Before I began this blog, much of my investigation into the Jerome Gambit appeared online in the "Puzzles and Mysteries" section of Edward Winter's The Chess History Information and Research Center. Although it highlighted my mis-steps almost as often as my true discoveries, it provided valuable exposure to my quest, and put me in touch with a number of helpful sources, for which I remain expecially thankful to Mr. Winter.
With the help of the online Wayback Machine, I was able to bring much of this information forward. It adds to my earlier series of posts containing my longer Jerome Gambit article.
The October 1881 Brentano's Chess Monthly contains a letter from S. A.Charles on the gambit, as well as analysis taken from correspondence games played between Charles and Jerome. Charles also mentions he had published analysis on the gambit in the Pittsburg Telegraph.
Neil Brennen, 19.12.01
A Jerome Gambit Chronology
The March 1876 (No. 71, p.103) issue of the Dubuque Chess Journal (also known at different times as the American Chess Journal and Brownson's Chess Journal) contained a game between Alonzo Jerome and William Shinkman, called "Jerome's Double Opening":
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 8.0-0 Nf6 9.f4 c5 10.Qc3 Neg4 11.Nd2 b5 12.h3 h5 13.e5 b4 14.Qf3 Ba6 15.exf6 Bxf1 16.Qb7+ Kxf6 17.Ne4+ Kg6 18.f5+ Kxf5 19.hxg4+ Kg6 20.Qd5 Qd7 21.Qg5+ Kf7 22.gxh5 Bc4 23.b3 Be6 24.Bb2 Rag8 25.Rd1 d5 26.Be5 Rf8 27.Rf1+ Kg8 28.Nf6+ Rxf6 29.Bxf6 Rh6 30.Rf4 a5 31.Be5 c4 32.bxc4 dxc4 33.Bd4 a4 34.Re4 b3 35.cxb3 cxb3 36.a3 Qf7 37.g4 Qc7 38.Be5 b2 39.Bxb2 Qg3+ 40.Kf1 Qf3+ 41.Kg1 Qg3+ 42.Kf1 ½-½.
Around 1890, Blackburne won his famous game against an Amateur, at Simpson's Divan in London. It does not seem to have influenced written sources; perhaps it only appeared in print in Mr. Blackburne's Games at Chess, in 1899:
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.0-0 Nf6 10.c3 Ng4 11.h3 Bxf2+ 12.Kh1 Bf5 13.Qxa8 Qxh3+ 14.gxh3 Bxe4#
The Games section of Brentano's Chess Monthly, October 1881, contained 6 not-completed correspondence games between Jerome and S.A. Charles, with analysis. In an accompanying letter to the editor, Charles said he had "published in the Pittsburg Telegraph a compilation of such analyses of the Jerome Gambit as I could find, with some additions from published games." This is no doubt how Charles got identified in the American Supplement to Cooks' Synopsis as the opening's chief analyst.
Published in 1884, Cook's Synopsis of Chess Openings A Tabular Analysis by William Cook, With American Inventions in the Openings and Fresh Analysis since 1882, by J. W. Miller; had some analysis of the gambit, including the note "This move [4.Bxf7+] constitutes the Jerome Gambit, which, although unsound, affords some highly instructive analysis."
The first edition of Chess Openings Ancient and Modern, 1889, gives the Jerome Gambit its own chapter, calling it "a very risky attack." The second edition of Chess Openings Ancient and Modern, 1893, expands its analysis, but notes "it is very rarely practicised, but as a similar sacrifice of a minor piece for two pawns to stop Black from castling may often occur in the King's Knight's opening, we give the Jerome Gambit as a representative form of this kind of attack on its merits, showing its strengths and weaknesses apart from accidental circumstances, which in actual play may materially affect the result."
By 1906, Cook published The Evolution of the Chess Openings, with no mention of the Jerome Gambit.
Rick Kennedy, 01.01.02
Gathering information on the Jerome Gambit, (or "Jerome's Double Opening" asit was referred to in the Dubuque Chess Journal of March 1876), I have run across an article by W. John Lutes, in the 11/28/61 issue of the Ohio State University student chess club newsletter, "Phalanx". Lutes analyzes the opening, and refers to "Mortimer's analysis from MOCO." This appears to be a reference to James Mortimer, editor of The New Century Chess-Book, and Companion to the Chess Player's Pocket-Book; but neither title fits the intials referred to. (For what it's worth, the edition of MCO - Modern Chess Openings - available to Lutes was MCO9, and it has nothing on the Jerome.)
Can anyone supply the name of the reference? Thank you.
