Jerome Gambit: Dr. Harding Checks In

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As a followup to the previous post, I returned to the online English Chess Forum and asked members if they were aware of any early (pre-WWI) Jerome Gambit games.

Early English Jerome Gambit Games?

Postby Rick Kennedy » Mon May 08, 2017 3:57 pm

Many people are familiar with Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1880 (or 1885) that
started 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ - the notorious Jerome Gambit - and 
concluded 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.O-O Nf6 
10.c3 Ng4 11.h3 Bxf2+ 12.Kh1 Bf5 13.Qxa8 Qxh3+ 14.gxh3 Bxe4# 

I am researching the Jerome, and am interested in discovering what other early (before
WWI) games there might have been played with the opening in England.

I have run across Keeble - Cubitt, Norwich, 1886 (1-0, 17), but that is about it.

Many thanks for whatever enlightenment might prevail.

Not surprisingly, Dr. Tim Harding, author of  Joseph Henry Blackburne A Chess Biography, (and other fine books), published by McFarland,  responded quickly.

Re: Early English Jerome Gambit Games?

Postby Tim Harding » Mon May 08, 2017 5:38 pm

That was "Mr M" v Blackburne, first published in the Illustrated London News on 10 May
1884 (probably played at the Divan when Blackburne was convalescing). There is also 
floating around a very similar game Milner-Blackburne supposedly played in Manchester 
(ending 10 h3 Bxh3 11 Qxa8 Qg4 12 g3 Qxg3+ 13 Kh1 Qg2#) but I have no primary source 
for that.

I also found three postal games played by E. B. Lowe ca. 1879-1881 and you possibly
already know Charlick-Mann played by post in Australia in 1881 (1-0, 72).

Tim Harding

Historian and Kibitzer

Author of 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography' and 'Eminent Victorian

Chess Players'

http://www.chessmail.com

Dr. Harding's response adds to information about the Blackburne game,
from the Illustrated London News, giving "Mr. M" as the amateur player
of the White pieces. Other (not primary) sources have named this person
"Milner".

More importantly, the Illustrated London News account of May 10,1884
helps focus the possible date of the game, usually given as 1880 - which I 
had challenged, based upon an article in August 15, 1885 issue of the 
Brooklyn Chess Chronicle. So, 1884 is the corrected date.

Finally, Dr. Harding is being modest in merely mentioning the three postal
games played by E. B. Lowe correspondence games, as a good while back 
he provided them for me. 

Advice to Defenders of the Jerome Gambit: Don't Slow Down

When I ran in school, my teacher said not to stop at the finish line, but to aim for a spot well beyond there. He said that would keep me moving as fast as possible while I was racing. Otherwise, I would slow down at the end, and this would be to the benefit of my opponents.

The same advice can be given to those who defend against the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+): When you realize that you have received a piece or two in a "refuted" opening, keep "running" - keep competing - and do not slow down or relax your attention too soon.

Chessfriend Vlastamil Fejfar, of the Czech Republic (see "A Fierce Jerome Gambit Battle", shares a recent online game where his opponent ignored this advice. The result was as expected.

vlastous - rubicon
ChessManiac.com, 2016

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 Qf6 

Vlasta and Readers have seen this move before, as I noted in an earlier post

A line seen as early as in a note in G.H.D. Gossip's 1891 The Chess Player's Vade Mecum and Pocket Guide to the Openings with all the latest theoretical discoveries and traps in the openings revealed, and more recently supported by FM Eric Schiller in his books on unorthodox openings. (It is fun to read MrJoker's comments about some of Schiller's analysis - see "Joker's Wild" 1, 2and Conclusion.) 

I would like to point out that Schiller in his Unorthodox Chess Openings (1998) wrongly identified Henry Joseph Blackburne's opponent in his classic destruction of the Jerome Gambit as Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, himself. Fifteen years of research into the Jerome Gambit has not turned up any evidence that AWJ ever travelled to London, let alone was able to play HJB at Simpson's Divan. (Certainly Dr. Tim Harding would have included this tidbit, were it not merely a figment of Schiller's imagination, in his exhaustive Joseph Henry Blackburne A Chess Biography.)

In any event, Black has every reason to feel comfortable with his position, as he has played a "refutation" that both time and reference books have presented as sufficient.

8.Rf1 g6 9.Qh3+ Kf7 

But - Black relaxes too soon, as Vlasta immediately demonstrates. Best was the alternative 9...Ke7.

