Hey! Wait! Oh, Never Mind...

I've probably spent way too much time fussing about a comment by Fat Lady at redhotpawn.com, referring to a chess game where Alexander Alekhine reportedly defended against a Jerome Gambit - see "Much Ado About... Nothing" - no doubt it is as much an "urban legend" as the CIA killing Marilyn Monroe or Elvis Presley being in a witness protection program.

The other day I ran into a simultaneous exhibition game by Alekhine, however, and I wondered: could Fat Lady have been thinking about a "reversed" Jerome?? Here we go again...

Alexander Alekhine - Alfred Berman
New York 1 of 26, 1924

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Bc5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Nxe5 Bxf2+ 

This is reminiscent of an offshoot of the "Blanel Gambit" in the Vienna or Bishop Opening, only reversed. For reference:

Max Kuerschner - Siegbert Tarrasch

Nuremberg, 1889 

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nxe4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Qf3+ (6.Qh5+ Kg8 7.Qe2 h6 8.Ng3 Nc6 9.d3 Nd4 10.Qd1 Bc5 11.Be3 Kh7 12.c3 Re8 13.h3 Qh4 14.N1e2 Nxe2 15.Qxe2 d4 16.Bd2 Bd7 17.Ne4 Bf8 18.0-0-0 Re6 19.Kb1 Ra6 20.Bc1 Be6 21.a3 b5 22.f3 Rb8 23.g4 Qd8 24.g5 Qd5 25.Kc2 dxc3 26.Nxc3 Qb3+ 27.Kd2 b4 28.axb4 Bxb4 29.Qxe5 Ra2 30.gxh6 Rxb2+ 31.Bxb2 Qxb2+ 32.Ke3 Bxc3 33.Qe4+ g6 34.Qxe6 Bd4+ 35.Kf4 Rf8+ 36.Kg5 Qg2+ 37.Qg4 Rf5+ White resigned, Max Kuerschner - Siegbert Tarrasch, Nurnberg, 1889) 6...Kg8 7.Ne2 (7.Ng5 Qd7 8.Ne2 h6 9.Nh3 Bc5 10.Nc3 c6 11.Qe2 Qe7 12.d3 Kh7 13.Na4 Bd6 14.Bd2 Qh4 15.Nc3 Rf8 16.Ng1 Bg4 17.Qe3 Nd7 18.Qg3 Qxg3 19.hxg3 Rae8 20.f3 e4 21.dxe4 Bxg3+ 22.Kd1 dxe4 23.Nxe4 Rxe4 24.Nh3 Bxf3+ 25.gxf3 Rh4 26.Ke2 Be5 27.f4 Bc7 28.Rag1 Nf6 29.Be1 Rh5 30.Bc3 Re8+ 31.Kf1 Rf5 32.Rg2 Bxf4 33.Rf2 Nd5 34.Bd4 Ref8 35.c4 Be3 36.Bxe3 Nxe3+ 37.Ke2 Rxf2+ 38.Nxf2 Nxc4 39.Rc1 Ne5 40.Rc3 g5 41.Re3 Rxf2+ White resigned, Jacques Mieses - Richard Teichmann, match, London, 1895) 7...Be6 8.N4g3 (8.Qb3 Nc6 9.N4g3 Rb8 10.c3 Qf6 11.0-0 h5 12.Re1 h4 13.Nf1 h3 14.Neg3 hxg2 15.Kxg2 Bc5 16.d4 Rf8 17.Qc2 Qf3+ 18.Kg1 Bh3 19.Ne3 exd4 20.cxd4 Nxd4 21.Qd2 Qxg3+ 22.fxg3 Nf3+ 23.Kh1 Nxd2 24.Bxd2 Rf2 25.Rad1 Rh5 26.Bc1 c6 27.Kg1 Rg2+ 28.Kh1 Rf2 29.Kg1 Rg2+ 30.Kh1 Rf2 31.Kg1 Rf3 32.Kh1 Rf2 33.Kg1 Rf4 34.Kh1 Rf2 35.Kg1 Rg2+ 36.Kh1 Rf2 37.Kg1 Rg2+ 38.Kh1 Rf2 39.Kg1 Rf3 40.Kh1 Rf2 41.Kg1 Rhf5 42.a3 Rg2+ 43.Kh1 Rff2 44.Nf1 Rg1+ 45.Kxg1 Rxf1 checkmate, James Mason - Georg Marco, Leipzig GER, 1894) 8...Nc6 9.a3 Qd7 10.h3 Bc5 11.0-0 h5 12.Nh1 Rf8 13.Qg3 h4 14.Qh2 e4 15.d3 Bd6 16.Bf4 Rxf4 17.Nxf4 g5 White resigned.

