At the request of Yury V. Bukayev, I've added a new link, one that will take readers to "Bruno's Chess Problem of the Day", a site that has much more than just chess problems. As it says on the site
Welcome on Bruno's Chess Problem of The Day. As its name indicates it, you will find here, every day, a new chess problem. You will find also a big chess problems archive, chess articles (including ones with theoretical opening discoveries), chess news, banks of ChessMasters games in PGN (sorted by opening and by player's name) and of course The chess directory.
I have referred to some of the opening analysis in an earlier post here (see "Jerome Gambit vs Two Knights Defense (Part 3)") and I think that readers will be interested in a number of the Chess Articles along with the rest of the content of the site.
The other day I ran across a game showcasing the "perfect" defense to the Jerome Gambit, at least from Black's point of view:
papaleo - psychotic blitz, FICS, 2006
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7
White resigned.
This appears to be a significant improvement upon Brescak - Hefti, EU-ch U10 Girls, 1998, which progressed only as far as 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
and had a different outcome: Draw agreed.
Capturing the Bishop, it appears, is an essential part of the "psychotic defense."
"Intuition" has its place in chess, as long as it doesn't totally replace analysis. How many times have we read that a chess master looked briefly at a position on the board and then commented "The Knight obviously must go here"?
For club players, there is a saying to apply to their own intuition: Trust, but verify.
perrypawnpusher - hudders blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5
The Italian Four Knights Game.
5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4
7...Re8
A reasonable alternative to 7...Bd6; both keep Black's advantage.
This double attack (pawn at c5, Bishop at g5) is superficially attractive, but it is an example of sending a Rook to do a pawn's job. Better was 10...d6
11.f4 Rxg5
A panic reaction.
Black had to continue as planned with the lesser capture, 11...Rxc5, and realize that after 12.e5 it was time to give the piece back with 12...Nxe5 13.fxe5 Rxe5, preparing to defend the pawn-down game.
White can stir things up, however, after 11...Rxc5 12.e5 Nxe5 by playing 13.Ne4!? instead of capturing at e5. After 13...Neg4 14.Bxf6 Nxf6 15.Nxc5 White has won the exchange.
analysis diagram
The text move, instead, gives up the exchange but leaves the Knight at f6 still in danger.
12.fxg5 Ne8
The only safe place for the Knight, but it leaves Black's King at risk.
There is an old saying: Act in haste, repent at leisure.
My opponent in the following game was working his way through a theoretical opening line when he blocked a check with the first piece that came to mind. That proved to be his undoing.
perrypawnpusher - grunf blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.0-0 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5
The Semi-Italian Four Knights Game
6.Bxf7+
The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4
8...Bd6 9.dxe5 Bxe5
The recommended defense, although I rarely see it as my opponents generally prefer 8...Bxd4.
10.f4
I played this move even though Black's response is correct and gives him the advantage, because I was willing to take my chances in the complicated positon that would arise.
10...Bxc3
More to the point than 10...Bxf4 11.Rxf4 Re8 12.Qd5+ Re6 13.e5 c6 14.Qd4 Kg8 15.exf6 gxf6 16.Rg4+ Kh7 17.Qd3+ Kh8 18.Bxh6 Re7 19.Qg6 d6 20.Bg7+ Kg8 21.Bxf6+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - KnightRoyal, blitz, FICS, 2010
Giving back the sacrificed piece seems like a reasonable idea, but Black should use the stranded Knight for that purpose, not the Bishop. Now he loses both.
14.exf5+ Kd7 15.gxh4 Re8
16.Qf4 g517.hxg5 Qe7 18.Nc3 h6 19.f6 Nxf6
Hoping that the opened line against White's King will give him counterplay.
20.gxf6 Rhg8+ 21.Kh1 Qe1
Black's idea: now if 22.Rxe1? Rxe1+ 23.Qf1 Rxf1 checkmate!
Tom Purser, a Blackmar Diemer Gambit player, writer, resource and oracle, has travelled a bit further afield to provide further information on John E. Ishkan, proponent of the "Ashcan Opening" (see "A New Opening?" and "The Ashcan Opening") otherwise known as the Jerome Gambit.
Name: John E Ishkan Father's Surname: Ishkan Death Date: 30 Oct 1984 Death Place: Bridgeport, Connecticut Age: 60 Years Birth Place: Connecticut Birth Date: 12 Aug 1924 Marital Status: Never Married (Single) State File #: 21079 Occupation: FOOD SERVICES Industry: HALLBROOKE HOSPITAL Residence : Fairfield, Connecticut Address: 498 Knapps Hwy 06430 Race: White
Tom's comment was "I don't know why they don't include USCF ratings in these things."
Following up on the information in yesterday's post (see "A New Opening?") Bill Wall adds further information on the chessplayer Jon Ishkan, mentioned in the Precita Valley Chess Herald as playing the opening we now know as the Jerome Gambit... The crosstable of the 1958 US Open lists player #119 as John E. Ishkan. His score was
loss #40 Boris Garfinkel loss #59 Dale Ruth win #126 H.E. Rock win #61 E. Aronson loss #133 Ted Bullockus loss #76 Walter Grombacjer loss #97 A.W. Burger win #130 Ralph G. Houghton loss #108 R. Hochalter win #128 Paul Wagner loss #69 W.H. Donnelly loss #102 Donald R. Seifert
Since Ishkan beat Rock, Aronsen, Houghton and Wagner, at least one of those games featured the Jerome Gambit.
Additionally:
John E. Ishkan played in the 1955 US Open in Long Beach.
John E. Ishkan played in the 1957 US Open in Cleveland. He was #140, scoring 4.5 points.
According to the May 20, 1956 USCF rating list in Chess Life magazine, Ishkan lived in Fairfield, Connecticut and was rated 1731.
