A Familiar Oldie

I have been going through (again) my issues of the very creative German chess magazine Randspringer, which has received mention on this blog in the past (see "Randspringer!" and "Unorthodox Chess Openings Magazines").

In fact, the magazine has two short articles on the Jerome Gambit, the first being "Meet Jerome" by Jack Young in Randspringer #6 1990-1991, referred to in "Repairing a Variation (Part 3)".

The second is in the pamphlet Eroffnungspraktikum 1. e4 & 'TROSSINGER PARTIE' 2. Lc4! auf alles (Randspringer #78, 2005), in the small "Lc4:f7+ (!; !?; ?!; ?) (von Kiew bis Kentucky)", with the famous Amateur - Blackburne game, and one by the editor/publisher of the magazine, himself.

A number of years ago I included the Schlenker game in a note to a blog post (see "Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (12)") but I thought I would bring it out for some individual attention.

Schlenker, R. - Sfrd (DWZ 1850+)
May 24, 2002

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qxc5
d6 8.Qe3 Nf6 

There are about 330 games with this position in The Database - the vast majority of them played after this game.

 9.O-O Re8 10.d3 Ng4 

A common theme: Harass White's Queen!

11.Qe2

Later, players would show a preference for 11.Qf3+. The current retreat is enough to embolden Black further, but his "attack" is brushed off.

11...Qh4 12. h3 N4e5 

The rejected Knight says "Kick me!"

13. f4 Nd7

Instead, Schlenker suggests 13...Nf6, to be met by 14.c3.

The adventurous 13...Bxh3?! was successful in UNPREDICTABLE-Plafond, FICS, 2009, but should not have been: 14.fxe5+ Kg8 15.gxh3 Nxe5 16.Qg2 Rf8 17. Bg5? (17. Be3) 17...Rxf1+ 18.Qxf1?! (18.Kxf1) 18...Qg3+ 19.Qg2 Nf3+ 20.Kh1 Qe1+ 21.Qg1 Qxg1# Once again, fortune favors the bold!

14. Nc3 c6 15. f5 Nge5

Instead, 15...Ngf8!, Schlenker.

It is amazing how many opponents think that once you have played the Jerome Gambit, you have no more good moves left to play. Time to "kick" the other Knight.

16.d4 Nf6 17.dxe5 Black resigned

Schlenker points out if 17...dxe5 White has 18.Qc4+ Kf8 19.b3, and if 17...Rxe5 there is 18.Bf4. In both cases White is better.

And then, what?

In the following game, Bill Wall's opponent plays one of the I-don't-know-how-many refutations of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). Then, it is as if he looked up in surprise, wondering What? Are you still here?

Wall,B - Marani,G
Chess.com, 2011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+

This check is the start of a rather nasty refutation of the Jerome, involving a Queen sacrifice and all sorts of tactics. Luckily for the Gemeinde, it is largely unknown outside of this blog.

The earliest example I have seen was in a humorously annotated game of "telephone chess" in the American Chess Magazine of June, 1899.

It should be noted that ...Qf6, without the check on White's King, was suggested by Alonzo Wheeler Jerome in his first article on the gambit, "New Chess Opening" in the April 1874 issue of the Dubuque Chess Journal.

9.g3 Qf6

Continuing in the funny vein, the first example I have seen of this Queen retreat was in a game played by a computer against Jack Young (of "Bozo's Chess Emporium" fame), mentioned in his "Meet Jerome" article in Randspringer #6, 1990 - 1991. It "defused the attack."

10.Qh5 g6

I can imagine Black looking up and saying, to White and his Queen, "Are you still here? Begone!" 

11.Qe2

The Queen retreats, properly admonished.

It turns out that Black must lose a piece, anyhow. He decides to do so by tip-toeing his King away.

11...Ke7 12.fxe5 Qxe5 13.c3 Qe6 14.d4 Bb6

White has only a pawn for his sacrificed piece, but he has some compensation in Black's unsafe King and lagging development, as well as in White's pawn center.