5.Kxf2 Nxe5 6.d4 Ng6 

Or 6...Qf6+ 7.Kg1 Ng4 (7...Ng6 8.Bc4 c6 9.h3 d6 10.Kh2 Be6 11.Rf1 Qd8 12.Bxe6 fxe6 13.Qg4 Qe7 14.Bg5 Nf6 15.Bxf6 gxf6 16.d5 Kd7 17.Rad1 Rhg8 18.dxe6+ Qxe6 19.Rxf6 Qxg4 20.Rfxd6+ Kc7 21.hxg4 Ne5 22.Kh3 Rg7 23.Rf6 Nxg4 24.Rf4 Rag8 25.Rd2 Ne3 26.g4 Nxg4 27.Rg2 Ne3 28.Rxg7+ Rxg7 29.Rf2 Kd6 30.Re2 Nc4 31.b3 Ne5 32.Nd1 Kc5 33.Ne3 Nf3 34.Rg2 Rxg2 35.Kxg2 Ng5 36.e5 Kd4 37.Ng4 h5 38.Nf6 Kxe5 39.Nxh5 Kd4 40.c4 Kc3 41.Kg3 Kb2 42.Kf4 Ne6+ 43.Ke5 Nc5 44.Kd6 Na6 45.b4 Nxb4 46.Kc7 b6 47.Kb7 Nxa2 48.Kxa7 b5 49.cxb5 cxb5 50.Kb6 b4 51.Nf4 draw, Jose Raul Capablanca - S Rakowitz, Manhattan CC, New York, 1922) 8.Qd2 Ne7 9.h3 Nh6 10.Qf2 Qg6 11.Nb5 0-0 12.Nxc7 Rb8 13.Nb5 f5 14.e5 d5 15.exd6 Nd5 16.Bc4 Be6 17.Nc7 Nxc7 18.dxc7 Rbc8 19.Bxe6+ Qxe6 20.Bf4 Nf7 21.Kh2 Qb6 22.Rhe1 g5 23.Be5 Nxe5 24.Rxe5 Qxc7 25.c3 g4 26.hxg4 fxg4 27.Qh4 Kh8 28.Kg1 Qb6 29.Rae1 Qxb2 30.Re7 Qc2 31.R1e4 Qc1+ 32.Kh2 h6 33.Re3 Rc6 34.Qxg4 Rg8 35.Re8 Black resigned, Louis Paulsen - Adolf Anderssen, Baden-Baden 1870; or 

6...Qh4+ 7.g3 Qf6+ 8.Kg2 Ng6 9.Bc4 Qd8 10.Rf1 f6 11.e5 b5 12.Nxb5 Bb7+ 13.Kg1 d6 14.exd6 cxd6 15.Qh5 Qe7 16.Bf4 0-0-0 17.Rae1 Qf8 18.Be6+ Kb8 And White announced mate in three moves, Samuel Rosenthal - Robert, Paris, 1874; or

6...Nc6 7.Be3 d6 8.Be2 Nf6 9.Rf1 0-0 10.Kg1 h6 11.Qe1 Re8 12.Qg3 Kh8 13.Rf2 Qe7 14.Bd3 Ng4 15.Nd5 Qd7 16.Rf4 Nd8 17.Rxg4 Qxg4 18.Nxc7 Qd7 19.Nxa8 b6 20.d5 Bb7 21.Bd4 f6 22.Qg6 Bxa8 23.e5 Kg8 24.Qh7+ Kf8 25.exf6 Ne6 26.dxe6 1-0 Black resigned, Jose Raul Capablanca - Hermann Liebenstein, New York, 1913. 

