Jerome Gambit History: Real?

I recently emailed a contact at McFarland and Co., publishers of some very fine chess books

I have a question: Is there a way for me to contact the authors of the forthcoming  Neumann, Hirschfeld and Suhle19th Century Berlin Chess Biographies with 711 Games ?  

I understand that it might not be possible directly, and I don't need any of their actual emails. Would it be possible for someone at McFarland to forward an email? 

It is certainly not a matter of great import. I have been investigating the outrageous Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) for almost two decades, and have puzzled over the following game, the source of which, alas, my notes to not reveal: 

[Event "London ENG"][Site "London ENG"][Date "1880.??.??"][Round "99"][White "Amateur"][Black "Neumann, Guestav R.L"][Result "0-1"][ECO "C50"][PlyCount "28"][EventDate "1880.??.??"]1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. Bxf7+ Kxf7 5. Nxe5+ Nxe5 6. Qh5+ g6 7. Qxe5 d6 8. Qxh8 Qh4 9. O-O Nf6 10. b3 Ng4 11. h3 Bxf2+ 12. Kh1 Bf5 13. Qxa8 Qxh3+ 14. gxh3 Bxe4# 0-1 

I suspect the game is specious, for a number of reasons: 

- Except for the move 10.b3, the game, including the Queen sacrifice, is identical to Amateur - Blackburne, London, frequently given as also played in 1880 (the actual date is 1884), and the most infamous of Jerome Gambit games. (Blackburne's opponent had played 10.c3.) 

- Neumann was alive in 1880 (he died the next year) but, according to Wikipedia (not always the best source, I know) "severe mental illness stopped him playing after 1872" 

- Commercial chess database producers have had a habit of salting their collections with occasional bogus games, in order to identify any mass copying of their intellectual property; and this game has an ersatz feel about it 

Still, it would be nice to have a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" from an authority. 

Thank you, very much.

I will let Readers know what responses I receive.

Nostalgia

Having taken a look back at earlier times in this blog with yesterday's post, I would like to continue by pointing out some more, early, distinctive items. Newer Readers might be interested at what has gone on. Older Readers might enjoy the nostalgia.


Of course, it all started in mid-2008 with a "Welcome!". This was followed quickly with a post on the first published analysis, by Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) in "In The Beginning..."


Before starting this blog, I had written a history of the Jerome Gambit, and International Master Stefan Bücker, has, over the years, tried to find a way to publish a version of it in his fantastic magazine, Kaissiber. I don't know how many Readers believe this tale, but it has been told occasionally on this blog, starting with "To Infinity... And Beyond! (Part II)."


Of course, it is hard to overlook Geoff Chandler's send-up of the Jerome Gambit by pairing the moves of the infamous game, Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1885, with pictures from the even-more-infamous collector cards of "Mars Attacks!"


An early mention of "My Jerome Gambit Database" mentioned a whopping 950 games. Currently, The Database contains over 26,500 games, including Jerome Gambit (around 20,000) and related (e.g. Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit) games.


It was fun pointing out "Pitfall Numero Uno in the Jerome Gambit", as well as speculating on the possible "Godfather of the Jerome Gambit?". I was pleased to see that Wikipedia would let me link this blog to their entry on the Jerome Gambit (see "Hey Wiki, it's me, Ricky..."). It was easy to post Jerome Gambit resources with "Jerome Gambit Scrapbook".


There have been many opportunities for historical research. Whether or not Winston Churchill was related to Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, it was funny to report, as Anne Sebba wrote in American Jennie The Remarkable Life of Lady Randolph Churchill

And when Jennie displayed some daring originality or eccentricity the relations would comment: 'How very American. How very Jerome.'

Computers, smart and not-so, have weighed in on the value of the Jerome Gambit, including a massive and interesting computer vs human match.


When I add this blog contains "lots and lots of games" that I have uncovered, and that  friends of this blog have added; and toss in "lots of analysis"; all I can say is: and this is just from the year 2008...


There is sooooo much more. Check it out.

MacGyver

From Wikipedia: "MacGyver is an American action-adventure television series... [S]ecret agent Angus MacGyver... is a resourceful agent with an encyclopedic knowledge of science, able to solve complex problems with everyday materials he finds at hand, along with his ever-present duct tape and Swiss Army knife."

Playing over the following game, I got to thinking about MacGyver.

