A Jerome Discovery (Part 5)

It seems that after the following exchange, either the chess columnist for The Literary Digest or Alonzo Wheeler Jerome himself lost interest in further discussion of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) as no further mention of the Consultation Game appears in subsequent issues.

From the July 28, 1900 issue of The Literary Digest [descriptive notation changed to algebraic notation]

The Jerome Gambit

Consultation Game

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5 Nxe5 6.d4 Qh4 7.0-0 Ng4 8.h3 Bd6 9.f4 h5

Mr. Jerome suggests White's 9th move instead of e5, and writes: "This looks like a sure move for White." Black has, in reply, two moves: ...Nh6, saving the piece, or ...h5. We prefer the latter, as it is evident that Black [sic: it should read White] can not play hxg4.

A Jerome Discovery (Part 4)

Continuing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) analysis from the pages of The Literary Digest from over a century ago...

Be sure to check out Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 as well.

From the July 14, 1900 issue of The Literary Digest [descriptive notation changed to algebraic notation]:

The Jerome Gambit

Consultation Game

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5 Nxe5 6.d4

Mr Jerome writes: "Your move (...Qh4) is undoubtedly the best, as it puts White on the defensive at once," and suggests as White's 7th 0-0.

F.H. Johnston believes that White's best (7th) is Nc3, "thus defending the e-pawn. It would not be sound to play 0-0 at this stage, neither would it do to play dxc5." Nc3 is dangerous on account of ...Ng4 forcing White to defend his f-pawn, and preventing him from castling.

The best continuation seems to be: 7.0-0, Ng4; 8.h3, Bd6 9.e5, etc.

A Jerome Discovery (Part 3)

This is a continuation of the series of articles on the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) from The Literary Digest of 1900 – see "A Jerome Discovery (Part 1)" and "A Jerome Discovery (Part 2)" for earlier information.

On June 30, 1900, The Literary Digest's chess column contained the following [notation changed from descriptive to algebraic]

The Jerome Gambit

Consultation Game

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4

A majority of those who sent Black's 6th move played 6...Bxd4. The reason given for this move is that as Black must lose a piece he had better get a P for it. This is not good reasoning, as White's continuation demonstrates: 6... Bxd4; 7.Qxd4 d6; 8.f4, and White still has the attack. If 8...Nc6; 9.Qd5+ Be6 10.Qh5+ g6 11.Qf3 Nd4 12.Qd3 Nc6 13.f5 and White has a good game.

Another move suggested was 6...Qf6. The object of this is (a) to prevent 7.dxe5; (b) to continue ...d6, ...Ng4, etc. The weakness of this is that it allows White to Castle. For instances: 6...Qf6 7.0-0 d6 8.dxe5 Qxe5 9.Nc3 Be6 10.Kh1 followed by 11.f4 giving White a strong attack.

We believe that Black's best (6) is ...Qh4. the superiority of this move is discoverable in several directions. White can't play 7.dxe5; if 7.dxc5 then ...Ng4, with a strong game. We hope that Mr. Jerome and others will suggest White's best move after Black's (6) Qh4.

A Jerome Discovery (Part 2)

As compared to its Composite Game, The Literary Digest's Consulation Game with its readers – see "A Jerome Discovery (Part 1)" – a test of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) got off to a slow start.

A couple weeks after its introduction, on June 23, 1900, the following notice appeared in the chess column.

The Consultation Game

We are sorry that so far only nine persons have shown an interest in this game, by sending Black's 7th move; and five of them, so it seems to us, did not make the best move for black. The strength or weakness of the Jerome Gambit depends on black's 7th move; but a weak move here does not prove anything. the benefit of a Consultation Game is the opportunity it gives for analysis of some opening, thus showing the best continuations. It is, in a certain sense, a problem for the time being. We shall give Black's 7th move in our next issue. We think it best not to give the move sent by the majority, but, after giving the several moves sent, select as the move the one which, in our opinion, is the best.

A Jerome Discovery (Part 1)

In early 1900, the chess columnist for the weekly magazine The Literary Digest received a suggestion to play a "composite game." The idea was "to have 30 or 40 players on a side; each player having a number, representing the number of the move he is to make."

"While" [the correspondent] says, "the game would not prove anything as to the merits of the respective sides, it would be a curiosity of Chess."

The suggestion was mentioned on March 10. A rallying cry was given two weeks later, as only 20 players had so far signed up.

By April 21, however, "about seventy" players, "from California to New York; from Louisiana to Vermont; from Texas to Wisconsin" had offered to take part.

On May 5 the teams were announced, and the following week the curious game began, a Ruy Lopez, Berlin variation.

This experiment may have inspired Alonzo Wheeler Jerome, as the June 9 issue of The Literary Digest contained the following [notation changed from descriptive to algebraic]

A Consultation Game

We begin a series of games to-day which ought to be interesting and instructive. The special features are these:

(1) The move to be made will be that of the majority; (2) Notes or comments by the players and others. As the first of these games we give the opening moves of the Jerome Gambit. The author of this Opening, Mr. A. W. Jerome, Springfield, Ill., writes that in offering this Opening he has an interested motive, i.e., to test the soundness of the Gambit, and to furnish a bushel, perhaps five pecks, of fun.

The Jerome Gambit

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4

As Mr. J. says, "Here is where the fun begins." We will give the first of the comments:

(a) This is a very risky opening and can not win against a player of equal strength. At the same time, Black must make the proper defense. In all games of this kind, White, in a sense, presupposes that black will make a false move.

