, Nd2, and so on. Taking the P only opens out Black's game. 

15...a6 16.Nc7 Nd4+ 17. Kd2 Ra7 18.Na3 b5 19.c3 Ndc6 

20.Nd5 fxe4 21.Ke3 b4 22.Nc2 Nc4+ 23.Kxe4 Rb7!!

24.Nce3

Out of the frying-pan (...Bf5+) into the fire (an exquisite little mate in two). 24.Bf4 would have enabled him to hold out a little longer.

And Black mates in two moves. Time, 80 minutes.

Jerome Gambit: Overlooking Something in the Notes

When presenting a chess game, it is easy to overlook something in a suggested line. Modern annotators have the help of computer chess engines, but 130 years ago, they were, of course, not available.

From the Adelaide Observer, Saturday, June 14, 1884 (page 44) column CHESS, "Chess in Adelaide". Notes from the column, by Mr. E. Govett, of the Semaphore Chess club, have been changed from descriptive notation to algebraic notation. Diagrams have been added.- Rick

Charlick, H. - Cooke, W.
Adelaide Chess Club, 1884

1.e4

This is a sacrifice of the same kind as that in the previous game
[Cooke - Charlick, Adelaide, 1884, a Charlick Gambit, see next blog post - Rick]. It is a sacrifice of sound chess to benevolence.

1...e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+

This is good after the fourth more. White obtains two Pawns for his piece, and has withal a fairly open position. 

5...Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 b6 9.Qe3 Bb7 

10.d4 Nf6 11.Nc3 Qe7! 12.O-O 

We prefer 12.f3, as by the text White lays himself open to the loss of a Pawn or two with no compensating advantage. 

12...Ng4

But Black does not avail himself of it. He should play 12...Nxe4 when one of the two following continuations would probably follow 13.Nxe4 (13.Nb5 0-0 [the columnist forgets that Black can no longer castle - Rick] 14.Nxc7 Rac8 15.Nb5 Rxf2 with a fine game [I have corrected move numbers - Rick. The Saturday June 21, 18814 CHESS column in the Adelaide Observer - the next week - noted "In the Jerome Gambit, published last week, the note to Black's 12th move should have had the moves numbered 12, 13, 14, &c., instead of 16, 17, 18, &c." There was no correction, however, about the suggestions to castle - Rick] 13... Bxe4 14.c4 0-0 and he should win [But Black is still unable to castle - Rick]. 

13.Qg3 Nf6 14.Bg5 d6 

Disastrous. He should play 14...Qf7. 

15.e5 dxe5 16.dxe5 Nxe5 17.Rfe1 Qf7 18.Rxe5+ 

And finishes off with no difficulty. 

18...Kf8 19.Rae1 Qg6 20.Nb5 Rd8 21.Nxc7 Kf7 

22.Qb3+ Nd5 23.Nxd5 Bxd5 24.Rxd5 Rxd5 25.Qxd5+ Kf8 

White mates in two moves.

Jerome Gambit History Tidbits

A few of my recent Jerome Gambit discoveries...

Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1884
Stumbling over the infamous Jerome Gambit game Amateur - Blackburne, London in the Australian Town and Country Journal (Saturday, March 21, 1885, page 31) I found another comment that supported 1884 as the year of the game (as if there needed to be more than Dr. Tim Harding's words from the English Chess Forum, which I presented in "Jerome Gambit: Dr. Harding Checks In")

We reprint from the Adelaide Observer...The following affair occurred to the great blindfold player a few months ago in London... 

But the best part was the columnist's comment on the stunning move 4.Bxf7+: "So early in the morning!"


Emanuel Lasker, columnist
The Evening Post: New York  from Wednesday, November 30, 1910, (page 11) had Emanuel Lasker's "CHESS AND CHESS PLAYERS" column, including the following news

...At the rooms of the Rice Chess Club in the Cafe Boulevard, the team representing the Temple Chess Club of the Baptist Temple of Brooklyn encountered the team Stuyvesant High School, and, although handicapped by the absence of two players, causing forfeiture on two boards, the Brooklyn players carried off the victory by the score of 3 points to 2... The Temple Chess Club players had the white pieces on the odd-numbered boards. The Jerome gambit, king's bishop opening, and French defence were adopted at the last three boards...

Although the copy of the paper is at times difficult to make out, it appears that Board 3 was a match between E. E. Brodhead of the Temple C.C. and Gadiowitz of Stuyvesant H.S., with Brodhead's Jerome Gambit carrying the day. I have not yet discovered the game.

It should be recalled that Lasker, responding to a letter to “Our Question Box” in the March 1906 issue of Lasker’s Chess Magazine had already said his peace about the opening 

No; the Jerome gambit is not named after St. Jerome. His penances, if he did any, were in atonement of rather minor transgressions compared with the gambit.