Bill Wall's opponent had navigated the game into a tricky, but draw-able, Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame, where it seemed possible that Black might actually extract a half-point from White's Jerome Gambit (a rare event, to be sure).

What did Bill have to work with at the end?

Ah, but it is the "+" on White's last move that gives the win.

Wall,B - CKFM
FICS, 2012

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6

7.Qd5+ Ke7 8.Qg5+

Something new! There are no other examples in The Database.

Black has a chance to slip, but the game transposes to more "normal" lines.

8... Ke8 9.Qxc5 Qe7 10.Qe3 Nf6 11.Nc3 Kf7

Or 10...d6 11.0-0 Ng4 (11...Be6 12.f4 Ng4 13.Qg3 Qh4 14.Qxh4 Nxh4 15.g3 Nf5 16.exf5 Bxf5 17.Re1+ Kd7 18.d3 Rae8 19.Bd2 c6 20.h3 Black resigned, Wall,B - Hirami,Z, Chess.com, 2011) 12.Qg3 Qe5 13.Nd5 Qxg3 14.fxg3 Kd7 15.Rf7+ Black resigned, Wall,B -CKSP, FICS, 2010.

12.0-0 Re8 13.d3 d5

Giving a pawn back to be able to exchange Queens.

14.Nxd5 Nxd5 15.exd5 Qxe3 16.fxe3+ Kg8

White has three pawns for his sacrificed piece. Perhaps a super-GM like Magnus Carlsen would say that the game here is won for Black, and all that is left is a matter of (his) technique.

In the world of club players, however, it is not naive to see the game as balanced. The winner will be the one who handles his pawns/Knight better.

17.e4 Bg4 18.Be3 a6 19.Rf2 Rad8 20.h3 Bd7 21.Raf1 c6 22.Bb6 Rc8 23.d6

One "Jerome pawn" gets through. The game is still about even, but that's one more thing for Black to worry about, and one more thing for White to rely on.

23...Be6 24.d4 Nf8 25.g4 Bc4 26.Rxf8+

Possibly this Rook sacrifice was a surprise for Black.

26...Rxf8 27.Rxf8+ Rxf8 28.d7 Bxa2

Of course, White will get his Rook back when he promotes the d-pawn, so Black grabs some "compensation."

29.e5 Kf7 30.d8Q Rxd8 31.Bxd8 Ke6

The excellent placement of Black's King makes the Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame even, even though White has an extra pawn.

32.Kf2 Bb1 33.c3 Ba2 34.Kf3 Kd5 35.Kf4 Ke6 36.Kg5 Kf7 37.h4 Bb1

White looks to see what he can create on the Kingside. If he is able to advance his center two pawns, that will allow Black some counterplay with his remaining 2:1 pawn majority on the Queenside. Eventually White will have to exchange one of his center pawns for a Black wing pawn, and the other White center pawn will be safely blockaded.

38.h5 h6+ 39.Kh4 g6 40.hxg6+ Kxg6 41.e6 Ba2 42.e7 Bf7 43.c4

Things are looking a bit scary for Black right now. Suppose he loses a tempo with 43...Be8. White quickly advances in the center with 44.d5 cxd5 45.cxd5 and has those scary two passers.

But, what would happen next? After 45...Kf7 White can liquidate the Kingside with 46.g5 hxg5+ 47.Kxg5 but now Black starts rolling on the Queenside with 47...a5. Since swapping his Pe7 for the ambitious, but lowly, Pa5 is seriously draw-ish, White's King must persevere with 48.Kf5.

After 48...a4 49.Ke5 b5 50.d6 (50.Kd6 will face the same response) b4 51.Bb6 a3 52.b3 Bc6 53.Bc5 a2 54.Bd4 Bf3 

analysis diagram






Black's and White's advanced passers hold each other hostage and the point can be split, especially after 55.Bb2 Bd1 56.Kc5 Bxb3+.

That kind of pressure, though, searching for that kind of solution, can cause the defender to slip.

43...Kf6 44.e8Q+ Black resigned

The discovered check allows the pawn to Queen safely, and now White can force checkmate.

(Along with his Swiss army knife and duct tape, you had to figure that MacGyver had a discovered check on him, somewhere.)

An Intriguing Letter (Part 1)

I recently received an email from chessfriend Филидор1792 ("Philidor 1792") that got me thinking about a whole lot of things in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) universe – kind of like setting off a whole string of fireworks in my brain. This happened not too long ago (after another letter from Филидор1792) with the series of posts "Where Do Ideas Come From?" Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, so I knew that I was headed off on another adventure!

