With 9 games left to be completed in my group, in Round 3 of the Jerome Gambit Classic #1, despite my successes so far, my remaining 3 games might produce only 1/2 point for me - leaving my chances of moving on to Round 4 (top 3 players of each group advance) depending upon what might end up being a tie break for third place in the group. There are four of us competing for three places.
With 15 games to finish in group 2, there is still plenty of chess to play there, as well.
A mis-step can quickly turn into a stumble, and a stumble into a fall.
Wall, Bill - Irineu
internet, 2024
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
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7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qc3
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About 6 times more common, according to The Database, is 9.Qe3.
9...Nf6 10.O-O
Or 10.f3 d5 11.O-O as in Wall,B - Jaar,J, Chess.com 2010 (1-0, 19).
10...Rf8
Bill has also faced 10...c6 as in Wall,B-Varitt, internet, 2020 (1-0, 48) and 10...Kf7 as in Wall,B-Attia,M, internet, 2021 (1-0, 32).
11.f4 Kf7
Black starts to castle-by-hand.
He had an interesting series of moves that led to an edge: 11...Nxe4 (the key) 12.Re1 Qe7 13.Qc4 Rxf4 14.d3 Be6 15.Qa4+ Bd7 16.Qb4 Rg4 17.Rxe4 Rxe4 18.Qxe4 Qxe4 19.dxe4 Bc6.
12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Nc6
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Black should have continued with 14...Kg8.
15.Qc4+ Ke7 16.e5
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16...dxe5 17.dxe5 Nxe5 18.Qxc7+
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18...Ned7
Bill sees quickly the opportunity that this move presents.
19.Re1+ Kf7 20. Qc4+ Black resigned
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Another game for Bill Wall's Jerome Gambit Miniatures book, should he ever publish one. (He has written many other books and articles.)
Regarding Mr. James Tarbell, of Upper Alton, Ill., mentioned in yesterday's post (see "Jerome Gambit: Humbling") as looking for opponents to play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) against him, I found his obituary in the March 23, 1906 Springfield Reporter, which included
Springfield, Vermont •
Fri, Mar 23, 1906
The following was sent in by Mr. George Smiley of Alton, Ill and is from an Alton paper of last week.
...He was a famous chess player, probally [sic] one of the best in the United States, and played in many tournaments. He made a deep study of the game and he furnished many of the chess problems which interested players in years ago. He was beaten seldom and there were few who could match him in playing...
I wish to be remembered so fondly, after my passing.
Then I run across a bit of information from the chess column for the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, Sunday, May 02, 1880
Mr. James Tarbell, of Upper Alton, Ill., who has acquired some fame as a correspondence player, would like very much to defend against the Jerome gambit in person or by correspondence. He is at present playing with Mr. Wm. Brown, of this city, and Mr. W. H. Hook of Paducah, Ky.
Cool!
I checked The Database.
Hmm...
No entry on James Tarbell.
No entry on William Brown.
No entry on W. H. Hook.
How disappointing.
I will keep my eyes open, however.
Readers are asked to, as well.
One tool a defender often has at his disposal is the exchange of Queens, which can lead to the blunting of an attack.
In the following game, however, Bill Wall's aggression does not appear to be troubled by such a strategy. The game ends with an impending checkmate in 10 moves.
Wall, Bill - Pakyaw
internet, 2024
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6
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seen at least as early as in the 5th game of the second match between Mexican Champion Andres Clemente Vazquez and American William Harrington, Mexico, 1876 (Vazquez won the match 12-3-1)
For a more modern take, I consulted The Database, which has 300 games with this move; White scores 76%.
The second player would have done better offering the Rook on h8 with either Blackburne's defense 7...d6, or Whistler's defense, 7...Qe7.
8.Qxc5 Qe7
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9.Qxe7+
Why not? Bill chooses a Queenless middlegame two pawns up.
9...Kxe7 10.Nc3 c6 11.d4 Kf7 12.O-O Re8 13.e5
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13...Nh5 14.g4 Ng7 15.f4 Kg8
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White's attack is not hampered by the lack of his Queen.
16.Ne4 Rf8 17.Nf6+ Kh8 18.f5
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18...b6 19.fxg6 hxg6 20.Rf3
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20...Rxf6
A sand necessity, but things do not get better.
21.Rxf6 Kh7 22.h4 Ne6 23.Be3 Kg7
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White's lead in development is decisive.