Rick Kennedy, 08.01.02
A couple of days in the Carnegie Library, Pittsburgh, viewing microfilm of the Pittsburg Telegraph, yields the following pieces to the Jerome Gambit puzzle (placed in temporal perspective around the previously noted article in the October 1881 issue of Brentano's Chess Monthly):
Pittsburgh Telegraph, January 19, 1881: "The following careful and complete analysis of the Jerome Gambit, one of the newest attacks in chess, and to be found in but few books, was compiled and condensed for THE TELEGRAPH by Mr. S. A. Charles, President of the Cincinnati Chess Club, and victor in its recent tournay.... [analysis given]"
Pittsburgh Telegraph, February 2, 1881: "The following game played betwen the author of the 'Jerome Gambit' and another amateur." Jerome,A - Amateur 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ This move constitutes the gambit, and although unsound, as shown by Mr. Charles' analysis in this column, yet leads to some intersting and critical positions. 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 d6 8.f5+ Ke7 9.Nc3 Nf6 10.Qh4 c6 11.d3 Qe8 12.Bg5 b5 13.0-0-0 h5 14.d4 Bxd4 15.Rxd4 c5 16.Bxf6+ gxf6 17.Nd5+ Kf7 18.Qxf6+ Kg8 19.Ne7+ Kh7 20.Rxd6 Ng4 21.Qg5 1-0"
Pittsburgh Telegraph, April 27, 1881: "To the Chess Editor of the Telegraph, A few weeks ago I sent you a compilation of such analysis as I could find of the 'Jerome Gambit,' not claiming to present anything new, but only to furnish in a compact form some information which was not probably accessible to most of your readers.
"Since its publication I have received some letters from Mr. Jerome, the inventor of the gambit, claiming that his gambit was sound and that the attack could be improved upon in some fo the variations given. Mr. Jerome's claims as to the corrections, at last, seem to be well founded, and I give below, as an appendix to my former article, a short tabular statement covering the principal changes and correstions suggested by him.
"It is much to be hoped that Mr. Jerome may himself give to the public at an early date his own analysis of this, the only opening of any note of American Invention. Very respectfully, I. [sic] A. Charles... [analysis given]"
Pittsburgh Telegraph, June 8, 1881: "A letter received from Mr. A. W. Jerome calls attention to the fact that he does not claim the Jerome Gambit to be analytically sound, but only that over the board it is sound enough to afford a vast amount of amusement. Mr. J. Refers to the so-called 'Meadow Hay' opening as being an American invention. Well, if that is so, the less said about it the better for American chess reputation."
Brentano's Chess Monthly, October 1881: "Some time since I published in the Pittsburg Telegraph a compilation of such analyses of the Jerome Gambit as I could find, with some additions from published games. Mr. Jerome justly criticized some of the moves as not being the best for either party, and we commenced as series of correspondence games more as a test of the opening than of individual skill.
"Unfortunately Mr. Jerome's business engagements have prevented him from playing out the full number of games originally started; yet the situation even in the unfinished games seems to me at least to prove the gambit unsound, and that while White may win against weak, he cannot do against strong play.
"I should add, perhaps, that Mr. Jerome does consider the defenses here given to 6.d4 to be the best but he does not suggest any others. Very respectfully S.A. Charles... [analysis given]"
Pittsburgh Telegraph, November 2, 1881: "To the Chess Editor of the Telegraph. The following analysis is a compilation, but is primarily based on games played by me with Mr. Jerome. A part of it has appeared in Bretano's Chess Monthly for October, but as the notation there adopted is not as good, in my opininon, as the tabular form, and as it also comtains some misprints and errors, owing, perhaps to my chirography, I have thought best to rewrite and add to the article and forward to you if you have space for it. Very respectfully,S.A.Charles... [analysis given]"
Pittsburgh Telegraph, November 16, 1881: To and From Correspondents.Mr. Charles writes calling attention to small errors in his analysis of the Jerome Gambit.."
Pittsburgh Chronicle Telegraph, February 27, 1884: "In Cincinnati we met a number of players in the Mercantile Library, the chess room of which... We also had the pleasure of contesting several games with Mr. Jerome, of Paxton, Ill. He is well known as the author of the so-called Jerome Gambit, in which white sacrifices the Bishop by taking KBP on the fourth move of the Giuoco Piano game. Neither the gambit nor its author proved strong in the contest."
Pittsburgh Chronicle Telegraph, May 21, 1884: "One feature of the first American Edition of "Cook's Synopsis of the Openings," which will soon be published by Robert Clarke and Co. of Cincinnati, will be a supplement containing the fresh analysis that has come into notice during the last two or three years. It is especially desired to give all American openings, or important American variations in the old openings. The Text of "Cook's Synopsis" will be presented exactly as it stands in the third and last edition, now out of print, but greatly in demand as it deserves to be. It is hoped that the additions will give the book a new value for America."
Please note the last item from the Chronicle Dispatch: both "fresh analysis that has come into notice during the last two or three years" and "it is especially desired to give all American openings" point towards the Jerome Gambit, regardless of its over-the-board merit. Note, too, that publisher Robert Clarke and Co. and the indefatigable S.A. Charles are both of Cincinnati.
Finally, readers who have flown in and out of Cincinnati may recall that its airport, actually, is across the river in Kentucky. Perhaps Joseph Blackburne's labelling of the Jerome Gambit (Mr. Blackburne's Games of Chess) as "the Kentucky Opening" is merely a slight error of geography.
Rick Kennedy, 18.07.02
Of course, Dr. Tim Harding clarified the date of the Jerome Gambit game Amateur - Blackburne, London, as 1884, some time back.
Despite my fanciful "geography lesson" above, the origin of "the Kentucky Opening" has ben pretty well established: see the blog posts "The Kentucky Opening" Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
It is likely that James Mortimer's "MOCO", referenced by Lutes, refers to his Manual of Chess Openings.
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