First, the letter

Hi,

There is some stuff, that may be interesting. When I was reading the article on Jerome Gambit in Wikipedia I noticed that the move 9.Na3 [1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.d4 Bxd4] that is mentioned there with reference to Chess Openings, Ancient and Modern (1896) by Freeborough and Ranken is not represented on your blog (probably I missed it). So I decided to check it with a friend of mine. White happened to win both games, though in second one it was lost.

Thanks for your time. I wish you Happy New Year

To start off: Wikipedia articles do not often link to blogs, but the Jerome Gambit article does – to this blog, of course.

Also, while Wikipedia does not have an article on Chess Openings, Ancient and Modern, itself, it does have an article on author Edward Freeborough (that is the link that I added to Филидор1792's letter). I was surprised to see that one of the references the Freeborough article gives is to a review of Chess Openings, Ancient and Modern – by yours truly. It's a small universe.

Retro

With over 1,200 daily posts to this blog to day, I sometimes like to wander back in time and see what things caught my interest over 3 years ago...

Of course, it all started with a "Welcome!"

It was not long before I had to address the objection "But - is this stuff playable??" (part i and part ii).

It was not surprising to find, among the early "Jerome Gambit Tournaments" some contests where both players lost the same game.

I let early Readers in on "Pitfall Numero Uno in the Jerome Gambit" and filled them in a bit on "What kind of a man...?"  would conjure up such a gambit, one who became "The Man, The Myth, The Legend..."

I started gathering up Jerome Gambit mysteries that I still have not solved. " 'Tis A Puzzlement" was only the first list.

Explored was the link between the Jerome Gambit and the Salvio Gambit. Was there a link?

Then there was "Les Femmes des Echecs...& the Jerome Gambit" and the story of how this blog sidled up to the Jerome Gambit entry in Wikipedia...  

All that, and a whole lot more, in only the first three months of this blog.

And there are many, many more Jerome Gambit tales to be told!

BSG Talk: Hmmmm....

I was doing a Google search on "4.Bxf7+" to see what was out there on the internet these days, and I ran across a discussion of the Blackburne Shilling Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bc4 Nd4) at Wikipedia titled "Talk:Italian Game, Blackburne Shilling Gambit", first visited by this blog in "Talk" a couple of years ago.

The writers referenced Wikipedia's article on the BSG, and one opined

Another suggestion not mentioned in the article is that after 1.P-K4,P-K4 2.N-KB3,N-QB3 3.B-B4,N-Q5?...I should have thought the most enterprising way of punishing black's loss of tempo is with 4.BxPcheck!! (eg. ....KXB .NxPcheck etc. with ample compensation for the piece and a probably winning attack. —

This was met at first with skepticism

Disagree. After 5. ... Ke7 white has no way to continue the attack or even getting more piece in to contine. Moving the Queen out 6. Qg4 d6 7. Qg5+ Nf6 =+ or 6. Qh5 can be met with Nf6 =+. Black is better and white's 4. Bxf7 is an unsound sacrifice.

However, after the correction

Mi scusi, per favore. But what about the reply 5. Nxe5 to 4. Bxf7+?! Ke7!?

The skeptic relented

Much to my surprise I agree. After 4. Bxf7+ Ke7 5. Nxe5 White is better, White could of even retreated the bishop by playing 5. Bc4, so 4...Ke7 is not enough.

There is much to comment upon, here...

In "Talk" I had written

I like the thoughts contained in the first paragraph, especially "ample compensation for the piece," although "and a probably winning attack" may be over-stating it a bit.

I still agree – if "ample compensation" means "an even game", which is what White gets against best play by Black.

But what about that line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ Ke7 ? Is there more to it than a "Jedi Mind Trick"?

I checked The Database and ran an Opening Report. There are 299 games with that line, and "Black scores badly (31%)." No surprise, there.

What of 5.Nxe5 ? Well, in 125 games "White scores above average (60%)" That sounds okay, right?

But, wait a minute.

With 5.Nxd4 (56 games) White "scores well (72%)".

For that matter, with 5.Bxg8 (60 games) White "scores excellently (78%)" and also with 5.Bc4 (20 games) White "scores excellently (80%)". Likewise with 5.c3 (5 games) White "scores excellently (80%)".

Further, with 5.Bb3 (5 games) White "scores excellently (100%)".