24.Raf1 Nd8 25.h5 gxh5 26.gxh5 Ba6
Alas, the Bishop is late to the excitment.
27.R1f3 Black resigned
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Black's King is in a mating net.
I recently stumbled over a small puzzle on page 44 of the Sunday, October 27, 1929 edition of Cleveland's The Plain Dealer.
The "Chess and Checkers" column by David Robb had a section titled "An Old Time Favorite", including [chess notation changed from descriptive to algebraic - Rick]
The following game is taken from an old chess book of the year 1880.
The opening, a Jerome Gambit, is never played in tournament chess, yet in social chess it is often played, as it generally leads into a bright and lively game, as witness the following
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5
This double sacrifice constitutes the Jerome Gambit. It is unsound, but wants very careful meeting, as white can get up a good attack.
The game as given is the same as the well-known Amateur - Blackburne:
6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.O-O Nf6 10.c3 Ng4 11.h3 Bxf2+ 12.Kh1 Bf5 13.Qxa8 Qxh3 14.gxh3 Bxe4 checkmate
The problem is the date of the book referred to by Mr. Robb: it is given as 1880.
As I posted here about 7 years ago, in "Jerome Gambit: Dr. Harding Checks In", Amateur- Blackburne was played in 1884. (Tim Harding is the author of many good books, including Joseph Henry Blackburne A Chess Biography).
It is quite possible that Plain Dealer's chess columnist got his dates wrong.
I also have had a hard time finding any chess books from 1880 that reference the Jerome Gambit.
I suppose that I could go out on a limb and point out that in Mr. Blackburne's Games at Chess (1899), by Joseph Henry Blackburne, the game is given as having taken place "around 1880". Perhaps there is where 1880 came from for Mr. Robb.
Sometimes the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) creates a logical, flowing game; sometimes it produces a game of fits and starts, with offsetting errors and, simply, a bit of a mess.
Witness the following game.
perrypawnpusher - sinipete
Jerome Gambit Classic #1, Chess.com, 2024
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8
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Deciding not to exchange Queens, e.g. 8.Qf5+ Qf6 9.Qxf6+ Nxf6 as in perrypawnpusher - dogofthesouth, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1/2 - 1/2, 59) and perrypawnpusher - LeiCar, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 34)
8...Qf6
Or the Knight can go to f6, as in perrypawnpusher - Lark, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 30).
9.d4 Qe7
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10.Nd2 c6 11.O-O Bb4 12.Qd3
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12...a5
He would have done better to strike the center with 12...d5.
13.f4
The computer much prefers 13.c3 b6 14.Rf2 Ba6 16.Qh3 Bd6 17.e5.
13...a4
The same advice as for Black's 12th move.
14.Nf3
The same advice as for White's 13th move.
14...d6
The same advice as for Black's 12th move.
15.f5
The same advice as for White's 13th move.
15...h6
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For the moment, White is better (development, King safety), but that will change.
It was that kind of game.
16.e5 b6 17.c3 Ba6 18.c4 d5
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I had considered 19.b3, but after 19...axb3 20.axb3 I could see that Black had 20...Bxc4, attacking my Queen and at the same time uncovering an attack on my Rook at a8. What I foolishly missed was that I could then play 21.Rxa8+ when Black has to give up his Queen to block the check, as 21...Kf7 would be met by 22.e6+ Kf6 23.Bg5!+ hxg5 24.Qe3 Kxf5 25.Nh4+ Kg4 26.Qf3+ Kxh4 27.Qh3 checkmate.
19...Bxd2 20.Qxd2 Bxc4 21.Rf3 c5
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Black's plan is to blow up White's center before it becomes any more dangerous.
22.Qf2 cxd4 23.f6
Too hurried.
23...gxf6 24.exf6 Qe2
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25.Bf4 d3
Things are still messy, but if Black eliminated Queens with 25...Qxf2+ 26. Kxf2 it is likely his extra piece would give him the advantage.
26.Qxb6
Suddenly, White is better. His attack on the enemy King prevails over the threat of two (albeit doubled) passed pawns.
26...Qe8
Not enough, but his position was troubled.
27.f7
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This move is okay, and I liked my passer better than his, but 27.Bd6+ would have led more directly to mate.
27...Qd7 28.fxg8=Q+ Kxg8 29.Qg6+ Kf8 30.Bd6 checkmate
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