7.Bc4

Or 7.Kg1 N8e7 8.h4 h6 9.h5 Nf8 10.Bc4 d6 11.Qf3 Be6 12.d5 Bd7 13.Be3 Nh7 14.Qg3 Rg8 15.Rf1 Nf6 16.Qf4 Rf8 17.Bd4 Neg8 18.e5 dxe5 19.Bxe5 Qe7 20.d6, Black resigned, Arthur Skipworth - Charles Edward Ranken, Malvern, ENG, 1871. 

7...d6 8.Rf1 Be6

Or 8...N8e7 9.Kg1 0-0 10.Qh5 c6 11.Bg5 b5 12.Bb3 a5 13.a3 Ra7 14.d5 Qb6+ 15.Kh1 c5 16.a4 c4 17.Ba2 f6 18.Bd2 bxa4 19.Bxc4 Ne5 20.Be2 Bd7 21.Nxa4 Qd4 22.Bc3 Qxe4 23.Bf3 Nxf3 24.Qxf3 Qxc2 25.Nb6 Bb5 26.Rf2 Qg6 27.Re1 Nc8 28.Nxc8 Rxc8 29.Qe3 Qf7 30.Qb6 Ba6 31.Qxd6 a4 32.Rf3 Bb5 33.Re6 Bd7 34.Rexf6 gxf6 35.Rg3+ Kh8 36.Qxf6+ Black resigned, Samuel Rosenthal - Dermenon, Paris, 1874; or

8...Qh4+ 9.Kg1 Nf6 10.g3 Qh3 11.Bg5 Bg4 12.Qd2 0-0-0 13.Rxf6 gxf6 14.Bxf6 Rdg8 15.Bf1 Qh5 16.Bg2 Re8 17.Bxh8 Rxh8 18.Rf1 Ne7 19.Qf4 f5 20.exf5 Bxf5 21.Nd5 Nxd5 22.Qxf5+ Qxf5 23.Rxf5 Nb4 24.c3 Nc6 25.Bxc6 bxc6 26.Rf7 a5 27.Kf2 Kb7 28.g4 a4 29.Kg3 a3 30.bxa3 Ra8 31.Rxh7 Rxa3 32.g5 Rxc3+ 33.Kf4 Rc4 34.g6 Rxd4+ 35.Kf5 Rd1 36.h4 Re1 37.g7 Black resigned, George Henry Mackenzie - James Glover Grundy, New York, 1880. 

9.Bd3

Or 9.d5 Bd7 10.Kg1 Ne5 11.Bb3 Ne7 12.Bf4 N7g6 13.Bg3 Qg5 14.Qd4 0-0 15.Ne2 h5 16.Bf4 Nxf4 17.Nxf4 Qh6 18.Rae1 a6 19.h3 Rae8 20.c4 g5 21.Nd3 g4 22.Re3 Nxd3 23.Rxd3 f5 24.exf5 Bxf5 25.Rc3 Re2 26.Rf2 Rxf2 27.Qxf2 gxh3 28.Qh4 Bg4 29.gxh3 Qf4 30.Qe1 Bf3 31.Rc2 Rf7 32.Qe6 Kh7 33.Rg2 Bxg2 34.Bc2+ Kg7 35.Qg6+ Kf8 White resigned, Louis Paulsen - Simon Winawer, Leipzig GER, 1877; or