It is important not to get too carried away by the Opening Report, which also says that with 5.0-0 and 5.d3 (5 games each) which allow 5...Kxf7, White still "scores excellently (100%)" — both moves are clearly inferior choices (they lose a piece). For that matter, in The Database the strong 5.Bd5 (6 games) only "scores below average (50%)" for White.

So, play 5.Nxe5 for variety, but retreat (or exchange) the Bishop for the best play.

The Rest of the Rest of the Story

It's hard to think of a graphic that catches the essence of Bill Wall – chess player, author (see "Hip' Kat" and his collections of 300 or 500 miniature games, collected by opening), chess populiser and all around good guy. I settled for what is on the left, as Bill is always cooking up something with his openings surprises.

In a recent email, Bill told me that there is a PGN file at Chess.com that contains 40 years of his games: 29,935 games,1969 – 2009. Readers interested in tricky, trappy, goofy and fun openings (often leading to quick victories), should take the time to download the file.

Bill expressed a bit of his philosophy of play

Have fun going through the trash (my games). You will find the most unorthodox, wierdest, awfulest, off-the-wall chess openings there (isn't that great). Any opening can be played as long as you know it better than the other guy and don't fall for a trap before the other guy does...

I see someone has added a wiki on me at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Wall so there is hope with patzers who play chess traps all the time.

I downloaded and examined the file, and found – among many over-the-top games – what may be the answer to a question in an earlier post, "The rest of the story...?" Back then, Bill had shared part of one of his Jerome Gambit games, but had hazily noted after 16 1/2 moves that the game was "later drawn."

Actually, and not surprisingly, his opponent immediately blundered and Bill won in 18 moves: Wall,B - Guest4395, Internet, 2001, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qxc5 d6 8.Qd5+ Ke7 9.d3 c6 10.Bg5+ Nf6 11.Bxf6+ Kxf6 12.Qb3 Rf8 13.0-0 Kg5 14.Nd2 Kh6 15.Nf3 Qf6 16.Rae1 Be6 17.Qxb7 Bc8 18.Qxa8 Black resigned

I'll pass along a few more of Bill's Jerome Gambits in a later post.

Jerome Gambit Blog: Still More Tidying Up

Time to review, update, and clarify a few more things in this Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 Bxf7+) blog. For earlier efforts, see "Jerome Gambit Blog: Tidying Up" and "Jerome Gambit Blog: More Tidying Up"

First on my mind is a quote from the second " Tidying Up"

By the way, as for the Kaissiber saga, see

"To Infinity... And Beyond! (Part II)", "Breaking News..." and "Jerome Gambit Blog: Tidying Up ". I'm still hopeful.

I'm not hopeful any more. It's unlikely that my history of the Jerome Gambit will appear in the pages of Stefan Bücker's amazing chess magazine, Kaissiber. While the audacity of such an opening appealed to the editor, the story of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome's creation is a history of questionable analysis and even more questionable play. Although Kaissiber does not shy away from creative chess notions, its focus on an accurate assessment of things would require massive corrections and/or footnoting – to start.

For more about the Jerome Gambit game Harris,W.A. Sgt. - Quayle,Ernest H.Los Angeles, California, USA 1944, as given in "The Joy of Discovery" Parts I, II, and III, there was a little update in "I love a great used book store". And then the trail went cold, again. (On another hunt, "History Mystery" was fun, though; and I look forward to more discoveries about A F Reed, as first set forth in "A Small Clue to Follow..." and "The Game is Afoot!" )


Unusual as it's supposed to be, the Wikipedia article on the Jerome Gambit continues to contain its link to this blog (see "Hey Wiki, it's me, Ricky!").


While the following remains accurate:

"Is it September already

" requires a number of updates. To date there has been no Jerome Gambit tournament in Jerome, Arizona, as far as I know. I still have an observer near the scene, though I'll have my say about it. One of the main figures in the possible Jerome, Arizona "Jerome Gambit Tournament" is the creator of "The Jerome Gambit is Viable - NOT!" video, which I recomment. (Too, my son Matt, of "Driving Distance" has permanently relocated to Scottsdale, Arizona, and will be able to drive up and keep an eye on anything that might occur.)


An update to "The Jerome Gambit Gemeinde (modern)" would have to include chessfriend Geoff Chandler (of Chandler Cornered) whose contributions here (see "Queened! and Rooked!" "Whodunnit??" and "Blunder Table" ) have been hilarious.