Send Black's 6th move, with reasons for making it.

Fool me once...

Here I am again, playing a 3 0 blitz quickie with Black. No way my opponent – rated higher than me – is going to play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), right? Right?? Sigh. Having forgotten the lesson of "I don't have time for this stuff..." I get to learn it all over again. Serves me right.

madmadmal - perrypawnpusher blitz 3 0, FICS, 2009 

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.d3 Nf6 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 Transposing to a modern variation of the Jerome Gambit. I have 77 examples of this position in my database, including bushytail - perrypawnpusher, blitz FICS 2008 (1/2-1/2, 50); drewbear - perrypawnpusher, chessworld 2008 (0-1, 22); and Mika76 - perrypawnpusher, GameKnot.com 2008 (1-0, 32). 

 6.Ng5+ Ke8 7.Nc3 d6 8.Nd5 A bit unusual, but it's shown up four times before, including NMTIGER - blackburne, Chessworld 2007: 8...Nxd5 9.exd5 Ne7 10.c4 Ng6 11.Qf3 Qf6 12.Ne6 Bxe6 13.dxe6 Rf8 14.0-0 Qxf3 15.gxf3 Rxf3 16.Be3 Bxe3 17.fxe3 Rf6 18.Rxf6 gxf6 19.Rf1 Ke7 20.d4 Kxe6 21.d5+ Ke7 22.e4 Rg8 23.b4 Nf4+ 24.Kh1 Rg2 25.Rxf4 Rxa2 26.Rh4 Re2 27.Rxh7+ Kd8 28.Rf7 b6 29.Rxf6 Kc8 30.Rf8+ Kb7 31.b5 Rxe4 32.Kg2 Rxc4 33.Kg3 Rc1 34.h4 Rh1 35.Rh8 e4 36.Kg2 Rd1 37.Re8 Rxd5 38.Rxe4 Rxb5 39.Rg4 Rh5 40.Kg3 b5 41.Rg5 Rh8 42.Rxb5+ Kc6 43.Rb1 a5 44.Rc1+ Kb6 45.Rb1+ Ka6 46.Kg4 a4 47.h5 Ka5 48.Kg5 a3 49.h6 Ka4 50.Kg6 a2 51.Ra1 Ka3 52.Kg7 Rxh6 53.Kxh6 Kb2 54.Rh1 a1Q 55.Rxa1 Kxa1 56.Kg5 c5 57.Kf4 c4 58.Ke3 c3 59.Kd3 Kb2 60.Kd4 c2 61.Kd5 c1R 62.Kxd6 Rc4 63.Kd5 Kc3 64.Ke5 Rd4 65.Kf5 Kc4 66.Ke5 Kc5 67.Kf5 Kd6 White resigned 

  8...h6 9.Nf3 Kf7 10.0-0 Rf8 Black is up a piece for a pawn, and is soon to castle-by-hand. What's the problem?

Tick, tick, tick... 

11.Nh4 Kg8 12.Ng6 Rf7 13.a3

My opponent begins to feel the clock, too. 

13...Be6 14.c4 Bxd5 

Chopping wood, a good idea when a piece up – but this game is going to end with either a flag or a mate, so perhaps not the best. 

15.cxd5 Ne7 16.Nh4 Qd7 17.b4 Bd4 18.Rb1 Qg4 See the above note. 

19.Qxg4 Nxg4 20.Kh1 Simply returning the Knight to f3 was best. Now Black can win the exchange with 20...Nxf2+ 21.Rxf2 ( if 21.Kg1 Nh3+ 22.Kh1 Rxf1#) 21...Rxf2 and then go for more, as in 22.g4 Rf1+ 23.Kg2 Rg1+ 24.Kh3 Be3 winning a piece. 

20...Rxf2 21.Rxf2 Nxf2+ 22.Kg1 Nxd3+ 23.Kf1 Nxc1 24.Rxc1 Rf8+ It's all clickin', but the clock's still tickin'. 

25.Ke2 g5 26.Nf3 Bb6 27.a4 a6 28.a5 Ba7 29.h4 We're pretty much just throwing moves at each other now. 

29...Bb8 30.hxg5 hxg5 31.g4 Kg7 32.Nxg5 Kg6 33.Ne6 Rh8 34.Kd3 Rh3+ 35.Kc2 Rg3 36.Kb2 Rxg4 37.Nxc7 Rxe4 38.Ne6 Rxb4+ 39.Ka3 Rb5 40.Nf8+ Kf7 41.Nh7 Rxa5+ 42.Kb3 Rxd5 43.Ng5+ Kf6 44.Ne4+ Ke6 45.Ng5+ Kf5 46.Nf3 Kf4 47.Rf1 Ke3 48.Ng5 Rb5+ 49.Kc2 d5 50.Rf3+ Kd4 51.Ne6+ Kc4 52.Rc3+ Kb4 53.Rb3+ Black forfeits on time

Oh, well.

Three cheers for madmadmal and the Jerome Gambit!!!

London Calling... Eleven Months of Blog

Dear Jerome Gemeinde,

As we move into the final month before this blog's first birthday (admittedly, a small step in the land of blogs), we can mark 336 consecutive daily posts on the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) and related topics.

The blog has hosted visitors from 80 countries (including Cape Verde Islands, Saint Lucia and Malta; while North Korea is still a hold-out). For the record, the Top Ten Visitor sources were: United States, United Kingdom, Denmark, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Brazil.

There is still much more to discover and explore.

Best wishes,

Rick Kennedy ("perrypawnpusher")