If Black is feeling annoyed, that would be compensation, too.

15.Bg5+ Ke8 16.0-0 h6 17.Qf2

Here is another indication that things are not going as Black has planned. The Bishop does not have to retreat, as White is threatening 18.Qf8 mate.

17...Ne7 18.Bxh6 d5

The Bishop can not be captured for the same reason.

19.Nd2 dxe4

Of course, 19...Rxh6 loses the Rook to 20.Qf8+ Kd7 21.Qxh6.

It turns out that Black's only chance to hold onto his edge in the game was 19...Qg8, not the easiest move to find.

20.Nxe4!

It is great to be able to play this kind of move.

20.Qxe4?? 21.Qf7+ Kd7 22.Rae1 Qd5 23.Rxe7+ Kc6 24.Rf6+ Kb5 25.Qxd5+ Ka6 26.Qc4+ Ka5 27.Qb4+ Ka6 28.Qa4 checkmate

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?

Repairing a Variation (Part 3)

The next step in repairing a variation, after you have defined the problem (Part 1) and reviewed some game history (Part 2), is to see what has been written about the line.

Unfortunately, when you are dealing with a variation of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), reading up on the "His Nibs" Variation (4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Ke6 8.f4 Qh4) can be done during a coffee break.
There are only two sources in print that I have been able to find in about 8 years of study of the Jerome Gambit.

The first, in Randspringer #6 1990-1991, was in an article by Jack Young, author of many hysterical "Bozo's Chess Emporium" articles for Chess Horizons.

"Meet Jerome"

The Jerome Gambit (also known as the "Kentucky Opening" according to Blackburne), like the Reynolds Gambit, like the Chicago Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nxe5!! Nxe5 4.d4), like the Fred (1.e4 f5!!) desrves to be in the arsenal of every serious tournament player. Don't know the Jerome? That's OK but if you play through the following game I would not be surprised if it convinced you to venture the Jerome in your next serious tournament game. This important theoretical battle featured some real "high caliber" opposition and makes a good case for the playability of the Jerome Gambit...

...Young - Computer, 1991: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+! Kxf7 5.Nxe5+! Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4?! Another computer defused the attack after 8...Qh4+ 9.g3 Qf6

I admit that this is only a snippet of a mention, but I include it for a couple of reasons. First, it is also the first game (even if a partial) after "R.F" - "Nibs", 1899, that I have in my database. Secondly, it shows that the Black Queen check-and-return was primarily to disrupt White's kingside, not the beginning of a complicated Queen sacrifice.

The second reference I reviewed is from the unusual chess book Unorthodox Chess (2005), by the even more unusually-named author, Some Loser. (I reviewed the book for Chessville here.)

...the Jerome Gambit - an old favorite of mine, back in the good old days when I used to imagine I could get away with anything. It goes like so: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+!! Kxf7 5.Nxe5+! Nxe5 6.Qh5+ White will be able to recover one of the sacrificed pieces, after which Black's exposed King position plus the two Pawns, not to mention the fabulous shock value, almost compensate for the other piece. Ah, those were the days... and hard to swallow as it may seem, it has actually been known to work from time to time.
For instance 6...Ke6?! 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+?! 9.g3 Nf3+ 10.Kf1 Nxh2+?! 11.Kg2 Qd8 [11...Qg4 12.Qd5+ Ke7 13.Qxc5+ d6 14.Qf2 Nf6 15.Rxh2 Nxe4 16.Qe3 Qe6] 12.Qd5+ Ke7 13.Qxc5+ d6 14.Qg5+ Ke8 15.Qxd8+ Kxd8 16.Rxh2 Nf6 17.d3 Ng4? 18.Rh4 Nf6 19.Be3 Bg4?! 20.Bd4 Bd1? 21.Na3 Be2 22.Kf2 Bxd3 23.cxd3 c5 24.Bxf6+ gxf6 25.Nc4 Ke7 26.Ne3 Kf7 27.Rah1 Kg6 28.Rh6+ Kg7 29.Nf5+ Kg8 30.Rxf6 d5 31.Nh6+ Kg7 32.Rf7+ Kg6 33.e5 Rhg8 [33...Rab8 34.f5+ Kg5 35.Rg7#; 33...Rag8 34.Rf6+ Kg7 35.Nf5#] 34.Rf6+ Kg7 35.Nf5+ Kh8 36.Rxh7+ Kxh7 37.Rh6#

