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?

Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (20)

The following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game is a humorous miniature, where RevvedUp finds just the proper threat to cause Yace Paderborn to panic and yield the draw. Human totally out-foxes computer.



Yace Paderborn - 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

No "nudging" check of the King this time.

7...d6 8.Qd5+ Kf8


9.d3 Nf6 10.Qb3 b6 11.0-0 Qe7

White has reached a reasonable Jerome Gambit position where he has two pawns for his sacrificed piece. No doubt Yace Paderborn sees itself as being about a pawn behind in the game. This would hardly trouble a human gambiteer, but when the computer spots an escape from this situation – to a draw – it takes it.

Readers can decide for themselves if a draw is a positive outcome for the first player in a Jerome game – when he outranks his opponent by 1,000 points.

12.Nc3 Be6 13.Qa4 Bd7 14.Qa6 Bc8 15.Qb5 Bd7 16.Qa6 Bc8 17.Qb5 Bd7 18.Qa6 draw

Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (19)

Our human chess investigator takes on his last computer opponent for this round of play with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).


RevvedUp - Yace Paderborn blitz 2 12, 20061.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Qh4

We saw this move played first, only with Black's King on f8, by Shredder 8 (see "Jerome Gambit: Drilling Down (17)").

10.0-0 Nf6 11.Nc3 Ng4 12.Qg3 Qxg3 13.hxg3 Be6

Again reaching a position that is objectively better for Black, but which is the kind that RevvedUp likes to play against computers.

14.f4 Bf7 15.d3 Kd7 16.Bd2 Ne7 17.Rae1 Rhf8 18.a3 Rae8 19.Nd1 Bh5 20.Ne3 Kc8

Yace Paderborn has effectively castled-by-hand.

21.Nxg4 Bxg4 22.Kf2 Nc6

The White King is safe in his fortress – for now.

23.Bc3 Rf7 24.Rh1 h6 25.Rh4 h5 26.Rhh1 Ne7 27.Rc1 Kb8 28.b3 Nc6 29.Bb2 g5 30.Ke3 d5

In past games RevvedUp has done well in closed positions, especially when he can "threaten" a draw by repition of position; it is not a good sign for him that Yace Paderborn wants to rip things open.

31.Rhf1 dxe4 32.dxe4 Rfe7 33.e5 Rf7 34.c4 Rd8


Invasion on the d-file will spell the end for White.

35.Rc2 Rfd7 36.Rff2 gxf4+ 37.gxf4 Ne7 38.Bc3 Rd3+ 39.Ke4 Bf5 checkmate

Chess Improvement

I take my chess instruction where I can find it, so when I stopped by the Chess Improvement blog I was ready to read what the author had posted about the Giuoco Piano (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3) and the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+):

The winner of a chess game is the player that makes fewer wrong moves then his opponent.

In this issue I will present my game played recently on Playchess.com. I didn't play rated game for a long time so I decided to play against weaker opponent. As you'll see I played so badly for my rating but the game was decided by greater number of errors my opponent did.

[Event "Rated game, 30m + 0s"]

[Site "Main Playing Hall"]

[Date "2006.08.18"]

[Round "?"]

[White "Ciprian"]

[Black "Ibarix"]

[Result "0-1"]

[ECO "C50"]

[WhiteElo "1478"]

[Annotator "Fritz 9 (60s)"]

[PlyCount "152"]

[EventDate "2006.08.18"]

{C50: Hungarian Defence and Giuoco Pianissimo}

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5

In earlier posts I said I don't quite know openings. I recently started to study ideas for some openings (Giuoco Piano). It's incredible that I'm quite strong player but have no clue about basic ideas in most of the openings. So I took advice from some of the internet sites and began with Giuoco Piano just as junior players start with it in their chess lives. After these moves white developed 2 pieces, took some share of the center with e4 and cleared way for a short castle. White bishop is eyeing the f7 square which is the weakest point at the start of the game just as white's f2. Why? Because at the beginning it's defended only once - by the king. The main point for black's good chances is central break d5 and Nf6. White has several possibilities in this position.

