The following game is from the recent collection sent to me by Louis Morin. It again shows that if your opponent becomes disoriented by the Jerome Gambit, the game can be over before he even knows it.
James Mason in America
The Early Chess Career, 1867-1878
Joost van Winsen
hard cover
(McFarland, 2011)
I wanted to title this review "Mason, James Mason; International Man of Mystery".
I know that mashes together a couple of movie concepts: the "Bond, James Bond" self-introduction from Ian Fleming's secret agent, and the reference to the spoof "Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery."
Yet, the question Joost van Winsen addresses in his very readable book is: Who is James Mason? The query has several interesting aspects.
A good place to start would be to acknowledge that for the years covered by James Mason in America, the titled player was arguably the strongest among active players in the country, save, perhaps, for George H. Mackenzie.
Too many readers, I am afraid, would respond: Who is George H. Mackenzie?
Ah, yes.
If you are interested in the history of chess play in the United States, James Mason in America is a rich look at the early career of a fine player and writer (columnist for The Spirit of the Times and The American Chess Journal ) – and the development of the American chess scene, especially in the post-Morphy era, and especially in New York.
Even if the reader is not a chess history buff, the 200 plus games and positions in the book give a lot of entertainment and instruction on the play of double King pawn and double Queen pawn openings, including gambits – drawn from club and match play, and far more likely to be relevant to the study of modern day club players than, say, the latest tweaks in the Catalan as played by today's 2700+ rated gladiators.
If you are looking for the latest Informant-style analysis; well, best look for the latest Informant, instead.
The post-Civil War period was a time of the rise of American chess clubs, where a man like Mason, an Irish immigrant from Kilkenny, could not only move up among the ranks of players by dint of skill and effort, he would have a chance to make business contacts that might allow him to move up financially and socially, as well.
It was also a time of rivalries – between individuals, factions, clubs, cities and regions. Who would, for example, pull together everything for an international chess congress for the country's centennial year? Could there be an early American Chess Association? Who was the best American player? How did the Americans stand up to European chess play?
Personal battles were not just fought over the chessboard, but in print, via rival chess news sources. A look back at American chess in this period showed the beginnings (later, perfected by Steinitz) of a third phase of combat: one could claim that he lost the game, for example, but won the post-mortem analysis, only to be trumped again in the coverage of the match...
It is interesting in this light to see the British Henry Bird complain that during his sojourn in America, no matter how many games he won, it seems that the papers mostly published his losses. He even had Fischer-like complaints that in a particular tournament, the Americans conspired against him to make their own wins easier, and his more difficult.
Van Winsen paints an intriguing picture of Mason, and it is a compelling one, if at times containing somewhat un-heroic elements. Having negotiated a match with Max Judd in St. Louis for 1876, Mason surprised his opponent by simply not showing up, in the city or for the match. Apparently they met later and played some games, although neither could agree in print, who won, how many games, etc.
Mason won the Fourth American Chess Congress amidst charges that he bought and sold games. Mason claimed innocence, of course. On the other hand, he became a strong voice for proper recompense for play, an advocate for the professional chess player.
As James Mason in America shows, in its notes (by Mason) to games and in articles and letters by its subject, that Mason was an instructive writer and a fine annotator. This is value beyond taking the reader back in time to a rich, varigated chess world that was remarkably different – and, at times, remarkably similar – to our own, today.
The final mystery, which the author explores to the best of current resources, is the fact that James Mason was not actually James Mason. While not quite on the level of claims such as William Shakespeare's works being actually penned by, say, Sir Francis Bacon, it is fascinating to consider in yet another way that a pre-teen "Patrick Dwyer" (currently the best guess) might have completely re-invented himself on this side of the Atlantic, plunging into the world of chess and emerging as "James Mason".
James Mason's early chess career in the United States ended with his return to the Old World. It is hoped that author Joost van Winsen will return, as well, with further chronicles of his subject.
