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.

Jerome Gambit Tournament: Chapter V

I'll be the first to admit that sometimes the Jerome Gambit does not appear to be such a fearsome beast at all. Since my goal in this tournament was to beat the opening nine times, this seemed to be a good idea to keep in mind.
drewbear - perrypawnpusher
JG3 thematic www.chessworld.net, 2008

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d3

The modern Jerome Gambit approach (see "Jerome Gambit Tournament: Chapter IV"). My opponent is familiar with this line: including this tournament, he has played it over 20 times.

5...Nf6 6.0–0 Rf8 7.Bg5 Kg8

I suppose that I'm an oldster, but it seems to me that any line that allows Black to castle-by-hand like this can't be very promising for White. "Keeping Black's King in peril" is a major Jerome Gambit theme.

8.h4

The idea behind this is unclear, but my own moves are pretty easy to figure out: don't do anything risky, swap pieces, keep the pressure on and look forward to the piece-up endgame.
8...d5 9.exd5 Qxd5 10.Nc3 Qf7 11.Ne4 Nxe4 12.dxe4 Bg4 13.Qd3 Bxf3 14.gxf3 Be7 15.Qd5 Bxg5 16.hxg5 Rad8 17.Qxf7+ Rxf7 18.Kg2 Nd4 19.Rad1 Rdf8 20.Rh1 Rxf3 21.Rd2 Ne6 22.Rd3
An oversight that ends the game.

22...Rxf2+ 0–1

Seeing clearly, regardless...

The game is not quite a Jerome Gambit
("'Tis A Puzzlement") but it does include a Bxf7+ sac followed by a marauding Queen and it shows "The Black Death" at his blindfold best - featuring a tactical shot followed by outplaying his opponent in the calm after the storm.

J.H. Blackburne - E.J. Evelyn
London, 1862

Blackburne playing without sight of the board
notes by Blackburne, Mr. Blackburne's Games at Chess (1899)
(English descriptive notation changed to algebraic)

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Bc4 Bc5

Nc6 at this juncture allows Black to retain the Pawn.

4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Qh5+ g6 6.Qd5+ Kg7 7.Qxc5





7...d5 8.Qxd4+ Nf6 9.Bg5 dxe4 10.Bxf6+ Qxf6 11.Qxf6+

Qxe4 would be disadvantageous, and only facilitate Black's development.

11...Kxf6 12.Nc3 Kf5

Black by any attempt to defend the e-Pawn with Bishop, would have subjected himself to the loss of the exchange at least by Nd5+.

13.Nge2 Be6 14.Ng3+ Kf4 15.Ngxe4




White's game is already so superior that winning requires only ordinary care.

15...Nc6 16.O-O Rad8 17.g3+ Kf5 18.f4 Nd4 19.Rf2 h5 20.h3 Bc4 21.Re1 Rhf8 22.Nd2 Be6 23.Re5+ Kf6 24.Nde4+ Kg7 25.Ng5 Bf7 26.Re7 Rc8 27.Rd7 c5 28.Nce4 Rcd8 29.Rxb7 Kg8 30.Nf6+ Kg7 31.Nd7

"The manoeuvring of the Knights is admirably planned, and in the peculiar circumstances is the more credible to White."-Lowenthal

31...Bd5 32.Nxf8

Because if ...Bxb7 White regains Rook by Ne6+, and if ...Kxf8 then Nh7+ followed by Nf6+, etc.

Black resigns

My head is spinning

Three reasons why this Jerome Gambiteer has a goofy grin on his face these days:

1) The latest issue of Kaissiber is available.

Contents

Computerschach
Arno Nickel: Freistil

Bent Larsen: Die Meisterzüge

Eröffnungen
Michiel Wind: Vorsicht Skandinavisch
Nachlese: Du Chattels System
Bücker: Am Triumphlager des Königsgambits
Diskussion: Schara-Hennig-Gambit
Gawehns: Owen-Verteidigung II

Schachgeschichte
Peter Anderberg: Sammi Fajarowicz 100
JahreAlfred Diel: Vera Menchik

Literatur


2) Rybka 3.0, with its own graphical interface, is due out in early August.

