I was wandering about the Internet the other day, checking to see what new things, if any, had popped up concerning the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).
Much to my surprise I discovered that this site was considered to be one of the "Top Computer Chess Blog", an award Presented by: Online Computer Science Degree, (whoever they are).
In recognition of this achievement, the OCSD folks offered a "badge" that could placed here.
The "badge", of course, links back to their site that touts their various online computer courses. Almost like, I don't know, advertising?
As much as I enjoyed being grouped with such sites as The Chess Drum and Alexandra Kosteniuk's and Jennifer Shahade's sites (although I have to wonder about the "Tuirgin, my soul in a lobster pot...") I decided to pass on that...
Now that the number of posts to this blog has passed 1,000 and its age races toward three years, I know that sometimes past items will be overlooked and not linked to current ones.
For example, in "Barely Legal" where I shared my Philidor Defense game that ended in a variation of Legal's Mate
I should have mentioned that in "Declining the Jerome Gambit - Légally" I presented a Damiano Defense game (by transposition) that also ended up in Légall's Mate
Oh, they're the almost the exact same position, you say? How could I have included one and overlooked the other?
It looks like my blog's "search" function could use a built-in "spell check" function to help me out...
p.s. Another recent Légal, played since the above was written, from my short visit to ICC: AlonzoJerome - Osmin, ICC 5 5, 2011, # 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 Nc6 4.Nc3 h6 5.0-0 Bg4 6.d3 Nd4 7.Nxe5 Bxd1 8.Bxf7+ Ke7 9.Nd5 checkmate
"The George J. Dougherty Club" was recently established, along the lines of the "Vera Menchik Club" – the latter reserved for male chess players who, despite their airs of superiority, lost to the women's World Champion, between the World Wars – to acknowledge those who have lost to the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), starting with Mr. Dougherty, who Alonzo Wheeler Jerome named as his first victim.
OG (Original Gamester) members include Dougherty (1874?), O.A. Brownson (1875), Morton B. Pane (1878), Daniel Jaeger (1879), J.K. Zimmerman (1880) and numerous unnamed Amateurs, all who had the notoriety of losing to Jerome, himself, and his Gambit.
As my researches continue, I will add further names.
Special mention must be made of William Carrington, who, in his second match against the Mexican Champion, Andres Clemente Vazquez, in 1876, faced and surrendered to the Jerome Gambit three times.
Likewise, M. Giraudy must be singled out for recognition as the first known player to face the Jerome Gambit in an odds game (odds of Queen Rook) in 1876, again played by Andres Clemente Vazquez, only to lose in under 20 moves.
Vera Menchik (1906 - 1944), the world's first women's chess champion, also competed in chess tournaments against men.
In 1929, Albert Becker jokingly suggesting that any player that she defeated in tournament play should be granted membership in "The Vera Menchik Club".
Of course, Becker became the first member of the "club", which came to include such noted players as C.H.O.D. Alexander, Edgar Colle, Max Euwe, Harry Golombek, Mir Sultan Khan, Jacques Mieses, Philip Stuart Milner-Barry, Karel Opočenský, Samuel Reshevsky, Friedrich Sämisch, Lajos Steiner, George Thomas, William Winter, and Frederick Yates.
I mention this bit of chess history because of a current discussion of the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) taking place at Chess.com, where members have weighed in with various levels of skepticism:
There is very little chance of succeding with that gambit
I suggest you find something better
White has nothing
the gambit is completely unsound
not a variation to take anyone's game forward
simply throws away two minor pieces
unless your opponent is a child and you are playing a bullet game on Halloween, it doesn't look like a wise opening choice
an unsound gambit
You may surprise some in bullet, that's all
Those were the polite comments, mind you.
Anyhow, I thought it was time for me to inaugurate "The George J. Dougherty Club".
In the March 1877 American Chess Journal, Alonzo Wheeler Jerome reminisced that he had first played his gambit (successfully, too) against G.J. Dougherty of Mineola, New York, "a strong amateur".
That makes it interesting to recall that while it was in the April 1874 issue of the Dubuque Chess Journal that Jerome's "New Chess Opening" was first announced, the very next month's Journal carried this notice
Chess ChallengeGeorge J. Dougherty, of Mineola, Queen's County, New York, hereby respectfully invites John G. Belden, Esq., of Hartford, Conn., to play him two games of chess by Postal Card, at his convenience, Mr. Belden taking the attack in one game and Mr. Dougherty in the other; the object being to test the soundness of Jerome's Double Opening, published in the April No. (50) of this Chess Journal. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
Mr. Dougherty, it seems, was willing to see what he could do to add other players to the growing list of those who had lost to the Jerome Gambit.
It is fitting that we name a "club" after him.
More email from Bill Wall
"I tried the reversed Blackburne Shilling Gambit and it turned out okay."
Wall,B - Fraga,R
Chess.com, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Bc5 4.Nd5
White plays a "reversed" Blackburne Shilling Gambit, with Bc4 as an added move.
4...Nxe4 5.Qg4 Bxf2+
6.Kf1 0-0 7.Qxe4 Bc5
Instead, 7...Bxg1 was recommended by Michael Goeller and Fritz in our earlier look at this opening.
8.Bd3 f5 9.Qc4 Bxg1 10.Rxg1 Kh8
Fraga decided, after all, to exchange his dark-squared Bishop. The loss of tempo did not help.
