Showing posts with label Dowd. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dowd. Show all posts

Friday, September 5, 2008

William A. Shinkman (Part I)

Steven Dowd has noted, at ChessGames and via personal communication, that the one game that online database has by William A. Shinkman is a Jerome Gambit game – Jerome had White – and that no mention is made that Shinkman was one of the US's top problemists.

It seems time to address this short-coming. First off, Shinkman actually defended against Alonzo Wheeler Jerome and his gambit twice.


Dubuque Chess JournalJuly, 1874, p.484
(notes by O.A. Brownson, converted to algebraic notation)

Jerome,A - Shinkman,W
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qf6 9.fxe5+ Qxe5 10.Qf3 Nf6 11.d3 Ke7 12.Nc3 g5 13.Rf1 c6 14.g3 d5 15.Bd2 Bg4 16.Qg2 Rhf8 17.h3 Nxe4 18.Bf4


If 18.Nxe4 Rxf1+ 19.Kxf1 (best) 19...Rf8+ 20.Ke1 ( If 20.Bf4 gxf4 21.gxf4 Rxf4+ 22.K moves Rf2 wins) 20...Bf2+ 21.Kf1 Bxg3+ 22.Kg1 Qd4+ 23.Kh1 Bf3 wins Queen
18...gxf4 19.gxf4 Rxf4 20.Nxe4 Rxf1+ 21.Kxf1
and Mr. Shinkman announced loss of the Queen or mate in six moves.

A year and a half later, the following game was published

Dubuque Chess Journal
March 1876, No. 71, p.103
(notes by O.A. Brownson, converted to algebraic notation)

"Jerome's Double Opening"

Jerome,A - Shinkman,W
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 8.0-0 Nf6 9.f4 c5
We do not approve of this system of defence; it appears to us, that moving forward the QB and Q's Pawns only weakens Black's Queen's wing. Black having a piece more can well afford to remain on the defensive and await White's attack.
We therefore believe 9...Nc6 to be the proper move followed by 10...d5 if Q checks, or else by 10...Re8
10.Qc3 Neg4 11.Nd2 b5 12.h3 h5 13.e5
The attack is spirited from this point.
13...b4 14.Qf3 Ba6 15.exf6 Bxf1 16.Qb7+
Would not the capture of the S [sic; S =Springer = Knight] immediately have been better? Suppose 16.hxg4 Ba6 17.Qd5+ Kxf6 18.Ne4+ Ke7 19.f5 and White appears to have a manifest advantage.
16...Kxf6 17.Ne4+ Kg6 18.f5+ Kxf5 19.hxg4+ Kg6
The only move, for any other moves loses the Q or leads to mate. 19...Kxg4 20.Nxd6 and if 20...Qxd6 mate in 2, or 20...Bxg2 or 20...Qf8 White mates in a very few moves; 19...Ke6 20.Ng5+ Kf6 mates in 3; 19...hxg4 20.Qd5+ Kg6 21.Qe6+ Kh7 22.Ng5+ wins; 19...Ke5 20.Bf4+ Kxf4 21.Rxf1+ and forces mate soon.
20.Qd5
20.Bg5 seems decisive but Black has a satisfactory defense in 20...Qb6; We are inclined to think that 20.Ng5 would have maintained the attack 20.Ng5 White now threatens mate in a few moves, both at f7 and e4.; therefore 20...Qe8 21.Bd2 threatening Re1 21...Rf8 22.gxh5+ Kxh5 23.Qxg7 threatening mate by Qh7ch and Qh3 23...Bxg2 24.Qh7+ Kg4 25.Re1 wins
20...Qd7
Again, the only move 21.Qg5+
21...Kf7 22.gxh5 Bc4 23.b3 Be6 24.Bb2 Rag8 25.Rd1 d5
26.Be5 Rf8 27.Rf1+ Kg8 28.Nf6+ Rxf6 29.Bxf6

29.Rxf6 is promising, but Black can insure a draw by 29...Rxh5
29...Rh6 30.Rf4 a5 31.Be5 c4 32.bxc4 dxc4 33.Bd4 a4 34.Re4 b3 35.cxb3 cxb3 36.a3 Qf7 37.g4 Qc7 38.Be5 b2 39.Bxb2 Qg3+ 40.Kf1 Qf3+ 41.Kg1 Qg3+ 42.Kf1 Draw
The game is extremely interesting throughout and abounds in critical and instructive positions