Emanuel Lasker, Simultaneous Exhibition 
The Observer (Adelaide) of Saturday, December 29, 1906 (page 49) has in its CHESS column, under CHESS NOTES, the following

Simultaneous Chess. - Lasker, playing at Pittsburg, Pa., lately, out of 28 games won 24, drew 2, and lost 2, a fine score of 25-3. The openings adopted were varied - Sicilian Defence 3, Centre Gambit 5, Petroff 1, Evans 4, Four Knights 2, Vienna 1, Jerome 1, King's Knight 1, King's Gambit 5, French 2, Allgaier 2 and only 1 Ruy Lopez.

It would seem that the source of Observer column was the October 18, 1906 (page 9) Pittsburgh Press article titled "DR. LASKER PLAYED 26 GAMES OF CHESS AT ONCE.  He Succeeded in Winning 22 of Them and Drawing 2." It is unclear why the two news reports differ in the number of games reported being played and won; and the Pittsburgh Press names 27 club members who were seated against Lasker, so apparently at least one board was covered by two players.

The Jerome Gambit (neither a win nor a draw for White) was played by E. H. Miller. (This is likely Emlen Hare Miller, who, a decade later, had a win [opening unknown] against Frank J. Marshall in a simultaneous exhibition.)

Of note

Before the contest began Lasker made an address on "The Game of Chess and the Game of Life," which was highly appreciated by his listeners.

How I would love to discover how Lasker defended against the Jerome Gambit!
  
Beware, chess students, the dreaded Jerome Gambit
The Telegraph (Brisbane) of Saturday, December 14, 1929, (page 13) had a "CHESS" column that gave the Jerome Gambit a greater sense of scariness than I had realized it had ever projected   

Chess students are early taught to watch out for the dreaded Jerome Gambit, an attack however that owes its success mainly to the inexperience of the attacked. Unsound it undoubtedly is, but white obtains a ferocious offensive requiring on the part of black the very greatest care. An ounce of practice, we are told, is worth a ton of theory, so the following game in the case isoffered. It is a win by the famous Blackburne with the black; of course it is not given to us all to be Blackburne...

The Evans Jerome Gambit

From the Adelaide Observer, May 12, 1877

"Chess"
H. Charlick
"Chess in Adelaide"

The following long and stubbornly-contested game was fought April 4, 1877, on the occasion of the visit to Adelaide, during the Easter holidays, of Mr. A. Holloway, of Williamstown, formerly of the Bristol Chess Club. The other game, between the same pair of players, won, at the Kt odds, by Mr. Holloway, was published a few weeks ago. The present partie was played on equal terms.

Charlick,H - Holloway,A
Australia, 1877
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.Qh5+ Ng6 9.Qd5+ Kf8 10.Qxc5+ d6 11.Qe3 Nf6 12.d4 Kf7 13.0-0 Re8 14.Nd2 c6 15.f4 Kg8 16.Re1 Kh8 17.Ba3 Nd5 18.Qg3 Ndxf4 19.Nc4 c5 20.e5 Qh4 21.Nxd6 Be6 22.Nxe8 Rxe8 23.Bxc5 b6 24.Bd6 Bc4 25.Qxh4 Nxh4 26.Rad1 Nhxg2 27.Re4 Bd5 28.Rde1 Re6 29.c4 Nxe1 30.cxd5 Rg6+ 31.Kf1 Ned3 32.e6 Nxd5 33.e7 Nxe7 34.Rxe7 h6 35.Bg3 a5 36.d5 Nc5 37.d6 Rf6+ 38.Kg1 Kh7 39.Be5 Rg6+ 40.Kf1 Rg5 41.d7 Nxd7 42.Bc7 Rd5 43.Re6 Rf5+ 44.Kg1 Rf6 45.Re7 Nc5 46.Be5 Rg6+ 47.Kf1 Nd3 48.Bc3 a4 49.a3 b5 50.Rb7 Rg5 51.h4 Rg4 52.Ke2 Rg3 53.Rxb5 Nc1+ 54.Kd2 Nb3+ 55.Kc2 Rg2+ 56.Kd1 Rg3 57.Be5 Rg4 58.Rb4 Rxb4 59.axb4 Kg6 60.Kc2 Kf7 61.Bc3 g5 62.hxg5 hxg5 63.Kb2 Ke6 64.Ka3 Kd5 65.Kxa4 Kc4 66.Be5 g4 67.b5 Nc5+ 68.Ka5 Nd7 69.Bg3 Kd5 70.Bf2 Nc5 71.Kb6 Nd7+ 72.Kc7 Ne5 73.b6 Nc6 74.b7 Nb4 75.Bg3 Ke6 76.Bd6 1-0

Long ago, and far away...

St. Louis Daily Globe-Democrat
Sunday, September 11, 1881
Mackenzie's chess column


[diagrams added, notation changed to algebraic]


...The Australian game which we print to-day is somewhat lengthy, but it is full of interesting points, and is well worth playing over, were it only from the fact that it is the only partie on record, we believe, in which the Jerome gambit is adopted in a correspondence game...

Chess in Australia
We are indebted to the Adelaide Observer for the subjoined interesting game. It was played recently by correspondence between Messrs. Charlick and Mann, two of the leading amateurs in Australia.

