Jerome Gambit-Inspired Play (Part 7)

Turn-around is fair play, they say, and the following game is a fun example. Philidor 1792 is off to a solid 3-minute game, when, suddenly... 


Philidor 1792 - guest1416
3 0 blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.a3

Here we have Gunsberg's Variation of the Four Knights Game, explored (among other places), along with other double e-pawn openings, in Hugh Myers' 1977 Reversed King Pawns, Mengarini's Opening.

White prepares to take the "black" side of the positions that
develop, hoping to be helped by his "extra" pawn move. Black prepares to play...

4...Bc5

...a reversed Italian game, and, after...

5.Bc4 Bxf2+ 

...he uncorks a Reversed Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit!

The only "reversed" Jerome Gambit that I can find in The Database at this point are lixuanxuan - Polone, blitz, FICS, 2012 (0-1, 27), which began 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Bc5 4.Bc4 Bxf2+ ; and Diophantos - khangaza, blitz, FICS, 2007 (0-1, 34), which began 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Bc5 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.d3 Bxf2+.

Of course, that is not to overlook games like Krejcik, Josef - Baumgartner, Troppau, 1914 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 3.Nxe5 Bxf2+ 4.Kxf2 Qh4+ 5.g3 Qxe4 6.Qe2 Qxh1 7.Bg2 Black resigns. For a discussion of the Busch - Gass Gambit, see "Worth A Second Look" Parts 1, 2 and 3.

6.Kxf2 Nxe4+ 7.Nxe4 d5 8.d4

Following along the lines of ideas for Black in the regular Jerome Gambit, White could play 8.Bd3 dxe4 9.Bxe4 or 8.Bxd5 Qxd5 9.d3, but, instead he plays the blow-it-up variation - see perrypawnpusher - Marcym, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 20) and perrypawnpusher - NimbusReign, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-0, 26).  Why not, he's ahead a couple of pieces, right?

8...exd4

A better idea, according to Houdini, was 8...dxe4 9.Nxe5 Qf6+ 10.Ke1 Be6 11.Bxe6 Qxe6 12.Nxc6 Qxc6, although, despite White's King's central residence, the first player's extra piece still outweigh's Black's extra pawn.

9.Ng3

Solid, but missing 9.Bg5!? when 9...f6 allows a brutal attack 10.Nxf6+ gxf6 11.Re1+ Kf8 12.Bh6+ Kg8 13.Bxd5+ Qxd5 14.Re8+ Kf7 15.Rxh8, according to the computer. That would be a lot for a person to see in a 3-minute game.

9...dxc4 10.Re1+ Be6 11.Kg1 0-0

White has castled-by-hand and might actually believe that his extra piece is worth more than Black's extra three "Jerome pawns". The psychological reversal might have been difficult, with the Jerome-player facing the Jerome.

12.Ng5 Bd5 13.Nf5 Qf6 14.Qg4 Ne5

Instead, 14...Rad8 or 14...Rae8 would have probably kept the game even.

15.Qh3

White presses his counter-attack against the (reversed) Jerome. In a slower game, he might have risked 15.Rxe5!? Qxe5 16.Bf4 h5 (16...Qf6 17.Nxh7 Kxh7 18.Bg5 Qe6 19.Qh5+ Kg8 {19...Qh6 20.Bxh6 g6 21.Qh4 gxf5 22.Bg5+ Kg7 23.Qh6+ Kg8 24.Bf6 Bc6 25.Qg7#} 20.Ne7+ Qxe7) 17.Bxe5 hxg4 18.Ne7+ Kh8 19.Nxd5 with advantage. 

15...h6 16.Ne4 Qe6 17.Kh1 

Safety first - and an even game. Again, with time to burn, Philidor 1792 would certainly have found 17.Bxh6!? Ng6 (17...gxh6 18.Nxh6+ Kg7 19.Nf5+ Kg8 20.Ng5) 18.Neg3, etc. 

17...Ng6 18.Nxd4 Qxh3 19.gxh3 Rae8

Black is now clearly better.