As they say on the website --

Rybka 3: The World's Strongest Chess Engine

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* Leads all independent computer chess rating lists

Utilize the full power of Rybka 3 with Aquarium: Designed for Rybka
* A graphical user interface (GUI) designed for Rybka
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* Handicap play (Elo-level 900-3100; material handicaps)
* Fischerandom/Chess960 support
* State of the art chess trees (fast, powerful, compact)
* Engine matches and tournaments
* Rybka 3 UCI includes versions for 32 Bit and 64 Bit processors
* A database with 3,300,000 games
* On-line access to Nalimov endgame tablebases (3-6 pieces)
* UCI Engine for connection to Fritz, ChessBase, etc.
* Chess Internet Resource Server: Weekly updates, exchange data
* Free broadcast and Playing zone


3) There is a new book out with some analysis on the Jerome Gambit... sort of.

It's Laszlo Orban's Schach Eröffnungen Das Königsbauerspiel als Schlüssel zu erfolgreichen Eröffnungssystemen erschienen, published October 2007.

Actually, in honor of Orban's 100th birthday, it's a reprint of his book written decades earlier.

But it does have the Jerome Gambit in it.

Jerome Gambit Tournament: Chapter IV

Today's game selection is a two-fer, for reasons that will soon become obvious.




Capt. Mandrake - perrypawnpusher
JG3 thematic, www.chessworld.net, 2008

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.0–0




Here we see a "modern" approach to playing the Jerome Gambit, which would include the similar 5.d3 and 5.Nc3. The earliest examples I have in my database are about a decade old.

White is of the opinion that it is a bad investment to sacrifice the second piece with 5.Nxe5 and instead focuses on development.

As Unorthodox Openings Newsletter editor Gary K. Gifford wrote in "Jerome Gambit, or Jerome Gamble?" (UON #17)

I am pretty much convinced that White has a forced loss after: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. Bxf7+ Kxf7 5. Nxe5+ Nxe5.

I believe White is taking a big gamble.... and that "The Jerome Gamble" may be a more appropriate name.

If there is any soundness to be found in the Jerome, then I believe it involves replacing 5. Nxe5+ with a different move.

Capt. Mandrake, indeed, played 5.0-0 seven times in this tournament.

5...Nf6 6.d3 Rf8 7.Ng5+ Kg8 8.Nf3 d5



Black has castled by hand, made a pawn break in the center – and is a piece to the good.

Here White overstepped the time limit.

That may seem a bit odd, given that players had up to 5 days to make each move. Maybe the good Captain simply lost interest.

In some ways it's refreshing to think that there are more important things in a person's life than the Jerome Gambit.

perrypawnpusher - Capt. Mandrake
JG3 thematic, www.chessworld.net, 2008

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8


This defense was first suggested by Jerome in the July 1874 Dubuque Chess Journal. It is a line he played successfully against his own gambit in two correspondence games against Daniel Jaeger in 1880.

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qf4+ Nf6 9.0–0


In the DCJ Jerome gave 9.c3 followed by 10.d4. White still has a lot of work to do – before he can even dream about equalizing the game.

However, here Black over-stepped the time limit again.

In fact, Capt. Mandrake in effect withdrew from the tournament by losing all but two of his games on time. The remaining pair he lost, anyhow. I didn't feel bad about receiving the gift of two points, as everyone benefited equally.




graphic from clipartheaven .com

"Brilliant but not sound"

"The past isn't dead," they like to say in my field.
"It isn't even past."

Wright - Hunn
Pine Bluff, Arkansas, 1874
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d4

According to the November 1874 Dubuque Chess Journal: "Brilliant but not sound."

One hundred and thirty years later, a book by Jude Acers and George S. Laven, The Italian Gambit and A Guiding Repertoire for White - 1.e4, showed that the move, properly followed up, was quite playable.

I couldn't resist asking one of the authors about the Jerome. Replied Laven,

The Jerome Gambit was looked into only briefly during The Italian Gambit study. This was done by me and the editor Robert Snow who is a strong expert (elo 2172 - at that time) and was rejected. We felt Black was better in every reasonable line. Jude, totally rejected it and it is nowhere to be found in the book.

Oh, well.

4...exd4

DCJ: "The German Handbuch gives as best variation 4...Bxd4 5.c3 Bb6 6.Ng5 Nh6 7.Qh5 0–0 8.f4 exf4 9.Bxf4 d6 10.Rf1 Qe7 and Black should win."

