Another Delayed Declined Evans Jerome Gambit!?

For a 3-minute game, the following contest appears a bit "positional" but Philidor 1792 uses the strengths of his side more effectively than his opponent uses his strengths. 

Philidor 1792 - guest343
3 0 blitz, www.bereg.ru,  2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 

The venerable Evans Gambit.

4...Bb6 

Declined.

5.b5 Na5 6.Bxf7+ 

An Evans-Jerome Gambit hybrid that Philidor 1792 has played before.

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Kf8 8.Qf3+ 

An improvement over 8.d3 of Philidor 1792 - guest2019, 3 0 blitz, www.bereg.ru, 2013 (1-0, 33) and 8.0-0 of Thomas, H - Steve, H, Jackson, MI, prison m, 1992 (1-0, 44);

Best might be 8.Bb2!?. 

8...Qf6 9.Bb2 

Or 9.Qxf6+ Nxf6 10.d3 as in Castled - perrypawnpusher, 3 0 bliz, FICS, 2008 (0-1, 42). 

9...Qxf3 10.Nxf3 Nc4 11.Bc1 d6 12.d3 Ne5 13.Nbd2 Nf6 14.Nxe5 dxe5 15.Nc4 Bd4 16.Rb1 Bd7

17.Be3 Bc3+ 18.Bd2 Bd4 19.Be3 Kf7 20.Bxd4 exd4 21.Ne5+ Ke6 22.Nxd7 Nxd7 23.f4 Rhf8 24.g3 Nc5

25.Rb4 Rad8 26.Kf2 g5 27.Kf3 b6 28.h4 gxf4 29.gxf4 Rg8 30.Rc4 Rd6 31.a4 c6 

Up to this point, White's two extra pawns have held their own against Black's extra piece. Now, with some inexact moves, the second player lets the "Jerome pawns" break through.

32.Ra1 Kf7 33.e5 Rh6 34.Rxd4 Rxh4 35.bxc6 Rh3+ 36.Kf2 Ke6 37.c7 Rc8 38.Rd6+ Kf5 39.Rf6+ Kg4 40.Rf7 Ne6 41.Rg1+ Black resigned

On top of the raging pawns, White also threatens checkmate.

The George J. Dougherty Club

Vera Menchik (1906 - 1944), the world's first women's chess champion, also competed in chess tournaments against men.

In 1929, Albert Becker jokingly suggesting that any player that she defeated in tournament play should be granted membership in "The Vera Menchik Club".

Of course, Becker became the first member of the "club", which came to include such noted players as C.H.O.D. Alexander, Edgar Colle, Max Euwe, Harry Golombek, Mir Sultan Khan, Jacques Mieses, Philip Stuart Milner-Barry, Karel Opočenský, Samuel Reshevsky, Friedrich Sämisch,  Lajos Steiner,  George Thomas, William Winter,  and Frederick Yates.

I mention this bit of chess history because of a current discussion of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) taking place at Chess.com, where members have weighed in with various levels of skepticism:

There is very little chance of succeding with that gambit

I suggest you find something better

White has nothing

the gambit is completely unsound

not a variation to take anyone's game forward

simply throws away two minor pieces

unless your opponent is a child and you are playing a bullet game on Halloween, it doesn't look like a wise opening choice

an unsound gambit

You may surprise some in bullet, that's all

Those were the polite comments, mind you.

Anyhow, I thought it was time for me to inaugurate "The George J. Dougherty Club".

In the March 1877 American Chess Journal, Alonzo Wheeler Jerome reminisced that he had first played his gambit (successfully, too) against G.J. Dougherty of Mineola, New York, "a strong amateur".

That makes it interesting to recall that while it was in the April 1874 issue of the Dubuque Chess Journal that Jerome's "New Chess Opening" was first announced, the very next month's Journal carried this notice

Chess Challenge

George J. Dougherty, of Mineola, Queen's County, New York, hereby respectfully invites John G. Belden, Esq., of Hartford, Conn., to play him two games of chess by Postal Card, at his convenience, Mr. Belden taking the attack in one game and Mr. Dougherty in the other; the object being to test the soundness of Jerome's Double Opening, published in the April No. (50) of this Chess Journal. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

Mr. Dougherty, it seems, was willing to see what he could do to add other players to the growing list of those who had lost to the Jerome Gambit.

It is fitting that we name a "club" after him.

Train of Thought

From The
Evening Post,
Wellington,
New Zealand,
June 2, 1913:

In Political Circles

It is well known that Messrs. Asquith and Bonar Law, the rival leaders in British politics, are excellent chess players. But it is not so widely known that Mr. A. Fisher, Prime Minister of Australia, is also a chess expert. He and Mr. Josiah Thomas (Minister for External Affairs) are both very fond of chess, and many a long railway journey has been shortened by its means. Lately Mr. Fisher has been successfully exploiting the Jerome Gambit.

From George Cockerill's Scribblers and Statesman (1943),

Mr. Fisher and [Cockerill] discussed the terms of the Protectionist declaration over several keen games of chess [aboard the train]. Finally,[Cockerill] wrote this section of the speech and Mr. Fisher adhered to it consistently thoughout the campaign.

Further information on the Jerome Gambit career of Prime Minister Fisher is sought from Down Under and Elsewhere.