The lesson from Some Loser's game (or analysis, it is not clear from the text) is that the White King move 10.Kf1 is not an improvement over abhailey's and R.F.'s 10.Kd1. This was confirmed in both perrypawnpusher - james042665, Chess.com, 2008 (0-1, 18) and perrypawnpusher - Temmo, chessworld.com, 2008 (0-1, 43), even though both defenders did not follow the best line of play.
Black's 10...Nxh2+ vs Some Loser was a mistake which surrendered the second player's advantage. As in abhailey - peonconorejas, net-chess, 2008, the best move was 10...Ne7 with similar powerful play against White's Queen and King. Also, 10...Qd8 gave White the advantage, whereas 10...Qg4 would have led to an equal game.

Worth a Second Look... (Part 2)

Rainer Schlenker refers to 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 (see "Worth a Second Look... (Part 1)") as the "Busch - Gass Gambit" in the May/June 1985 issue (pp. 69-71) of his magazine Randspringer.

He refers to analysis by Oskar Cordel in Führer durch die Schachtheorie (1888)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 3.Nxe5 Qe7 4.d4 Bd6 (4...Bb6 5.Bc4!) 5.f4 f6 6.Nc4 Qxe4+ 7.Kf2 Bxf4 8.Nc3 Qf5 9.Bd3 Qg5 10.Re1+ Ne7 11.Kg1 Nbc6 12.Bxf4 Qxf4 13.Qh5+ Kf8 14.Re4 +/- / +-

and analysis included in Bilguer (1916)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 3.Nxe5 Qe7 4.d4 Bd6 5.Nc3! Bxe5 6.Nd5 Qd6 7.dxe5 Qxe5 8.Bf4 Qxe4+ 9.Qd2

Schlenker, however, modifies the name that Bent Larsen gave to the line ("Busch-Gambit") in Larsen's Sharp Openings (in Danish) based on the game Baird - Busch, 15. Kongresses Deutchen Schachbundes, Nuremberg 1906. Sharp Openings included a portion of the game:

Baird,D - Busch
Nuremberg, 1906
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 3.Nxe5 Nc6 4.Nf3 Qe7 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.d4 Nxe4 7.Nd5 Bb4+ 8.Bd2 Nxd2+ 9.Nxe7 Nxf3+ 10.Ke2 Nfxd4+ 11.Kd3 Bxe7 12.c3 Ne6 13.Kc2 0-0 14.g3 d5 15.Bd3 Rd8 16.f4 d4 17.f5 dxc3 18.fxe6 Nb4+ 19.Kxc3 Rxd3+ 20.Qxd3 Nxd3 21.exf7+ Kf8 22.Kxd3 Bf5+ 0-1

Schlenker adds the name "Gass" to the variation after the German master who had been playing the line in the 1970s and 1980s, and gives a few examples.