20.Kg1 Rxe4 21.Rxe4 Bxe4 22.Nb5 c6 23.Nd6 Bxc2 24.Nxc4 Rd8 25.Be3 b6 White lost on time

Another Jerome victory!

(Another Random Note: May, 2011, had been the month, so far, with the most page views for this blog since it started in June, 2008 . However, last month November, 2013, overtook it, becoming the month with the most views - until December 2013, which has surpassed both to become Number 1! My "Welcome!" and "Thank You! to everyone stopping by. - Rick) 

Unorthodox Chess Openings Magazines

If you enjoy playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) you probably have an interest in playing other "unorthodox" chess openings, as well.

While you may not have the Myers Openings Bulletins at hand (M.O.B. 1979-1988, New M.O.B. 1992-1996)

I've mentioned on this blog three other magazines devoted to unusual opening lines that are still being published.

Kaissiber, a German language magazine published by FIDE Master Stefan Bücker, is always a treasure trove of solid chess creativity and chess history. The current Issue #37 has a large article on the Sicilian Wing Gambit (1.e4 c5 2.b4!?), for example, and on a reversed Budapest Gambit coming out of the Tal Gambit in the Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2.f4 d5 3.Nf3!? dxe4 4.Ng5) amongst other explorations.

The grand-daddy of current unorthodox openings magazines is Rainer Schlenker's Randspringer. The current publication is a triple issue, full of "Kaffeehaus-Schach". Schlenker's imagination knows few bounds, but he frequently plays the openings he presents, and his games are amusing and educational.

A relative "youngster" in the group is the Unorthodox Openings Newsletter. Issue #26 recently appeared. Yes, that is a picture of Women's World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk on the cover. Editor Gary K. Gifford has an interview with Ms. Kosteniuk on the inside pages. There is also a ton of games by Philip du Chattel, who loves to play Nh6 in Hippopotamus style formations. Also catching my eye was more thought, analysis and games on the Tayler Opening (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Be2!?).

Why not check them all out?

Kaissiber #34

Of interest to those who play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) and other, more reputable, unorthodox openings: the latest issue of Stefan Bücker's wonderful quarterly chess magazine, Kaissiber #34, is now available.

Inhalt:
04 Leserbriefe
06 Impressum
09 Maurits Wind: Hugh Myers (1930 - 2008)

Eröffnungen
13 Maurits Wind: Mit g5 gegen Englisch/Myers´Verteidigung und Verwandtes
28 Lew Gutman: Esteban Canals Springerzug 7.Sc3 i.d. Preußischen Partie
Königsgambit (5. ... Sf6)

Schachgeschichte
50 Peter Anderberg: Esteban Canal in Leipzig
70 Alfred Diel: Samuel Reshevsky
72 Sie sind am Zuge

73 Partien (Franco - Polnisch)

74 Literatur

81 Lösungen
82 Register

Playing At Odds

Although I always play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) for fun, sometimes I use the opening as a way of giving "odds" to a lower-rated player. Little did I realize that this strategy was over 150 years old!

The following excerpt should be of historical interest to those who play the Chicago Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nxe5) – see The Myers Opening Bulletin, New MOB No. 4, October - December, 1993 – as it is over 25 years earlier than examples generally known.

From the "Chess" column in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, July 12, 1856

We give place to the following communication from Mr. D.W. Fiske, of the Astor Library, inasmuch as it may interest those who are in the habit of giving odds. For our single self, we can only say that we do not delight in any games at odds, and – while we admit the necessity of thus equalizing the game by removing the disparity in force between different players – we never like to encounter "rook" or "pawn and two" men, when we can find an antagonist of the first rank. The toughest match we ever played was with our friend Hamilton, of St. Louis, giving the queen's knight and receiving the pawn and move in return. To those, however, who practice playing at odds, the suggestion of our young friend "Shabiludius" will prove curious and instructive.