Wall, a Jerome Gambiteer, now finds himself with the extra piece against what might, in other circumstanses, be called the "Jerome Pawns". (With that in mind, 10...e4 might have been stronger than the move played.)
11.Nxc7 d5 12.Qc3 f4 13.Nxa8 f3
This move looks dangerous for White's already uneasy King, but Black's lack of development makes following up on this move difficult.
14.gxf3 Rxf3+ 15.Ke2 Qf6
This "attacking" move is more than just an oversight that drops the Bishop on c8: it allows White to wrap things up neatly.
16.Qxc8+ Qf8 17.Qxf8+ Rxf8 18.Nc7 e4 19.Bxe4 dxe4 20.b3 Rc8 21.Bb2 Rxc7 22.Rxg7 Rxg7 23.Rg1 Black resigned
Time to take a break from exploring the Internet Chess Club for Jerome Gambit games and take a look at one that game in the email recently.
"After seeing the last example of 3...h6 4.Bxf7+ on your page," wrote Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member Bill Wall, "I tried it out. Here is the result."
Wall,B - Rambose
Chess.com, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.Bxf7+
An accelerated Semi-Italian Jerome Gambit.
4...Kxf7 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.0-0 Bb4
After 6...Bc5 White could have transposed into Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit lines, not that that would have been bad for Black, either.
7.Nd5 Nxe4
It is not time for pawn-grabbing. Protecting the e-pawn with 7...d6 was a solid idea.
8.Re1 Nf6 9.Nxb4 Nxb4 10.Nxe5+
White still has only one pawn for his sacrificed piece. This fact helps him bear down, while it seems to relax his opponent.
10...Kf8? 11.Ng6+ Kg8 12.Nxh8 Kxh8
White now has a Rook and a pawn to Black's two Knights. White probably has an edge in the endgame (with his pawn) while Black should have the edge in the middlegame (two attacking pieces).
13.d3 d6 14.Qd2 Nbd5 15.b3 c5 16.Bb2 Bf5
17.c4 Nb4 18.Qf4 Nc2 19.Qxf5 Nxa1 20.Bxa1 Qa5
Perhaps Black thought that he was winning the exchange, when, in fact, he was giving up two Knights for a Rook. The active Black Queen is now not enough to overcome White's extra pawn, as the Black King is in danger.
21.Re2 Rf8
Reinforcing the attacked Knight, but, surprisingly, exchanging Rooks and giving up a piece was "best": 21...Re8 22.Rxe8+ Nxe8 23.Qf8+ Ke7 24.Qxf8 Qxa2 25.Bc3 Qxb3 26.Qe4+ Kh8, when White has the extra piece for a pawn, and is better.
22.Bxf6 gxf6 23.Re7 Rf7 24.Re8+ Kg7 25.Qg4+ Kh7 26.Qg8 checkmate
The second game passed along to me by Dr. Goeller (see "A GM Plays the Jerome Gambit??" and "Here, have a Bishop...") was closer to a "pure" Jerome Gambit game. Again, we see how an experienced, aggressive Grandmaster, American Larry Christiansen, can give something similar to "Jerome Gambit odds" and win the game with ease.
LarryC (2559) - wetvader (1250)
45 15, ICC (1), 2007
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Be7
4.d4 Nxd4
This capture is not seen very often, and is not correct. Even Fritz8 sees the next move as best.
5.Bxf7+
Adding a little Jerome to the quiet Hungarian Defense. In this case it is the Knight on d4 that is hanging.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Kf8 7.Qxd4
7...Bf6 8.Qb4+ d6
As sometimes happens, the weaker player misses an "opportunity" against the Grandmaster. Instead of the text, the "anti-positional" 8...c5 bids to win a piece, i.e. 9.Qc3 (if 9.Qxc5, then 9...d6) d6 10.f4 although things are actually quite complex: 10...Nh6 11.0-0 Ke8 (getting off of the hot f-file) 12.Nd2 Qe7 13.Ndc4 Nf7 14.Nxf7 Bxc3 15.Nfxd6+ Kf8 16.bxc3 b5 17.Nxc8 Rxc8 18.Ne5 and Rybka 3 sees the position as about equal, even though White has only two pieces and two pawns for his Queen...
analysis diagram
Does the Grandmaster worry? He does not. He knows that every player makes mistakes with a certain frequency, like a metaphorical "bomb" that goes off again and again (infrequently for GMs, regularly for club players). He just has to light the fuse, playing solidly, holding tight, and waiting for the next "boom!"
9.Nf3 h6 10.0-0 a5 11.Qc4 b6 12.Qe2 Ba6 13.c4 d5 14.exd5 Qe7
Black backs away from his original idea of 14...Qxd5, which would have been best.
15.Qc2 Qd6 16.Nbd2 Ne7 17.Ne4 Qd7 18.Nxf6 gxf6 19.Re1 Re8 20.Bf4 Qg4
21.Bg3 Qxc4 22.Qxc4 Bxc4 23.d6 cxd6 24.Bxd6
White did not mind returning a pawn to exchange Queens, as there is every likelihood that he can play the pawn-up endgame with half his brain tied behind his back.
Black can hope: can he reach the Bishop-of-opposite-colors endgame? In the meantime, there is the issue of the pinned Knight.
24...Rh7 25.Nd4 Kf7 26.Rac1 Ba6 27.Bxe7 Rxe7 28.Rxe7+ Black resigned
After 28...Kxe7 29.Rc7+ will win his Rook.