10.fxe5 Qxf1+ 11.Kxf1 d5 12.Qc3 b6 13.d4 Black resigned

White's material advantage is decisive. 

Capt. Evans Faces the Sarratt Attack

At different times on this blog, I have looked for possible fore-runners to the Jerome Gambit (inspirations to Alonzo Wheeler Jerome), including the Sarratt or Vitzthum Attack. (See "A Bridge To... Somewhere?", "Another Distant Relative?", "The Sarratt Attack", "Another look at the Sarratt Attack" and "Another Example of the Vitzthum Attack"). 

Recently I was reading Dr. Tim Harding's Eminent Victorian Chess Players Ten Biographies (2012), and in its Appendix II "Games by Captain Evans" I found the following game. While its date is unknown, the fact that it was published in 1843 makes it one of the earliest examples of the opening that I have seen. It also features a creative fortress defense (R + N vs Q) in the endgame.

Wilson, Harry - Evans, William Davies
Unknown place and date
Notes by Harding and CPC.

From CPC [Chess Player's Chronicle], IV (1843) pages 293-295: "This and the following game are from a choice collection of unpublished MS. games in the possession of Mr. Harry Wilson, which that distinguished Amateur, with his accustomed liberality, has kindly placed at the disposal of the Editor." The games could have been played in Wales (if before 1840) or in London, or at
Wilson's home at Carisbrooke on the Isle of Wight.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.Ng5 Nh6 6.Nxf7 Nxf7 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qh5+ g6 9.Qxc5 

9...Re8 10.Qd5+ Kg7 11.Bg5 Rxe4+ 12.Qxe4 Qxg5 13.O-O d5 14.Qf3 Ne7 15.Qg3 Qxg3 16.hxg3 Bf5 17.Rc1? c5 18.Nd2 c4 19.c3 d3 20.b3 Rc8 21.bxc4 dxc4 22.Rab1 Rc7 23.Rb4 Be6 24.Rcb1 b6 25.Re1 Rc6 26. Re4? a5 27.Rb5 Kf7 28.Rf4+? Kg7 29.Kf1 Nd5 30.Rxd5 Bxd5 31.Rd4 Rc5 32.f3 b5 33.a3 Kf6 34.Kf2 b4 35.axb4 axb4 36.cxb4 c3! 

37.bxc5 c2 38.Rxd5 c1=Q 39.Rxd3 Qxc5+ 40.Ke2 Qg1 41.Ne4+ Ke5 42.Re3 Qxg2+ 43.Nf2+ Kd4 44.Re4+ Kd5 45.g4 h5 46.gxh5 gxh5 47.Rh4 Qg5 48.Rh3 Kd4 49.Kf1 Ke3 50.Nd1+ Kd2 51.Nf2 Qb5+ 52.Kg2 Ke1 53.Rh1+ Ke2 54.Nh3 Qf5 55.Ng1+ Ke3 56.Rh3 Qc2+ 57.Kh1 Qg6 58.Rh2 Qg5

59.Re2+ Kd3 60.Rh2 h4 61.Rg2 Qf5 62.Rh2 Qf4 63.Rh3 Kd2 64.Rh2+ Ke1 65.Ra2 Qd4 66.Re2+ Kf1 67.Rg2 Qd7 68.Ra2 Qg7 69.Nh3 Qf6 70.Rf2+ Ke1 71.Kg1 Qg6+ 72.Rg2 Qf5 73.Ng5 h3 74.Rg4 Qc5+ 75.Kh2 Qf2+ 76.Kxh3 Kf1 77.Rg3 Qb6 78.f4 Qf2??

An egregious blunder! The game should have been drawn 20 moves before.

79.Rf3

Black resigned

5% New (Part 2)

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nc6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Bxf7+ 

As we have seen in the previous post, here we have the "Open Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit", otherwise known as the "Noa Gambit", otherwise not known as the "Zoltowski Gambit", otherwise known as the "Monck Gambit".

So, who was Monck?

A quick trip to Dr. Tim Harding's website reveals that he has a page on William Henry Stanley Monck (1839 - 1915), an Irish amateur chess player. Monck wrote a chess and logic column in Our School Times (Derry), from 1878 to 1884.

There is also on the site a downloadable PGN file of Monck's games, although only one showcases "his" gambit.

