Blackburne employed psychological tactics: Blackburne knew that Bird would not likely play a move like 2.e4 in this opening, it was not stylistically within Bird's opening play. Bird played 1.f4 to play the system, not to transpose into the KG.

If you are playing someone skilled in the KG then you have a point: you dont want to play 1...e5. I personally either play 1...g6 or 1...d5 against 1.f4

Then again, I had a discussion with someone regarding the statistics of the KGA over the last 100 years a while back, overwhelmingly in favor of black; in the KGA black has a winning record and any other response by black other than 2...exd4 is winning for white.

So, that being said, either way, you either play a system against 1.f4 or transpose into the KGA, both winning records for black.

The Lasker game is annotated in a book of his games I have - I think it is by Reinfeld.

I saw that game; and had a last round game to play v a player (he was from Germany and playing Chess on his holiday) I knew he played either the Birds or 1 e4 so I prepared the Froms but was concerned about him playing a King's Gambit as I didn't know that very well from the Black side - as it happened he played 1 e4! and I won when he went (very) wrong...and I thus won the tournament - but don't know how I would have gone if I had essayed the Froms as in a Blitz game I lost against his 1 f4! e5 2 e4..etc

But I was determined to go on the attack (it was do or die!) as I wanted to win tournament outright as I did!

I don't know if the Daily News or The Field published the game. However, Gillam's quotation from BCM is not quite accurate. Gillam quotes BCM as saying "the game only lasted 17 moves when Blackburne by a spledid intercepting move, 16...Rf3! brought it to a conclusion". This would support the published version in his book and the Brooklyn Chess Chronicle (as indicate above (e.g. 13.Kg1). In fact, BCM,1886,p342 does use that wording, but says "17...Rf3" (!) So perhaps Blackburne's version as given here is correct!

J Mortimer vs Taubenhaus, 1886

What tournament does this belong to?

Also, this game:

Taubenhaus vs Blackburne, 1886

I have a 61-move version from

<Chess Players Chronicle 8th Sept 1886 p45 Game 1600 / Field>

Wonder what Gillam gives?

(I intended the previous post to go to the Bistro.)

BTW- Does Gillam give Bird's opening move as 1.f4. I have a source giving it as so.

This was a From's Gambit, and Gillam and Harding both show the same 17 moves for this game.

In the earlier book, "Blackburne's Chess Games", edited by P.A. Graham, only a fragment of a game was provided, moves 13-17, and the game was identified only as having been played at the Criterion in 1886.

Why would Gillam have to quote the <BCM> as he does, if either the <Daily News> or <Field> had the score? As it happens, the <Daily News> report of July 17th sheds no light on the issue at hand, so why Gillam cites it is a mystery.

But I did find this, from the <Western Daily Press> of July 17th 1886, p.3, which supports the Blackburne version:

<The contest between Bird and Blackburne was soon over, on the seventeenth move, having lasted only three-quarters of an hour. The latter played From's Gambit in reply to Bird's own opening, 1.P to KB4, and on the tenth move the first player, overlooking the threatened combination, neglected to make a precautionary move, thereby affording Blackburne an opportunity for one of those briiliant coups which have made his name famous throughout the whole chess world; on the seventeenth move he played a Rook to a square, standing upon which it was en prise to the adversary’s Queen, Bishop, Knight, or Pawn — if it was not captured by one or other of these pieces, mate immediately ensued; if was captured, the Queen was lost, and again mate could be postponed for but a few moves longer. Of course Bird resigned.>