I would also like to add the name of Dr. Paulsen

In light of this it certainly seems reasonable (at least until historical precedents are uncovered) to give 5...Ke7 the title of "Paulsen variation" and award the good doctor (PhD) membership in the Jerome Gambit Gemeinde (see "The Jerome Gambit Gemeinde (early)" and "The Jerome Gambit Gemeinde (modern)") – even though there is one earlier example of the line in my database (presented in an earlier post, as well: see "An Odd Line in an Odd Line")."Jerome Gambit, Paulsen Variation"

and that of Francesco Recchia, who contributed the very forward-looking "A Kind of Jerome Gambit that Wins".


The possible connection betwen Winston Churchill and Alonzo Wheeler Jerome (see "From the Email Bag...") has been traced a bit further, to the U.S. northeast; but has not yet been tied together..


Connections betwen IM Gary Lane and the Jerome Gambit continue. Not only is it true that "A check of the Everyman Chess website shows that Gary Lane's The Greatest Ever Chess Tricks and Traps is available" further information exists in "Firsts" and "An International Master Refutes the Jerome Gambit".

The "Jerome Gambit and the Perfesser series" Part I, Part II, Part III and PartIV, was, of course, followed by another instructive, exploratory "human vs computers" match involving, "RevvedUp" and a handful of silicon monsters, starting with "Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (1)"

"Doesn't anybody read this blog?", regarding perrypawnpusher - Sgrunterundt, blitz 2 18, FICS, 2008 was a needless lament, being followed by a host of responses: "Back at me", "Hoist by my own petard...", "Where are all these Jeromes coming from?", "Perhaps not every opening should be Jerome-ized...", "Be careful what you wish for...", "If I write all this, and someone reads it...", and "I don't have time for this stuff..."

Readers who were interested in "Hip' Kat" should check out a couple of other hippo sources: hippo_chess@abv.bg and hippo_chess@abv.bg.


Another Pandora's box was opened with "London Calling...Seven Months of Blog"

I also got wondering the other day: is there 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??

from which came forth "The next best thing...", "The next worse thing...", "Worth a Second Look (Part 1)", "Worth a Second Look (Part 2)", "Worth a Second Look (Part 3)", "Wild!", "Wilder!", "Wildest!", "And Yet Wilder Still...", "More of The Next Best Thing...", "Busch-Gass Gambit" and "Obscure and Disreputable Enough?"


Alas, I have not yet uncovered "The rest of the story...?" concerning the game Wall - Guest4395, Microsoft Internet Gaming Zone, 2001.


For that matter, in "The Westminster Papers" the refererence to the chess player "H.W.P" of Vermont is also still a mystery to me.

Further chapters of "Jerome Gambit for Dummies (1)" "(2)" "(3)" are being prepared.

I have switched from one version of "Chess Publisher" to another to present the games in posts. The earlier one is responsible for the annoying account messages.

Talk

Wikipedia not only has a listing for the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 Bxf7+), among many chess openings, (see "Hey, Wiki, it's me, Ricky..."), it also has coverage of the Blackburne Shilling Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4)

Recently on Wikipedia I stumbled across Talk: Blackburne Shilling Gambit which had the following:

...Another suggestion not mentioned in the article is that after 1.P-K4,P-K4 2.N-KB3,N-QB3 3.B-B4,N-Q5?...I should have thought the most enterprising way of punishing black's loss of tempo is with 4.BxP check!! (eg. ....KXB 5.NxPcheck etc. with ample compensation for the piece and a probably winning attack. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.85.28.67 (talk) 12:52, 28 February 2009 (UTC)

Disagree. After 5...Ke7 white has no way to continue the attack or even getting more piece in to contine. Moving the Queen out 6. Qg4 d6 7. Qg5+ Nf6 =+ or 6. Qh5 can be met with Nf6 =+. Black is better and white's 4. Bxf7 is an unsound sacrifice. SunCreator (talk) 15:04, 28 February 2009 (UTC)

If one likes this sort of sacrifice for White (compare the Cochrane Gambit against Petroff's Defense: 1. e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nxf7?!), it seems to me that one ought to play against the Blackburne Shilling Gambit 4.Nxe5!? Qg5 5.Bxf7+! Ke7 6.0-0, which gives White a similar but much improved form of piece sacrifice. In that line, White gets to chase around not only Black's king, but also his knight (c3) and queen (d4) with gain of tempo. Krakatoa (talk) 22:06, 28 February 2009 (UTC)

I like the thoughts contained in the first paragraph, especially "ample compensation for the piece," although "and a probably winning attack" may be over-stating it a bit.