The Italian Gambit focuses instead on the Miami Variation 4...Bxd4 5.Nxd4 Nxd4 6.Be3 and the Koltanowski gambit 6.0-0 Nf6.

FIDE Master and ICCF International Master Allan Savage remarked in his review that 4...exd4 "opens Pandora's box via transpositions to the Max Lange, Rossolimo System, Moller Attack, Steinitz-Sveshnikov (!) or Scotch-Goring Gambit!"

5.Bxf7+
DCJ: "An unsound variation of Jerome's double opening. Note that it is the P at Q5 that gives the second player such a wonderfully harassing position later in the game."

5...Kxf7

I have about 40 games with this line in my database, out of the opening move order 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d4 exd4. I have not played the line, but I have beaten it the two times I have faced it.

This notion of a "Delayed Jerome Gambit" will be explored in later posts.

6.Ng5+

DCJ: "SK5 à la Jerome is better than SS5." [The Dubuque Chess Journal here uses descriptive notation with "S" for "Springer" instead of "N" or "Kt" for "Knight."]

6...Kf8 7.Qf3+ Qf6 8.0–0 Ne5

DCJ: "Why not Q takes Q, making his relative strength still greater?"

9.Qh5

DCJ: "Well meant, since SxRP would win a Pawn and the Exchange, if not attended to."

9...Qg6 10.Qe2 Nf6
DCJ: "The beginning of a splendid combination, that might, however, have been frustrated by SKB3."

Of course, Black would still have a winning game.

11.Kh1 h6 12.f4 Neg4

DCJ: "The coolness exhibited by Mr. H and his indifference to his opponent's attacks, are accounted for when his farsightedness is appreciated, the evident reply PB5 does not disturb him in the least."

13.f5 hxg5

14.Qxg4

DCJ: "Evidently the Queen cannot be taken with safety. PKR3 is better than taking the Springer."

Objectively, taking the Queen is White's "best" of many losing options: 14.fxg6 Rxh2+ 15.Kg1 d3+ etc.

"Safest" might be "Resigns".

14...Rxh2+ 15.Kxh2 Nxg4+ 16.Kg3 Qh5 17.Nd2 Qh4+ 18.Kf3 Nh2+ 0–1

Rail2Rail by a length

Rail2Rail is poised to win his Jerome Gambit thematic tournament at ChessWorld.
I hope to get him to annotate a game or two. In the meantime I thought I'd present one that illustrates (for me, anyway) some of the attractions of the Jerome Gambit.
Rail2Rail - drewbear JG2 thematic www.chessworld.net, 2008
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d3
Modern variation.
5...h6 6.Nc3 Nge7
A new idea in a position he's played before. Is drewbear purposefully playing provocatively?
7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.Qh5+ Ke6
It certainly looks that way! A calmer alternative, trading Queens and returning material, was 8...N7g6 9.f4 Qh4+ 10.Qxh4 Nxh4.
9.Bf4
Going for development, but 9.f4 immediately was probably stronger.
9...Bd6
Black's King is away from home, but he certainly isn't lonely! Still, he should have preferred the straight-forward 9...d6
10.d4 N5g6 11.Bxd6 cxd6


Tactical maniacs everywhere should be drooling!
Yet it seems that Black can put his tried-and-true plan of castling-by-hand into place to counter White's aggression: 12.f4 Kf7 13.f5 Rf8 14.0-0 Kg8 15.fxg6 and the second player is at worst even.
12.0–0 Kf7 13.f4 Kg8 14.f5 Nf8

15.Rf3
An aggressive try would be 15.f6 to undermine Black's fortress.
15...b6
Inaccurate, in that it misses the chance to solidify defenses with 15...Nh7, while creating a potential weakness on the a8-h1 diagonal.
16.Rg3 Rh7 17.f6 g6
White's pawn advance is better late than never, and Black slips in his response.
A difficulty in consulting computer programs like Rybka is that it will argue that after 17...Nc6 18.Rf1 g5 19.h4 Black is simply winning. No wonder computer tend to annihilate the Jerome Gambit!
Things now go from bad to worse in short order for the second player.

18.fxe7 Qxe7 19.Qd5+ Ne6 20.Qxa8 Qd8 21.Qd5 Kh8 22.Rf1 Qe7 23.Qa8 Qd8 24.Nb5 Nc7 25.Nxc7 Qxc7 26.Rf8+ Kg7 1–0