Monck, WH Stanley (IRL) - Patterson, T (IRL)
FLS correspondence tourney division 8, 1905

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nc6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe4 h6 7.d4 d6

8.dxe5 Nxe5 9.Nxe5+ dxe5 10.Qxd8 Bb4+ 11.Qd2 Bxd2+ 12.Bxd2 Bf5

13.Ng3 g6 14.Nxf5 gxf5 15.Bc3 f4 16.O-O-O Black resigned

Since I introduced the Monck Gambit with a game by William Henry Krause Pollock, let me finish this post with another one, also from Pollock Memories - this time with WHKP defending. 

Blanchard - Pollock, WHK
Chicago, 1890
notes (converted from descriptive to algebraic notation) from Pollock Memories 

A bright little game played at Chicago.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nxe4 5.Bxf7+

These moves give Black a chance to free his game through a slight counter attack.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe4 d5 7.Neg5+ Kg8 8.d4 h6 9.Nh3 Bg4 

9...Bxh3 10.gxh3 exd4 11.Nxd4 Qf6 is rather preferable.

10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.Nhg1

For here White can improve matters by 11.Nf4. 

11...Bc5 12.Bf4 Ng6 13.Bg3 Kh7 14.Qd3 Re8+ 15.Kf1 Re4

Insidious, as threatening ...Bf5 in some cases, and also preventing Ne5

16.Re1 Qe7 17.Qxd5

Black's coveted opportunity

17...Rxe1+ 18.Nxe1 Rd8 19.Qc4

Black mates in two moves.

We will finish up our look at William Henry Stanley Monck in the next post, which features a Jerome-ish Evans Gambit Declined.

[to be continued]

History Clouded

In Mr. Blackburne's Games at Chess (1899), the notorious Jerome Gambit game Amateur - Blackburne was given as "played at Simpson's Divan about 1880."

I have questioned the date that Blackburne gave - See "Flaws (Part I)" - as 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" which would suggest that it was played during 1885, but not likely in July or August of that year.

It now looks like I will have to back off from my correction, and add even more uncertainty to the date of the game.

Tim Harding's Joseph Henry Blackburne A Chess Biography (2015) - which, as I have noted, does not give Amateur - Blackburne - shows that the British master left for Australia in December 1884, and spent the first half of 1885 "Down Under". A return home was short-lived, as there was an important tournament to participate in

Blackburne and son apparently disembarked at Plymouth on 4 July. As the ship was only docked at Gravesend on the fifth, they must have come up to London by express train. Every day counted, the first round in Hamsburg being on 12 July. After less than a week in England, Blackburne was off on his travels again. 

The Hamburg tournament ended July 27, wherupon Blackburne went to Hereford for the Counties Chess Association Masters tournament, which started August 3.

The events of 1885, therefore, do not appear consistent with the Brooklyn Chess Chronicle admittedly casual dating.

It is possible to extend Munoz and Munoz's "some months" further back in time and look for Amateur - Blackburne in 1884, although there are difficulties in this, too. Harding notes

Blackburne's mid-career health breakdown began before Christmas 1883 when he was forced to cancel all his engagements.

In an age "long before antibiotics or even aspirin and other effective medicines", Blackburne was quite ill.

In late April or early May [1884] he resumed playing at the [Simpson's] Divan; some casual games are preserved from that period...

However, his participation in Simpson's handicap tournament in the spring was affected by his "unfortunate illness" and it is worth noting

[T]he Morning Post, 30 June 1884, said that Blackburne's illness had "left him in a weak state of health, and has prevented him for several months from pursuing his avocation."

Although he travelled to Glasgow the last week in July 1884, it does not appear that his full health returned before his trip to Australia.

Unless I guess "late April or early May" 1884 (above), then "about 1880" (from Blackburne's book) will be as "precise" as I will be able to date Amateur - Blackburne, until another chess column, magazine, or book reference surfaces; especially if we recall the uncertainties mentioned by Brazilian chess master Hindemburg Melão, Jr. in his article for the online chess site, SuperAjedrez,

...Some sources indicate year of the game as 1868, others indicate 1888, and others indicate 1880. Some sources affirm that it was played in Manchester, others in London. Normally the name of the adversary is not given, having only "NN" or "Amateur", but in at least one source "Millner" is indicated as the name. Also it is not known if it was an individual game or part of a simultaneous display... [T]he game deserves to be cited as one of most beautiful pearls of blindfold Chess...