The second paragraph seems to miss White's best play against 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke7 – White should probably play 6.c3 Nc6 7.d4 with an okay game.

Paragraph three suggests 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Nxe5 Qg5 5.Bxf7+ Ke7 6.0-0 – which, after the natural 6...Qxe5 7.Bxg8 Rxg8 8.c3 Nc6 9.d4 is similar to the line just mentioned. (Geoff Chandler finished off a troubled Stockbridge "NN" in 1983 with 9...Qa5 10.d5 Ne5 11.Qh5 Nf7 12.d6+)

Jerome Gambit and – Cell phones??

A while back I shared an entry from Wikipedia (see "Artificial Castling" from Wikipedia (Portugese)") that used the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) to illustrate "castling by hand" or "artificial castling."

That's not unusual for a blog dedicated to the Jerome Gambit.

I just discovered, however, that the folks at Web Celular (http://www.webcelular.com.br/) have done me one better. In order to add some panache to their lineup of phones, they have included chess content – including that Wikipedia article.

Nothing quite says reliable, dependable and top-of-the-line like the Jerome Gambit, does it?

Jerome Gambit Scrapbook

From time to time I will post addresses of online Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) resources.

Readers are, of course, welcome to contribute to this list.

"Jerome Gambit"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_Gambit

"Jerome Gambit, or Jerome Gamble?" – Rick Kennedy & G. K. Gifford

http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/4Ov5SGzNMWKr5Ej95W53b--AauVveeS2EpSkC-YUoz44lmTMiI4O_v0m2t-WeTQrC5Dx1jaldvZ-K6ryw6v3uARMr_iXLyNONSP_-PQp/UON-17%20-%20Jan-Apr2007.pdf


"Jerome Gambit – Revisited," by Rick Kennedyhttp://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/8Pn5SIQEWbgFsvUMPrsheeTkz1oZyIfk_IqIQtypSCpyjfdjJvxIinrlDy7YjtET6RBhLAepEZTkpPCcUjMSN1tWA3RRam1oBfCEYUOC/UON18-May-Aug_2007.pdf


"Nobody Expects the Jerome Gambit!" by Rick Kennedyhttp://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/Chess-Unorthodox-UON/files/


"The Good Old Days," Opening Lanes, ChessCafe, by International Master Gary Lanehttp://www.chesscafe.com/text/lane111.pdf


"Chess Made Easy," Opening Lanes, ChessCafe, by International Master Gary Lanehttp://www.chesscafe.com/text/lane112.pdf


"Jerome Gambit" HANGING PAWN :: Tip's Blog
http://www.lockism.com/engine/html/jeromewhite/jeromewhite.htm

From the Email Bag...

An interesting email from blackburne includes

...I tried to look up Jerome on Wikipedia, with no success (there's only one person who could write the entry - you!), but I did find that Winston Churchill's mother, who was American of course, had a maiden name of Jerome! It's not a very common name, so I wondered if there could be a family connection? Now that would be interesting.

A connection between Alonzo Wheeler Jerome and Winston Churchill??

That would indeed be interesting.!

As Anne Sebba writes in American Jennie The Remarkable Life of Lady Randolph Churchill

And when Jennie displayed some daring originality or eccentricity the relations would comment: 'How very American. How very Jerome.'

I will see what I can discover. Readers are welcome to join in!

"Artificial Castling" from Wikipedia (Portugese)

Roque artificial
Origem: Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre.
Ir para: navegação, pesquisa

Posição após o 6º movimentoRoque artificial ou Roque na mão, no enxadrismo, é uma manobra utilizada para proteger o rei utilizada quando o rei não tem mais direito ao roque normal. Por exemplo na Abertura Giuoco Piano, após os movimentos usuais:

1.e4 e5
2.Cf3 Cc6
3.Bc4 Bc5

As brancas surpreendem com o duvidoso:
4. Bxf7?!
O rei das Pretas perderá o direito ao roque porque, ou se moverá para e7 ou capturará o bispo com 4...Rxf7.
A partir de então as Pretas efetuarão uma série de movimentos para proteger rei, como por exemplo: 5...Tf1 6...Rg1
Com isso, as Brancas terão muito tempo para preparar um ataque na ala do rei, recuperar o bispo sacrificado ou até mesmo vencer o jogo.

