The games of Peter Gibbs

Gerard Killoran · Post by **Gerard Killoran** » Thu Jul 13, 2023 1:18 pm

Two early games.

P. J. Verhoeff seems to be Pieter J. Verhoeff, who taught English Language and Medieval Literature at the Department of English of the University of Utrecht, but I can't be sure.

John Saunders · Post by **John Saunders** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 10:48 am

Thanks, Gerard. I'll upload those games to BritBase in due course.

I concur with your identification for Mr Verhoeff, one of whose other games from this event appears in the Bernard Cafferty file. In his game notes Bernard referred to him as a "gum-chewing Dutchman"...

Gerard Killoran · Post by **Gerard Killoran** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 1:44 pm

From the Hastings and St Leonards Observer - Saturday 09 January 1954 p.10

P. J. Verhoeff (Premier Reserves “A”) a brilliant Dutch hohours student at Leeds University, does a difficult crossword puzzle after breakfast each day to "polish up his faculties" for the day’s play.

Meanwhile the young Peter Gibbs falls into a trap, well known even then...

Roger de Coverly · Post by **Roger de Coverly** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 3:04 pm

Gerard Killoran wrote: ↑
Fri Jul 14, 2023 1:44 pm
Meanwhile the young Peter Gibbs falls into a trap, well known even then...

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. f4 Bg7 7. e5 dxe5 8. fxe5 Ng4your web browser and/or your host do not support iframes as required to display the chessboard

That's one of those positions where the trap is later than originally supposed. It used to be thought that 6. .. Bg7 was the error until around 50 years ago when Mestel demonstrated the viability of 7. .. Nh5. Even if that isn't played, Black can hang on after 7. .. dxe5 8. fxe5 by playing an engine move of 8. .. Nfd7. Other Knight moves lose.

A point of 7. .. Nh5 is that it doesn't lose to 8. g4 because of the tactic 8. .. Nxf4 9. Bxf4 dxe5 regaining the piece by the fork on Knight and Bishop.

At the time the Gibbs game was played and for many years later until Mestel, it was believed that Black had to play 6. .. Nd7 or 6. .. Nc6 and White players would punt the Levenfish against the Dragon in the hope that Black's knowledge of that bit of theory was inadequate.

John Townsend · Post by **John Townsend** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 5:11 pm

A similar trap arises en route to the Yugoslav variation in the Dragon: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3. Now is not the time for Black to venture 6...Ng4, otherwise he will be punished with 7.Bb5+.

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The games of Peter Gibbs

The games of Peter Gibbs

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