Blackburne Has Arrived

I have already mentioned Tim Harding's new book, Joseph Henry Blackburne A Chess Biography, published by McFarland. It is now available.

My copy arrived yesterday, and this large, attractive and comprehensive book is likely to keep me very occupied - and even interfere with this blog, if I am not careful.

Since Blackburne's destruction of the Jerome Gambit is probably the the best-known Jerome game, I wondered if there might be other examples in the book. I had a good laugh when I read

To attempt a "complete games of Blackburne" is unrealistic. Such a book must be huge yet one could never have confidence that every published offhand and exhibition game had been found. It would also include hundreds of atrocious games against weak amateurs, decided by feeble opening play and gross blunders. Graham estimated that Blackburne had played (already by 1899) somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 games, although the higher figure is probably an overestimate. Besides his blindfold and ordinary simuls, Blackburne must have played thousands of casual games at clubs and public chess resorts, perhaps for a shilling stake. The vast majority were never published or, probably, even recorded.

So, probably no more Jerome Gambits, and maybe no Blackburne Shilling Gambitc, either, to be found in the pages. I certainly will let readers know if I discover any!

In the meantime, I am content to enjoy playing over the games (more than 1,000) of a brilliant attacking player who crossed swords with the top players of his time.

More and More About What We Know So Little

In the last few days I have added over 10,000 Abrahams Jerome Gambit games (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+), which we have been discussing recently, to The Database, pushing it almost to 51,000 games, total. (I can probably add another 10,000 Abrahams JG games to bring things up-to-date with play at FICS.)

Reviewing my email files, I note that in the past I have discussed the opening with the always-impressive IM/PhD Tim Harding (whose 1973 Bishop's Opening is a classic, whose articles for chesscafe.com  helped answer the question "What Exactly Is the Bishop's Opening?", and whose biography of Joseph Henry Blackburne many await from McFarland) and with Michael Goeller, who maintains an excellent online resource on the Bishop's Opening; and neither was familiar with the early Bishop sacrifice.

That pretty much makes three of us.

I have recently contacted IM Gary Lane, a long-time friend of this blog, who has written Winning With the Bishop's Opening (1993) and The Bishop's Opening Explained (2005). While he is not familiar with the Abrahams Jerome Gambit, either, he is willing to take a look at it with his readers in his next month's "Opening Lanes" column at ChessCafe.com. 

I hope to learn more - much more. I need to. It is ridiculous that the "oldest" over-the-board game example of this line in The Database is a 2003 game:

Kuckuck,D - Loesche,N 
EU-ch U08 Germany, 2003

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+ Kxf7 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.Nxe5+ Kf8 7.Re1 Bb4 8.Rxe4 b6 9.Rxb4 Bb7 10.c4 Ke7 11.d3 h5 12.f3 g5 13.f4 gxf4 14.Bxf4 d6 15.Bg3 h4 16.Bf2 b5 17.Rb3 Rh7 18.Nd2 Qd7 19.Ne4 Nc6 Black resigned

The "oldest" online game example in The Database is only from 1999.

ChessNinja  - Leebros
FICS,1999

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+ Kxf7 4.Qh5+ Kf8 5.Qxe5 Qe7 6.Qf5+ Nf6 7.e5 d6 8.Qxc8+ Kf7 9.Qxh8 Nc6 10.Qxa8 Qxe5+ 11.Ne2 Nd4 12.Nbc3 Ng4 13.Qxb7 Nxc2+ 14.Kf1 Nxh2+ 15.Rxh2 Qxh2 16.Qxc7+ Kg6 17.Rb1 Qh1+ 18.Ng1 Ne1 19.Kxe1 Qxg1+ 20.Ke2 Qxf2+ 21.Kd1 Black ran out of time

Joseph Henry Blackburne A Chess Biography

It can be argued that Joseph Henry Blackburne did as much as almost any other chessplayer, besides Alonzo Wheeler Jerome himself, to inform chessplayers about the Jerome Gambit - by publishing his sacrificial crush against it. (See "Nobody Expects the Jerome Gambit!")