Assessing play against the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) can be a topsy turvy affair. Take the following game. Black was probably most in danger when his position was objectively winning. Likely, he felt more comfortable as his game became less and less in his favor. When he reached a drawn endgame – that's when his troubles really began.
mrjoker - lilred
blitz, 2 12, Internet Chess Club, 2009
White has just regained his sacrificed piece, and the game resembles the dreaded/revered "drawish" Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame that can come about in Jerome Gambit games.
White's passer can be blockaded by Black's King and/or Bishop. Black can create counter-play by working to get his own passer on the Queenside. The Kingside may or may not become critical.
Knowing how to play this kind of endgame (any endgame, really) is essential for Jerome Gambiteers. mrjoker does a great job, at blitz speed.
32.h3 h5 33.gxh5+ Kxh5 34.Kg2 Kh4 35.Bf2+ Kg5 36.Kg3 Kf5 37.Kf3 g5 38.Ke3 Bb7 39.h4 g4
Almost all of White's pawns are on the dark squares of his Bishop; all of Black's pawns are on the light squares of his Bishop.
None of the passers are likely to make progress any time soon.
Black should advance his Queenside majority and aim for another passer. He should advance his g-pawn when possible, if only to distract White.
The game is, and should remain, even. However, "even" endgames favor the more knowledgeable player.
40.Bg3 a5 41.a3 Bd5
He could also have continued with 41...b4 42.axb4 axb4 43.Bd6 c3 44.bxc3 bxc3 (or 44...b3) but each side will still be able to blockade the other's pawns and be unable to advance his own.
42.Bc7 Bc6 43.Bxa5
White has gained a pawn, but it is only symbolic, or, perhaps, psychological. The game is still even.
43...g3 44.Be1 Kg4
This looks like a logical followup to the previous move: advance the g-pawn then use the King to defend it while also attacking the enemy h-pawn. The problem is that Black need something to keep White distracted, lest he make use of his two passed pawns.
Therefore 44...g2 was called for, a move to tie up White's King while Black can use his King to blockade one enemy passer and his Bishop to blockade the other.
45.Bxg3
A shocker.
45...Kxg3
It is now only a choice between losing quickly and losing slowly.
After declining the Bishop with 45...Be8 46.Be1 White's King will eventually maneuver it's way to the Kingside to escort his h-pawn to the Queening square, winning Black's Bishop; or make his way to the Queenside and win Black's b-pawn, making his a-pawn a threat.
Now, without the distraction of a passed pawn, Black cannot hold back both of White's passers.
But, don't leave yet.
46.h5 Bd5 47.h6 Bg8 48.Ke4 Kg4 49.d5 Kg5
50.d6
A surprising slip. Instead, 50.Ke5, closing out the Black King and preventing the blockade of the d-pawn, wins.
It seems hard to believe, but Black now has an escape here with 50...Kf6, making sure that his King gets to the enemy d-pawn. After 51.Kd4 Ke6 52.Kc5 Kd7 53.Kxb5 Kxd6 White has several of paths to take, none of them yielding more that half a point.
He can give up his h-pawn for Black's c-pawn with 54.h7 Bxh7 55.Kxc4, but 55...Kc6 will put Black's King (along with his Bishop) in a favorable position to resist the advance of White's pawns.
He can keep his King ahead of Black's King in the race to a8, and move his a-pawn up as well, but 54.Kb6 Kd7 55.Kb7 Black will check him back with 55...Bd5+.
Finally, he can advance his a-pawn with 54.a4, but Black's King can quickly get in front of it.
50...Kxh6
Now the d-pawn simply advances and promotes.
Black resigned
I have gotten into plenty of trouble by not looking far enough ahead in a chess position. This game has one of the few examples that I can think of where looking too far ahead allowed me to choose a second-best move, when a quick-reaction move would have been stronger.
Go figure.
perrypawnpusher - Duir
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Nc6
9.Qd3
When I played this move, I knew that 9.Qc4+ was probably a bit better. It turned out (I checked after the game) that there are 3 Bill Wall games with it in The Database, not to mention perrypawnpusher - Avious, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 40).