1. b4 - the Evans gambit

2. c3 - preparing for d4 thrust or playing Modern Italian c3, d3 and after that d4 maybe

3. d3 - leading either to Giuoco Pianissimo after white's Nc3, 0-0 and black's d6, Nf6 and 0-0 or Modern Italian

4. d4 immediately, the Italian Gambit

5. 0-0 weak line according to some authors

6. (read misc. instead of six because this is not quite the option for white) Bxf7+ ??????? Jerome gambit, it doesn't work, don't ever play it...

[The emphasis placed on the last line is mine - RK. You have been warned!]

Thoughts About AWJ

A few days ago, Dr. Daaim Shabazz, Associate Professor of Business at Florida A&M University and host of the Chess Drum website, stopped by this blog and left a short, friendly Comment to the "A Short Break from the Jerome Gambit" post.

When I learned that Alozno Wheeler Jerome, father of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), had been a lieutenant during the United States' Civil war, serving in the 26th Infantry of the United States Colored Troops, I exchanged emails with Dr. Shabazz, speculating about the possiblity of Jerome being an African American chessplayer.

To have reached the rank of lieutenant in the United States' military would have been almost unheard of for a black man at that time – officers in the U.S.C.T. were invariably white men; and the rank of sergeant was about as high as the troops were allowed to advance. A black lieutenant would have to have been a military genius to have achieved such status.

Further research, though, only supported the rule, not the exception. Jerome's parents identified themselves in the national census as "white", as did Jerome and his wife in the decades that followed. Jerome was drafted into the army of the United States, something only open to white men at the time, and only later reassigned as quartermaster sergeant, to Company C of the 26th Infantry, U.S.C.T.

It is quite possible that Alonzo Wheeler Jerome played chess while in uniform, and perhaps that is when he came up with Jerome's Double Gambit. Further research on that possibility still needs to be done.

Hamppe - Meitner Revealed

Michael Goeller, of the Kenilworthian Chess Club (see "Related Sites" on this blog) has a comprehensive article on the exciting Hamppe - Meitner Motif (see Godfather of the Jerome Gambit? (Part I), (Part II) and (Endnote) for its relationship to Alonzo Wheeler Jerome") on his website.

I highly recommend you check out "The Hamppe - Meitner Motif", and the Kenilworthian site itself as a treasure trove of articles covering a whole host of topics.

Wonderful work, Mike, as ever!

Firsts

An exchange of emails with Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member Pete Banks ("blackburne"):

Hi Rick,

Not sure if I mentioned this, but one of my Internet wins with the Jerome is in Gary Lane's book The Greatest Ever Chess Tricks and Traps .

I wonder if this is the first publication of a complete Jerome game in book form?

Pete

Hi Pete,

I've got dibs on the review copy of Gary's book when it shows up at Chessville, so I'll be able to see your game in print with my own eyes. Congratulations all over again!

As for the first publication of a complete Jerome Gambit game in book form, I think your game is a rare item, but not the first.

Andres Clemente Vazquez included three Jerome Gambits from his second match with William Carrington in his book Algunas Partidas de Ajedrez (1876); and he shared his game against L. Giraudy in the 2nd & 3rd editions of his Analisis del juego de ajedres: libro a propositio para que pueda aprender dicho juego, el que lo ignore del todo, in necesidad de maestro (1885, 1889). (Not in the 1st edition, mind you: it was published in 1874, the first year that the Jerome Gambit saw print.)

Of course, the infamous game Amateur - Blackburne, London 1885, appeared in Mr. Blackburne's Games at Chess (1899), and thereafter in numerous books, including Handbuch des Schachspiels - 8th ed (1916); Du Mont's 200 Miniature Games of Chess (1942); Chernev and Harkness' An Invitation to Chess A Picture Guide to the Royal Game (1945); and Wenman's Master Chess Play (1951).

More recently, Eric Schiller has included Amateur -Blackburne in his Unorthodox Chess Openings (1998, 2002) and Gambit Chess Openings (2002); and, with John Watson, his Survive and Beat Annoying Chess Openings (2003).

Hope that isn't rain on your parade -- your game appears to be the first game from this century and the past one to appear in book form, as far as I know. Good enough?

Best wishes,

Rick