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

Sunday Book Review: The Alterman Gambit Guide White Gambits

The Alterman Gambit Guide
White Gambits
GM Boris Alterman
Quality Chess (2010)
softcover, 448 pages
 http://chesslessons.wordpress.com/


 I think that beginning chess players should not concern themselves greatly about learning chess openings.

If pressured on the point, I usually suggest something like Tartakower and du Mont's 500 Master Games of Chess, which is available, affordable, and gives the reader a lot of interesting games (organized by opening) with sprightly notes. There is a lot of chess to learn in going over the games; and opening knowledge can be acquired by osmosis.

If someone persists, either out of stubbornness or because of making consistent gains in chess skill and ability, I am likely, these days, to recommend The Alterman Gambit Guide, at least for play with the White pieces.

The author presents 7 double-e-pawn openings, and lines of attack against the Caro Kann, Sicilian and French Defenses. The focus is on gambit play, including the Danish Gambit, the Urusov Gambit, the Cochrane Gambit (vs the Petroff), the Evans Gambit, and even the Morra Gambit (vs the Sicilian).

The Table of Contents:

Acknowledgments, Bibliography & Key to symbols used
Foreword by the Author
The Danish Gambit
The Urusov Gambit
The Philidor
The Cochrane Gambit
The Morphy Attack
The Max Lange Attack
The Evans Gambit
The Panov Attack
The Morra Gambit
The Milner-Barry Gambit
Games Index
Variations Index

GM Alterman makes a good case for learning about dynamic chess play through the use of gambits, and his presentation – the choice of short, thematic games; followed by longer, more analyzed battles; followed by theory of the opening – is very effective.

At almost 450 pages, The Alterman Gambit Guide White Gambits covers each opening deep enough that the player can feel confident that he or she has enough "book" knowledge to set the pace of the game. Furthermore, learning each opening in this way maximizes the understanding of attacking themes and strategies that are the "meat" of most club matches – the middle game.

Even if the reader eventually moves on to the more "grandmasterly" Spanish Game, with all its subtleties and nuances, it will be with a tactical knowledge that will always come in handy.

The author is preparing a Gambit Guide of Black Gambits, soon to be released. I have had it on pre-order for weeks.



 
(Take a look at a sample of The Alterman Gambit Guide White Gambits.)

Short Takes

Sometimes – at least when it comes to the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) – there can be a big difference between having little to say and being speechless.

From Foster's Complete Hoyle: An Encyclopedia of Games, Including All the Indoor Games Played at the Present Day. With Suggestions for Good Play, All the Official Laws.By Robert Frederick Foster (1909)

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

From The Art of Chess, James Mason, Leopold Hoffer, (Third edition, revised and enlarged, 1905)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Here 4.Bxf7+ (Jerome Gambit) may be just mentioned as quite unsound.

From Chess Openings, James Mason (1905)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ (Jerome Gambit) may be just mentioned as quite unsound.

From Chess, Robert Frederick Green (1905)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ The Jerome Gambit. Seldom played.

From Chess Openings for Beginners, Edward Ernest Cunnington (1900)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Here we may mention, with a caution, as being quite unsound, the Jerome Gambit; 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ and Black plays 6...Ke6 (or B sq.) with a safe game.

From 200 Miniature Games of ChessCombinations in the Openings, J. du Mont, (1942)

1.e4 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ The Jérôme Gambit which is unsound, but has the saving grace of leading to a lively game and is therefore suitable for anoccasional friendly game. The defender cannot, however, afford to be careless...

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