Many of Gass's blitz games have gone:

NN - Gass
blitz (1970 - 1985)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 3.Nxe5 Nc6 4.Nxc6 dxc6 5.d3 Nf6 6.Bg5 Nxe4 7.Bxd8 Bxf2+ 8.Ke2 Bg4 checkmate

and then there's

NN - Gass
blitz
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 3.Nxe5 Nc6 4.Nxc6 dxc6 5.c3 Qe7 6.f3 f5 7.d4 fxe4 8.dxc5 exf3+ 9.Kf2 Nf6 10.Bc4 Ne4+ 11.Kg1 fxg2 12.Kxg2 Bh3+ 13.Kg1 Qxc5+ 14.Qd4 Rd8!! White resigns

While Cordel (1888) and Bilguer (1916) updated the analysis of Salvio (1604) (see "Worth a Second Look... (Part 1)"), Busch and Gass have taken the opening in a different direction: that of a reversed Boden - Kieseritzky Gambit, a move down.

That, too, deserves a second look...

Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (12)

Searching for improvements in play against the ...Ng6 defense to the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), the computer grabs a pawn – and has to struggle mightily not to fall to a crushing counter-attack.
Crafty 19.19 - RevvedUp
blitz 2 12, 2006
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+Ng6


7.Qxc5 Nf6 8.0-0


Crafty 19.19 prefers safeguarding the King over protecting the King's pawn, as 8...Nxe4 could be met with 9.Qd5+
8...d6 9.Qe3 Rf8


Likewise, RevvedUp castles his King by hand.

The alternative Rook placement on the e-file has been seen: 9...Re8 10.d3 ( 10.Nc3 d5 11.d3 d4 12.Qf3 dxc3 13.bxc3 Ne5 14.Qg3 g6 15.Bg5 Kg7 16.Qh4 Rf8 17.f4 Nf7 18.e5 Nxg5 19.exf6+ Kg8 20.fxg5 Bf5 21.Rfe1 Rf7 22.Re5 Qd6 23.Qd4 Qa6 24.Rae1 Qxa2 25.c4 Qxc2 26.Re8+ Rf8 27.f7+ Kxf7 28.R1e7+ Kg8 29.Qg7 checkmate, blackburne - Sir Osis of the Liver, www.chessworld.net 2008) 10...Ng4 ( 10...d5 11.f3 Bd7 12.Qf2 Kg8 13.Bg5 Bb5 14.Bxf6 Qxf6 15.Nc3 Bc6 16.exd5 Bxd5 17.Nxd5 Qxb2 18.Nxc7 Rec8 19.Nxa8 Rxc2 20.Qg3 Qd4+ 21.Kh1 Qxd3 22.Qb8+ Nf8 23.Qxb7 Qg6 24.Qb3+ Kh8 25.Rg1 Qc6 26.Rab1 Rc3 27.Qf7 Qxa8 28.Rb7 Ra3 29.Qxg7 checkmate, perrypawnpusher -MoonCat, FICS, 2007) 11.Qe2 Qh4 12.h3 N4e5 13.f4 Nd7 14.Nc3 c6 15.f5 Nge5 6.d4 Nf6 17.dxe5 Black resigned, Schlenker - Sfrd, from Randspringer

The thematic 9...d5 was also possible.

Now Crafty 19.19 goes pawn-hunting, allowing RevvedUp to unleash a powrful attack.

10.Qb3+ Be6 11.Qxb7 Kg8 12.Nc3 Ng4 13.h3 Nxf2 14.Rxf2 Rxf2 15.Kxf2 Qh4+ 16.Kg1 Rf8 17.Nd1

As I've mentioned (see "Jerome Gambit: Don't open that door!") sometimes when I play over a Jerome Gambit game, I secretly root for Black... Here RevvedUp is pounding his adversary (who is rated over 1,000 points higher than he is).
17...Bxh3

It was not obvious at blitz speed that Black had a mate-in-9 here: 17...Nf4 18.Qa6 Qg3 19.Ne3 Nxh3+ 20.Kh1 Qe1+ 21.Nf1 Rxf1+ 22.Qxf1 Qxf1+ 23.Kh2 Nf4 24.Kg3 g5 25.d4 Qxg2 checkmate. He still has the better game after the text, though.
18.Qb3+ Be6

A humorous echo of move 10! However, after the safer 18...Kh8 the computer cannot escape mate.