9.Be2 N8e7 10.Kg1 d5 11.exd5 Nxd5 12.Ne4 Nb6 13.Bg5 Qc8 14.Nc5 0-0 15.Bd3 f6 16.Bd2 c6 17.Qe1 Bf7 18.b3 Qg4 19.Qf2 Rab8 20.Rae1 Rfe8 21.Bf5 Qh4 22.g3 Qh5 23.Rxe8+ Rxe8 24.g4 Qh3 25.Nxb7 Nh4 26.Qg3 Qxg3+ 27.hxg3 Nxf5 28.gxf5 Re4 29.c3 h5 30.Rf4 Re2 31.Rf2 Re4 32.Rh2 g5 33.Nd6 Rg4 34.Kf2 h4 35.gxh4 gxh4 36.Nxf7 Kxf7 37.Rg2 Re4 38.Kf3 Re8 39.Rh2 Rh8 40.c4 Nc8 41.Bb4 Rh5 42.Kg4 Rg5+ 43.Kxh4 Rxf5 44.Kg4 Rg5+ 45.Kf4 Rg7 46.Rh5 Nb6 47.Rc5 Rg2 48.Rxc6 Rf2+ 49.Ke3 Rxa2 50.d5 Nd7 51.Rc7 Ke8 52.Bd6 Rb2 53.b4 Nb6 54.Kd3 Rb3+ 55.Kd4 Rh3 56.Kc5 Rc3 57.Kb5 Kd8 58.Rc6 Kd7 59.Bb8 f5 60.Bxa7 Nc8 61.Bc5 Rh3 62.Rf6 Black resigned, Berthold Englisch - Simon Winawer, Paris, 1878; or 

9.Bxe6 fxe6 10.Kg1 Nf6 11.Bg5 0-0 12.Qd3 Qd7 13.Bxf6 Rxf6 14.Rxf6 gxf6 15.Rf1 Rf8 16.Qb5 c6 17.Qb3 d5 18.exd5 cxd5 19.Ne2 Kg7 20.c3 e5 21.Ng3 Ne7 22.Nh5+ Kg6 23.Qc2+ e4 24.Qe2 f5 25.g4 h6 26.gxf5+ Rxf5 27.Qg4+ Rg5 28.Rf6+ Kh7 29.Rf7+ Kh8 30.Rf8+ Ng8 31.Qxg5 hxg5 32.Rxg8+ Black resigned, Jose Raul Capablanca - Randolph, New York, 1912. 

9...Qf6+ 10.Kg1 Qxd4+ 11.Kh1 c6 12.Qe2 Nf6 13.Be3 Qe5

14.h3 h5 15.Bg1 Ke7 16.Bh2 Qg5 17.Rad1 Ne5 18.Bf4 Qg6 19.Qe1 Ne8 20.Ne2

Surprisingly, White misses a chance to play 20.Bxe5 dxe5 21.Nd5!? with an attack.

20...f6 21.Nd4 Rd8 

22.Qb4 Rd7 23.Bxe5 fxe5 24.Nf5+ Bxf5 25.exf5 Qf6 26.Bc4 b5 27.Be6 Rb7 28.c4 c5 29.Qa5 Nc7 

30.Rxd6 

That's more like it. Taking the Rook with 30...Kxd6 allows White's Queen to penetrate the enemy position after 31.Qd2+.

30...Na8

Now Black's position collapses as White's pieces pour in.

31.Rfd1 Nb6 32.Qxb5 Rc7 33.Rd7+ Nxd7 34.Rxd7+ Rxd7 35.Qxd7+ Kf8 36.Qc8+ Ke7 37.Qxc5+ Ke8 38.Qc6+ Kf8 39.Qc8+ Ke7 40.Qxh8 

40...Qg5 41.f6+

Cute. (41.Qa8 was stronger.)

41...Qxf6 42.Qxh5 

Playing to the crowd? More solid was 42.Bd5.

42...Qf1+ 43.Kh2 Qf4+ 44.Kg1 Qc1+ 45.Kf2 Qxb2+ 46.Kg3 Qc3+ 47.Kh2 Kxe6 

48.Qe8+ Kf6 49.Qf8+ Kg6 50.c5 e4 51.Qe8+ Kf5 52.Qf7+ Kg5 53.h4+ Kg4 54.Qg6+ Kf4 55.Qg5 checkmate

Interesting game.

Then, I realized that Fat Lady said "Alekhine played Ke6 and then held onto both pieces", which doesn't sound like a reversed Jerome Gambit, at all. Bummer.

I don't know, maybe he was mis-remembering the internet contest blackburne - AAlekhine, Chessworld, 2007!

Zombie Walk

If you want to take the fun out of someone playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) against you, you can always count on... The Zombie Walk. That's not the official name of any of the Jerome variations, it's just a way of making the game a boring win. For White. 

perrypawnpusher - Mences
blitz, FICS, 1011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6

In our earlier two games, my opponent had played 6...Ng6: perrypawnpusher - Mences, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 38) and perrypawnpusher - Mences, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 19).