Oh, caro!

It seems that the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) spreads confusion wherever it appears.

Take the simple entry in Wikipedia, above for "artificial castling" (http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roque_artificial) – translated "a maneuver to protect the King when the King does not have the right to castle normally."

The opening used to illustrate the concept is, of course, the Jerome Gambit.

Note the conclusion of the article, "With this, White will have enough time to prepare an attack on the King, to recover the sacrificed bishop, or even to win the game."

Of course, in the diagram given in Wikipedia (reproduced accurately above) Black's King Knight has mysteriously disappeared from f6, so White is no longer a piece down.

Readers who are able to arrive at such a position "after six moves" are requested to share that information with the rest of us.

Jerome Gambit Blog: Tidying Up

Time to clean up a few things in this blog...

"In The Beginning..." refers to the first appearance in print of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) as being in the Dubuque Chess Journal, April 1874, Vol. VI, No. 50, p. 358-9.

This is a correction to the reference in the Oxford Companion to Chess, Whyld and Hooper, first (1984) and second editions (1992), noting "It appeared first in American Chess Journal, 1876." The authors are correct in that the June, September, November and December issues of the ACJ had Jerome Gambit content -- the Dubuque Chess Journal simply had prior coverage.
I have not been able to find an earlier reference than April 1874.

"To Infinity... And Beyond! (Part II)" and "Breaking News" indicated that at some time in the future Stefan Bücker's quarterly chess magazine, Kaissiber, would carry my article on the Jerome Gambit. Current speculation is there may be a short article in the October 2008 issue.

In "Nobody expects the Jerome Gambit!" I mentioned that Blackburne, in Mr. Blackburne's Games at Chess (1899) referred to the Jerome Gambit as "the Kentucky Opening." I have yet to discover how it is that the British master came up with that name.

"Is This Blog About YOU??" and "You, too, can add to Jerome Gambit theory" both have been well-answered by games from ongoing Jerome Gambit thematic tournaments, and the occasional Comment to this blog or email to its Editor (richardfkennedy@hotmail.com). Of course, fresh games and analysis are always appreciated.

In "The Man, The Myth, The Legend..." I mentioned placing a classified ad with the online Paxton, Illinois (home of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome) website, http://www.paxtonil.com/, seeking information about the originator of the Jerome Gambit. While I have received no reply, and the ad has expired (and no longer appears), I can report that if you have an unwanted Paxtonopoly game, please contact the PRIDE office at 379-3388 or email pride@paxtonil.com.
I am no further enlightened on the things that puzzled me in " 'Tis A Puzzlement..."

After some progress on learning about the Jerome Gambit game Harris,W.A. Sgt. - Quayle,Ernest H.Los Angeles, California, USA 1944, as given in "The Joy of Discovery" Parts I, II, and III, the trail has gone cold.

"We are not alone..." heralded HANGING PAWN:: Tip's Chess Blog's coverage of the Jerome Gambit, and the offer therein of not just the computer vs computer Jerome Gambit games where White won (via download), but all of the games (contact the blogmaster). To date I have not received the larger stash.

With Rail2Rail winning his Jerome Gambit thematic tournament at ChessWorld, (see "Rail2Rail by a length" and "Rail2Rail Nails It") I had hoped for an annotated game or two from the winner; but nothing, yet.

"My head is spinning" Truly. Rybka 3.0 – or, in my case, Deep Rybka 3.0 Aquarium – is the real deal. It has got to be the tool for the serious (and very serious) chess player. Like having a "Grandmaster In A Box". A rather intimidating Grandmaster, at times – but: Wow!

After "The Salvio Gambit??" and "The Salvio Gambit?? (More)" I have not heard back from my friends at Chess.com, so I will tentatively suggest that I got my analysis correct.

Having fun with "Jerome Gambit and Vlad Tepes..." and "Jerome Gambit, Vlad Tepes and... Garlic!" I've started a couple of games at GameKnot with he-of-the-garlic, mika76.

As always, I'm "Looking for a few Jerome Gambit games..."
"Hey Wiki, it's me, Ricky!" So far the link to this blog from the Wikipedia article on the Jerome Gambit has been intact - and people are following it. Gotta love that.















Clipart from Clipartheaven.com