19.Qxe6+ Kh8 20.d3 Qe1+
21.Kh2 Qxd1

Good enough for the win, but 21...Rf1 instead was crushing.

22.Qd5 h6 23.Qe6 Rf1


Tough guy! Why not sac a piece?

24.Qxg6 Rh1+ 25.Kg3 Qe1+ 26.Kg4




26...Rh4+
Arrrgh! How unfortunate: 26...Qf2, hemming in the enemy King and threatening the pawn at g2 was the move that still won.
But this is blitz, and such things happen.
Crafty 19.19's King can escape – into enemy teritory – and RevvedUp is done for.

27.Kf5 Qf1+ 28.Ke6 Qf8 29.Kd7 Rh1 30.Kxc7 Qe7+ 31.Kc6 Rf1 32.Bg5 Qf8 33.Rxf1 Qxf1 34.Be3 Black resigns

Randspringer!

Readers who enjoy unorthodox chess openings will be pleased to learn that there is a new Randspringer availiable, a triple issue (#82 - #84), with 152 pages. Costs are 14,80 Euro plus 3 Euro for international shipment. Or $25.00 to the USA, I believe.

If you are interested, please contact Peter Reuter at savethewhalenow@yahoo.com

On a related note, I would like to quote from a footnote to a book review that I wrote for Chessville a year or so ago. I do not know if the offers still hold – why not email Peter and ask him?

Peter Reuter (savethewhalenow@yahoo.com) has an announcement sure to set your mouth watering: years 3 through 6 of Rainer Schlenker’s mind-bending German language magazine Randspringer – trailblazer of unusual opening ideas, a contemporary of the legendary Myers’ Openings Bulletin, predecessor to the Unorthodox Openings Newsletter – are available in book form.

But wait – there’s more! Here is a synopsis:

Handbuch der Unregelmaessigen Schacheroeffnungen, Bd. 3 bis 6 [Manual of Unorthodox Chess Openings, vol. 3 to 6]. Reprinted Randspringer volumes 1984 to 1987, 4 paperbacks, 700 densely packed pages with offbeat theory and unorthodox openings of the eighties!

If you order these titles, Peter will throw in:

(1) Randspringer #78. Trossinger Partie 1 e4 & 2 Lc4 auf alles [1 e4 & Bc4 versus (almost) everything, e.g. 1 e4 c6, 2 Bc4!? d5, 3 Bb3 de4:, 4 Qh5! g6, 5 Qh4] (August 2006, 42 pages).

(2) Randspringer #79/80. Up dates Franco-Polnisch 1 e4 e6, 2 d4 b5! (January 2006, 98 pages)

(3) Randspringer #81. Matt in 20 Zuegen. 19.Jahrhundert virtuell im Geiste. Henry Birds. This covers a multitude of unorthodox openings, much b3&f4 material, Sicilian Winger 1 e4 c5, 2 b4, Danish Gambit 1 e4 e5, 2 d4, Ruth Counter Attack 1 d4 Sf6, 2 Lg5 Se4, Kentucky Defense 1 d4 Sh6?! and many more (May 2006, 62 pages).

(4) Festschrift 100 Jahre SV Schwenningen. The large games section covers some of Schlenker’s theoretical and practical efforts in chess (April 2006, 56 pages).

Also, those who order will be sent along a free copy of the 1997 book: Franco-Polnisch 1 e4 e6, 2 d4 b5 u.a. [and others] (paperback, 96 pages).With plenty of games and analysis, Randspringer can certainly be enjoyed by those (like myself) whose first language is not German. These 1050+ pages are not lost to the ages...

I was also able to track down the book version of the first year of Randspringer, but discovered that for some reason there was no bound version of year two. Peter was industrious enough to offer me photocopies – an offer I could hardly refuse!

graphic by Jeff Bucchino, "The Wizard of Draws"