Now we have the exciting possibilities of 7.Qxe5 d6, the Blackburne Defense, and 7.Qxe5 Qe7, the Whistler Defense. Which will it be??

7.Qxe5 Bxf2+8.Kxf2 Qf6+ 9.Qxf6+ Nxf6

Braaaiiinnnnssss...

As I pointed out as recently as last month (see "Short and Unbecoming")
Hmm...

At the cost of exchanging a won game for one in which he is a pawn down, Black has reached a Queenless middlegame that is not what every Jerome Gambiteer wishes for.

I have previously described such a game with the perky title "Nothing Happened".


So, here we go as I zombie-walk through almost another 40 moves.


I guess, if I use my imagination, I can pretend that I am Capablanca or Rubinstein exercising my "technique".


10.Nc3 d6 11.d4 Rf8 12.Rf1 Kg7 13.Kg1 Bd7

14.Bg5 Ng4 15.h3 Nf6 16.Bxf6+

Silly, but it moves things along.

16...Rxf6 17.Rxf6 Kxf6 18.Rf1+ Kg7 19.Nd5 Rc8 20.c4 c6 21.Nc3 Re8

22.b3 g5 23.Kh2 h5 24.g3 h4 25.g4 b5 26.Re1 bxc4 27.bxc4 Rf8 28.Kg2 Rb8 29.Rb1 Re8

For excitement, you can decide after 29...Rxb1 30.Nxb1 c5 if White should play 31.dxc5 or 31.e5.

30.Rb7 Re7 31.Rxa7 Kf6 32.Ra8 Kg7 33.a4 Be6 34.d5 cxd5 35. cxd5 Bf7

36.Rc8 Rb7 37.Nb5 Rb6 38.Rc6 Rxc6

After this, one of the zombies, er, pawns, has to promote.

39.dxc6 d5 40.c7 Be6 41.Nd6 dxe4 42.c8=Q Bxc8 43.Nxc8 Kf6 44.a5 Ke5 45.a6 e3 46. a7 e2 47. Kf2 e1=Q+ 48. Kxe1 Black resigned

 

Flaws (Part I)

A more serious look at the Amateur - Blackburne game would reveal a few "flaws," to return to the master's comments on "brilliancy."

Amateur - Blackburne
London, 1885

Yes, 1885. The August 15, 1885 issue of the Brooklyn Chess Chronicle (J.B. and E.M. Munoz, editors) presented the game as having been "played some months ago."

J. H. Blackburne played tens of thousands of tournament, match and exhibition games. It is understandable that in recalling this one for Mr. Blackburne's Games at Chess (1899), he believed that it had been played "at Simpson's Divan about 1880."

It is only speculation, but perhaps Blackburne conflated two memories, as on October 20, 1880, at Simpson's Divan, he sharply finished off a game against a "Mr. L.," having given the odds of two Knights


1…Be7 2 Bxe5+ Qxe5 3 Nxe5 Rxg2+ 4 Kxg2 Rg6+ 5 Kh3 Bg2 mate

This finish was given in the September 1882 issue of Chess Monthly, according to Edward Winter in his "Unsolved Chess Mysteries (26)".

Interestingly enough, Mr. Blackburne's Games at Chess has a position similarly identified ("Played at Simpson's Chess Divan in 1880, White giving the odds of two Knights" vs "Mr. L") with colors reversed.

Blackburne, playing White, finishes off the game in the same manner.

1.Be2 Bxe4+ 2.Qxe4 Nxe4 3.Rxg7+ Kxg7 4.Rg3+ Kh6 5.Bg7 mate

At an age where I can smile knowingly at all of this "misremembering," it is also reassuring to recall the words of José Capablanca, from "How I Learned to Play Chess" in the October 1916 issue of Munsey’s Magazine.

It is not correct to assume, however, that my chess ability depends upon an overdeveloped memory. In chess, memory may be an aid, but it is not indispensable. At the present time my memory is far from what it was in my early youth, yet my play is undoubtedly much stronger than it was then. Mastery of chess and brilliance of play do not depend so much upon the memory as upon the peculiar functioning of the powers of the brain.