What can I say? The patzer in me was hoping for 9...Nb4? (That's a poor way to play chess.)
9...Re8 10.0-0 Ne5 11.Qe2 d5 12.f4
Hoping to complicate things, and support my e-pawn as it stepped past Black's d-pawn on the way to e5; but 12.exd5 was better.
12...Nxe4
The frisky Knight should have returned with 12...Nc6, in order to answer 13.e5 with 13...d4 with a better game. It think that it is possible that my opponent overlooked the fact that my next move comes with check.
13.fxe5+ Kg8 14.Qf3
A hallucination. I was afraid of the correct 14.Nxe4 because I thought that 14...Rxe5, winnning a pawn and pinning my Knight, would be a good response. I did not see 15.Qf3 Rf5 16.Qb3!? moving the Queen to safety and pinning the Black d-pawn, thus saving my Knight.
14...Rf8
Black immediately returns the favor. Instead, 14...Nxc3 15.Qxc3 d4 would have been at least equal, maybe a bit better for the second player.
15.Qxf8+ Qxf8 16.Rxf8+ Kxf8 17.Nxd5
Suddenly the complications have vanished, and White is a pawn up. Should the Knights and Rooks be exchanged, there would be the risk of a drawn Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame, but I was alert to that slip up.
17...Bf5 18.Be3 Rd8 19.c4
After the game, Rybka 3 saw further than me: 19.Nxc7 Rc8 can be met with 20.Rf1 Rxc7 21.Rxf5+ Ke7 22.c3 and White is up a second pawn.
19...a6
Missing something in the position.
20.Rf1 g6 21.g4 c6 22.Nc3 Nxc3 23.bxc3 Rd3 24.Bc5+
It's funny, but I came up with this second-best move (24.Bd4 is simplest and strongest) because I had already looked at the possibility of sacrificing the piece several moves down the road...
24...Kf7 25.gxf5 gxf5 26.Rxf5+ Kg6 27.Rf2 Rxc3 28.e6 Rxc4 29.Re2
Of course, Black can have the Bishop, as the pawn is going to promote.
29...Rxc5
Oh, well.
30.e7 Rc1+ 31.Kf2 Rh1 32.e8Q+ Kg5 33.Qe7+ Kg6 34.Re6+ Kf5 35.Qf7+ Kg5 36.Qf6+ Kg4 37.Qf3+ Kg5 38.Qxh1 Kf5 39.Qe4+ Kg5 40.h4+ Kh5 41.Kg3 c5 42.Qe5 checkmate
I just received a friendly email from Louis Morin, aka "mrjoker", a member of the Jerome Gambit Gemeinde who is familiar to long-time readers of this blog. He attached a pgn file of over 6,000 of his games, many of which are Jerome Gambits (or related openings), and a good number of which are new to me. After playing them over, I will, of course, add the games to The Database and post selected ones here, from time-to-time.
A hearty "thank you" to mrjoker!
I enjoy playing over the games of axykk (see "La la la la la...", "Say, what...?" and "Making It"), a player at FICS apparently new to the Jerome Gambit. He shows a lot of cool patience while playing down material, waiting for an opportunity for success to come his way. (With a little more endgame knowledge, his opponent could have foiled his plans.)
axykk - ElFuriozo
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8
7.Qxe5 Qe7 8.Qxe7+
Confidently going into the Queenless middlegame.
8...Nxe7 9.d3 d6 10.Be3 Bxe3 11.fxe3 g6
Black really hasn't done anything wrong yet, and still holds the extra piece for White's two (doubled) "Jerome pawns".
As far as White is concerned, the game is barely started.
12.0-0+ Kg7 13.Nd2 Be6 14.Nf3 Rhf8 15.Nd4 Rxf1+ 16.Rxf1 Bd7
17.Rf4 a6 18.c4 Nc6 19.Nxc6 bxc6 20.Kf1 Rb8 21.b3 a5
The game continues. White simply "plays chess" and waits for the "time bomb" (inevitiable blunder) to go off in his opponent's camp.