The Adelaide Observer
Saturday, May 28, 1881

CHESS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA
(From the Melbourne Leader.)

The following fine game is one of those in the closely contested match by correspondence to which we lately referred, between Messrs. Charlick and Mann. The time occupied in playing it was six months. It abounds in interesting and difficult positions. Another game has since been finished ending in a draw, making the score - Charlick 4, Mann 3, drawn 6.

[Since, Mr. Mann has won a game, making the score perfectly even. - Mackenzie]

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



This ingenious sacrifice was invented by Mr. Jerome, an American player, in 1874, and, unless correctly answered, yields a strong attack. It seems rather rash to venture on it in a correspondence game - Mackenzie

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5

5...Kf8 is, we think, better - Mackenzie

6.Qh5+ Ng6

6...Ke6 is preferable - Mackenzie

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 

The authorities give 9.Qc3 but White prefers the text move - Mackenzie

9...Nf6 10.d4 Qe7



10...Kf7 is surely stronger, bringing his R in to immediate action, and threatening to take KP with Kt - Mackenzie

11.0-0 Ng4

This only assists White in developing his game by driving back the Kt presently; 11...b6 seems the best method of getting his forces into action - Mackenzie

12.Qe2 Qh4 13.h3 Nf6 14.f4


White has now a most formidable attack - Mackenzie

14...Nh5 15.Qf2 Qxf2+ 16.Rxf2 Rf8 17.f5 Ne7 18.c4 c6


Again we should have preferred 18...b6 - Mackenzie

19.g4 Nf6 20.Nc3 d5 21.e5


White's pawns now look quite irresistable - Mackenzie

21...Nd7 22.cxd5 Nxd5 23.Ne4 N7b6 24.b3 a5 25.e6 

This, we believe, is premature. 25.Bg5 is a very strong move - Mackenzie

25...h6 26.Bb2 Ke7 27.Re1 Ra7


Black's game is so cramped that defeat is inevitable - Mackenzie

28.Nc5

White might also have obtained a fine game by advancing the KRP here - Mackenzie

28...Na8 29.Nd3 b5 30.Ne5 Kd6 31.Rc1 Ra6 32.Rc5 Bb7 33.Rfc2 Rc8 34.Bc1 a4 35.b4

Very well played - Mackenzie

35...a3

Had he taken P with Kt, White would have gained a winning position by 35...Nxb4 36.Bf4 - Mackenzie

36.Bd2 Nab6 37.Be1 Na4

Mackenzie passes over this move without comment, but Rybka suggests that it is a serious error, suggesting that instead 37...Nc4 38.Nxc4+ bxc4 39.R2xc4 Raa8 40.Rc1 g6 41.Bh4 Ra4 42.Rb1 Rg8 43.Bg3+ led to an even game.

38.Bg3

Likewise, Rybka suggests that this gives Black a slight edge, preferring 38.Ng6 Nf4 39.Bg3 Kc7 40.Rxb5 Kb8 41.Bxf4+ Ka7 42.Ra5 Nb2 43.Ne7 Re8 44.Nxc6+ and White is winning.

38...Ke7 39.Nd7 Nxc5 40.dxc5 Rg8 41.Bd6+ Ke8 42.Rd2 Ra4


This, we believe, is his best play; had he moved 42...Nf6 White could have replied with 43.Be5 forcing the game in a few moves.; If 42...Nxb4 White wins off-hand by 43.f6 - Mackenzie

43.Rxd5

Well played, obtaining a winning position, through it still requires great care to bring about that result - Mackenzie

43...cxd5 44.f6 gxf6 45.Nxf6+ Kd8 46.e7+

Rybka prefers capturing the Rook.

46...Kc8 47.Nxg8 Bc6 48.Nf6

Rybka sees this as a serious error, leading to an advantage for Black, preferring 48.Nxh6 Rxb4 49.g5 Rb1+ 50.Kf2 Rb2+ 51.Kg3 Be8 52.c6 Rxa2 53.Nf5 Bxc6 54.g6 d4 with a roughly equal game.

48...Rxb4 49.e8Q+ Bxe8 50.Nxe8 Rb1+ 51.Kf2 Rb2+ 52.Kf3 Rxa2 53.Nc7
White is in a bad way, and it is only Black's next two inaccurate moves that bring the game back in his favor.

53...b4 54.Nxd5 b3



55.c6 Rc2



(must) - Mackenzie

56.Bxa3 Ra2 57.Bd6 Rc2 58.Be5 b2 59.Nb6+ Kd8 60.c7+ Rxc7 61.Bxb2 Rc5 62.Bd4 Rb5 63.Nc4 Ke7


64.h4 Ke6 65.Ke4 Rb1 66.Ne3 Kf7 67.h5 Kg8

68.Nf5 Kh7 69.Be3 Re1 70.Nxh6 Rxe3+

71.Kxe3 Kxh6 72.Kf4 1-0

The whole of the end game has been played by White with the greatest precision - Mackenzie.