A Few More Books

Continuing from yesterday's post, a few more books that touch on the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) include

Master Chess Play (1951), Percy Wenman

An Invitation to Chess A Picture Guide to the Royal Game (1945), Irving Chernev and Kevin Harkness

200 Miniature Games of Chess (1942), Julius du Mont


It is fun to present Wenman's take on the classic game Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1885. Why such begrudging praise for Blackburne's checkmating combination? Would it have been appropriate to mention that 10.Qd8 actually would save White?

"Jerome Opening"

Amateur - J.H. Blackburne

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

One of the most unsound of all openings.

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

A sporting reply, but 6...Kf8 7.Qxe5 d6 is all that is required to give Black a won game.

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qxh8 Qh4

Now it is Black who gets all the fun.

9.0-0 Nf6 10.c3

White plays weakly. The only move that was of any use is 10.Qd8.

10...Ng4 11.h3 Bxf2+ 12.Kh1 Bf5

A pretty mating combination which has, of course, in varous ways occurred many times.

13.Qxa8 Qxh3+ 14.gxh3 Bxe4 checkmate

Firsts

An exchange of emails with Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member Pete Banks ("blackburne"):

Hi Rick,

Not sure if I mentioned this, but one of my Internet wins with the Jerome is in Gary Lane's book The Greatest Ever Chess Tricks and Traps .

I wonder if this is the first publication of a complete Jerome game in book form?

Pete

Hi Pete,

I've got dibs on the review copy of Gary's book when it shows up at Chessville, so I'll be able to see your game in print with my own eyes. Congratulations all over again!

As for the first publication of a complete Jerome Gambit game in book form, I think your game is a rare item, but not the first.

Andres Clemente Vazquez included three Jerome Gambits from his second match with William Carrington in his book Algunas Partidas de Ajedrez (1876); and he shared his game against L. Giraudy in the 2nd & 3rd editions of his Analisis del juego de ajedres: libro a propositio para que pueda aprender dicho juego, el que lo ignore del todo, in necesidad de maestro (1885, 1889). (Not in the 1st edition, mind you: it was published in 1874, the first year that the Jerome Gambit saw print.)

Of course, the infamous game Amateur - Blackburne, London 1885, appeared in Mr. Blackburne's Games at Chess (1899), and thereafter in numerous books, including Handbuch des Schachspiels - 8th ed (1916); Du Mont's 200 Miniature Games of Chess (1942); Chernev and Harkness' An Invitation to Chess A Picture Guide to the Royal Game (1945); and Wenman's Master Chess Play (1951).

More recently, Eric Schiller has included Amateur -Blackburne in his Unorthodox Chess Openings (1998, 2002) and Gambit Chess Openings (2002); and, with John Watson, his Survive and Beat Annoying Chess Openings (2003).

Hope that isn't rain on your parade -- your game appears to be the first game from this century and the past one to appear in book form, as far as I know. Good enough?

Best wishes,

Rick