22.Rf2 Be6 23.Ke2 d5 24.exd5 cxd5 25.cxd5 Bxd5 26.e4 Be6
White's pawns are looking healthier, and one of them is protected and passed.
27.d4 c6 28.Kd3 a4 29.bxa4 Ra8 30.Rc2 Rxa4 31.Rxc6 Ra3+ 32.Ke2 Bg4+ 33.Kf2 Rxa2+ 34.Kg3 h5
The game is beginning to look even, with White's "Jerome pawn" passers balancing out Black's Bishop; but, as the game shows, the first player has practical winning chances.
35.h3 Ra3+ 36.Kf4 Be2 37.Rc7+ Kf6 38.h4 Ra6 39.e5+ Ke6 40.Ke4 Ra4 41.Rg7 Bg4 42.Rxg6+ Kf7 43.Rf6+ Ke7 44.Rh6 Ra2
45.Rh7+ Kf8 46.g3 Rg2 47.d5 Rxg3 48.e6
Now it is time for Black to return the Bishop and secure the draw with 48...Bxe6 49.dxe6 Rg4+ 50.Kf5 Rxh4. White will be unable to deal both with the checks to his King and Black's h-pawn at the same time; he will need to split the point.
48...Rf3 49.d6
All is not lost yet for Black. If he exchanges Rooks now, he can still sacrifice his Bishop and then take advantage of the unique defensive chance given to those who fight against a Rook pawn.
Thus, 49...Bf5+ 50.Kxf3 Bxh7 would accomplish the first step, and after 51.Kf4, then 51...Bg8 52.Ke5 Bxe6 53.Kxe6 Ke8 would accomplish the second.
White would then discover, to his dismay, that, abandoning his d-pawn to use as a distraction while he goes to free up his h-pawn, is not enough: 54.Kf6 Kd7 55.Kg5 Kxd6 56.Kxh5 Ke7 57.Kg6 Kf8 58.h5 Kg8 and Black's King will get to h8 to stop the pawn.
If, instead, White decides to hold onto his d-pawn with 55.Ke5 (instead of 55.Kg5) and not run to the Kingside, Black can cooly play 55...Kd8, staying in front of the passer. It looks then like White has gained something, as his King can now beat the enemy King to the defensive square h8, but this, still, is not enough to win, as there is another oddity related to the h-pawn. Thus: 56.Kf6 Kd7 57.Kg6 Kxd6 58.Kxh5 Ke7 59.Kg6 Kf8 60.Kh7 ("Ha!") Kf7 ("Ha! Ha!") and White's King, himself, is in the way of his advancing pawn. If it moves out of the way, Black's King moves in to defend. If White only moves his pawn, Black will tempo his King back and forth from f7 to f8, and stalemate will be reached.
49... Rf6
Alas, this will not do.
50.e7+ Ke8 and Black resigned.
I have always been impressed by stories of Grandmasters who, upon being confronted by a new or surprising idea in the opening, think hard and come up with a refutation right on the spot.
In club play, you may find the right idea, and not even realize it until it is too late. If then.
perrypawnpusher - KnightIsHorse
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bc4 Bc5
The Italian Four Knights Game, about to become the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4
7...Bb4
This defense can work for Black, but he needs to give some thought as to what his plan will be.
8.dxe5 Bxc3+ 9.bxc3
Now, retreating the Knight, or even letting it expire on f6 with 9...Re8 10.exf6 Rxe4+ 11.Be3 Qxf6, keeps an edge for Black.
9...Nxe4 10.Qd5+
Black resigned
It was possible to continue, as in my most recent example, perrypawnpusher - Aerandir, blitz, FICS, 2011, but I suspect that KnightIsHorse was discouraged by the turn of events.
The following game is from the recent collection sent to me by Louis Morin. It again shows that if your opponent becomes disoriented by the Jerome Gambit, the game can be over before he even knows it.