Now Tim Harding, author of many fine chess books (I have 20 of them, plus his CD collection of correspondence games), has completed his biography of  the swash-buckling J.H. Blackburne (with over 1,000 of his games), for McFarland. I quote from the publisher's website:

About the Book
During a career spanning more than 50 years, J.H. Blackburne (1841–1924) won the British Chess Championship and several international tournaments, at his peak becoming one of the world’s top three chess masters. A professional player who derived his livelihood from annual tours of chess clubs in England and other countries, entertaining and teaching amateur players, he astonished his contemporaries by the ease with which he played the game without sight of the chessboard. At 21, he set a world record for such exhibitions, competing against 12 club players simultaneously, and he continued to perform “blindfold” into his sixties.

This first comprehensive biography of Britain’s greatest chess player of the early 20th century presents more than 1,000 of Blackburne’s games chronologically, including all his surviving games from serious competition, annotated in varying detail. Many are masterpieces containing beautiful combinations and instructive endgame play. Blackburne’s unusual family and social background are fully explored.

About the Author(s)
Tim Harding played for Ireland at the 1984 FIDE chess olympiad in Thessaloniki, and is a Senior International Master of correspondence chess. A well-known writer on many aspects of chess, he was editor of Chess Mail magazine from 1996 to 2005. Since 1996 he has contributed the monthly articles in "The Kibitzer" series at www.chesscafe.com. He lives in Dublin, Ireland.  

Blackburne's games against other masters are interesting and educational in their own right, but his exhibition games against amateurs are scintillating mini-lessons in aggression (and downright fun to play over). Not for nothing was he nicknamed "The Black Death"!

The book will be published in the spring or summer of 2015, but is available for pre-order from either the publisher McFarland or Amazon.

I have already ordered a copy.

The Best Jerome Gambit Game of the Year (Part 1)

Although the year is only about half-over, the following game has lept to the top of the heap for Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games. It has history, analysis, tactics, strategy, surprises and come-backs - not bad, for a 10-minute game!

Readers are encouraged to dispute my assessment by sending in other great Jerome Gambit games, but at this point I can think of only one game (hint: see "The Jerome Gambit is Going to Drive Me..." Part 1 and Part 2) likely to challenge (and that was only mentioned, not played, in 2014).

Wall, Bill - Guest871838
PlayChess.com, 2014

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

The Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6

This defense is attributed to Joseph Henry Blackburne, whose miniature game brought the Jerome Gambit to the attention of chess players all around the world.

That game appeared in the August 15, 1885 issue of the Brooklyn Chess Chronicle, which noted that it was "played some months ago in London between Mr. Blackburne and an Amateur." It is likely that the game appeared elsewhere, most likely in a British chess magazine or newspaper chess column, but to date I have not found such an appearance. (Any help, Readers?)

The game received greatest exposure when included in Mr. Blackburne's Games at Chess (1899), although it was given there as played "at Simpson's Divan about 1880." Dr. Tim Harding, currently completing a biography of J.H. Blackburne, notes "It has been estimated that Blackburne may have played as many as 100,000 chess games"; so a small error in recall on behalf of the chess master is not unexpected. Six years ago on this blog, in "Flaws" Part I and Part II, I speculated about this possible "mis-remembering".

In my early years exploring the Jerome Gambit, I collected games from everywhere, including electronic game databases, some of which might best be referred to as "junk bases" because their inclusiveness (i.e. as many games as possible) often accentuated their inexclusiveness (i.e. including errors and bogus games). Two games complicate the story of Blackburne's Defense.

The first game is "Halpern, Jacob C. - Von Scheve, Theodor, England, 1880" which is given as having the exact same moves as Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1885. However, "Halpern - Von Scheve" has not shown up in any of the print resources (i.e. 19th and early 20th century newspaper chess columns, chess magazines, chess opening tomes) that I have encountered to date (over a decade of research) - and as such has to be considered spurious.

Equally curious is "Amateur - Neuman, Guestav, London, 1880" which follows the Blackburne game exactly, except that it substitutes 10.b3 for 10.c3, robbing the sacrificial ending of some of its logic (i.e. White's Queen can escape and defend). A note to myself from 10 years ago suggested, as well, "I have doubts about the reality of this game, based on a Google translation of a Wikipedia article from German (no English available) which suggests Neumann quit chess before 1880." Without further support from contemporary sources, the game must also be considered bogus.

Finally, it must be noted that it has occasionally been suggested that Blackburne's opponent in his fateful game was a player named "Millner" - although, again, my research has not confirmed this (or even identified the player). Occasionally the date of the game is given as other than 1885 or 1880, and the "amateur" involved has been mistakenly identified by one author as Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, himself. 

[to be continued]