SOMETHING NEW IN CHESS

I have been playing latterly some games at a new and curious kind of odds, namely: The odds of giving the Knight in the King's Knight's opening for the King's Pawn. Although my experience in giving these odds has been too brief to enable me to determine their precise value, yet I should hardly be surprised if, upon analysis, they should prove to be little greater than the odds of giving pawn and move – at least I have tried them successfully with players to whom I could only afford to give pawn and move. The following are the opening moves:
WHITE_____________ BLACK
1 P to K 4___________ 1 P to K4
2 Kt to KB3__________2 Kt to QB3
3 Kt takes KP ________3 Kt takes Kt
4 P to Q4
and Black must withdraw his Knight either to King's Knight's third or to Queen's Bishop third. In the former case, White appears to embarass Black's game materially by playing Pawn to King's Bishop's fourth. If he place his Knight at Queen's Bishop's third, perhaps White's best move is Pawn to Queen's fifth, compelling black either to carry his Knight home or to place it on the Queen's Rook's fourth.

CARRERA, who enumerates many curious methods of giving odds, does not, if my memory serves me right, even hint at this. PHILIDOR has left us some games in which he gave the Knight for the Pawn and move, but in that case the Queen's Knight was given by one party and the King's Bishop's Pawn by the other. I have been persuaded to communicate this very brief notice of these novel odds to the ILLUSTRATED NEWSPAPER, in the hope that, if they are of no value, some chess analyst will at once demonstrate their unworthiness. But I also hope that, should they be found to contain any elements of interest, they may be added to the list of the many beautiful and ingenious contrivances by which the devotees of Caissa seek to equalize their disparity at chess skill.
Shabiludius

The next best thing...

A few posts ago (see "London calling... Seven Months of Blog") I asked readers to suggest "another totally obscure and disreputable tactical opening line or gambit that I could go digging for information about, while I'm researching the Jerome Gambit."

Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member Pete Banks ("blackburne"), in a Comment, suggested 1.h4, a move with which he has had some success, following his own idea of 2. g3, 3.Nh3, 4.Bg2, and 5.0-0.

So I did a little research.

Althought Tim Harding, in his Dynamic White Openings (1989), calls 1.h4 "The most despised of openings, not even worthy of a name," it has sometimes been called the Deprès Opening, according the Oxford Companion to Chess (1984).

More often, though, 1.h4 goes by the name of the Kadas Opening. Eric Schiller, in his Unorthodox Chess Openings (1998, 2002), writes

The Hungarian player Kadas has the dubious distinction of being perhaps the greatest living exponent of 1.h4, a move even Myers, a true fan of bizarre openings, considers poor.

He is referring to Hugh E. Myers, who in his Exploring the Chess Openings (1978) had this to say

If there were an election for the worst possible first move, 1.P-KR4 would have excellent winning chances.

Grandmaster Bent Larsen, in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings, Volume A (1979), gave "1.h4? e5 =/+"

So Kadas' Opening would seem to meet the criteria set above for "disreputable" – even if it receives more complete and respectful treatment in Stefan Bücker's Groteske Schacheröffnungen (1990).

Do readers have other suggestions?

Kaissiber!

I've spoken quite positively of Stefan Bücker's awesome quarterly magazine Kaissiber, which focuses on games, analysis and history (see "To Infinity... And Beyond!", "Breaking News...", "My head is spinning" and "Jerome Gambit Blog: Tidying Up") -- especially unorthodox openings.

Kaissiber 33 is due out today (unless you are a subscriber; in which case you have already received your issue, lucky person) and is well worth tracking down. (Word is that it has some killer King's Gambit analysis...)

If you are interested in collecting back issues of Kaissiber, it is important to know that they are available in bound editions, with the fourth volume due out this coming January (or late December).

Finally, for those of you who have interest in such things, Stefan also has copies for sale of my (with Riley Sheffield; Introduction by Hugh Myers) Marshall Gambit in the French and Sicilian Defenses which focuses upon 1.e4 e6 2.d5 d5 3.Nc3 c5!? and 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 d5!? (and which is much, much sounder than the Jerome Gambit!)