"I want my Jerome Gambit!"

The other night I was spending time on my computer, when I decided to go to a website that I'd not visited before, and try out their chess wares. I was having no luck finding an opponent, so I quickly latched onto the resident computer program. I noticed that it was at its default setting, and decided to throw a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) at it.

Bad idea. The silicon warrior did not want to enter a Giuoco Piano, no matter how many times I took the White pieces. Furthermore, it kept insisting that I alternate playing Black. I had to make at least a few moves on defense: once I resigned as my first "move", only to find the computer the next game responding to my 1.e4 with "resigns." Silly computer...

I'd just about given up, and thought about going to bed, when the computer offered to play an Alekhine's Defense. Aha! At least I could go out with Jerome-ish play: I would try the Krejcik Variation!

perrypawnpusher - computer
internet, 2009

1.e4 Nf6 2.Bc4

Sources refer to this as the Krejcik Variation, although the only game I've been able to find by Josef Emil Krejcik, against the player Gottlieb in 1922, went 1.e4 Nf6 2.Bc4 d6 3.Nc3 Nxe4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe4 e5 6.Qf3+ Kg8 7.Ng5 Black resigned

2...Nxe4 3.Bxf7+ Kxf7 4.Qh5+



4...Ke6


The best defence for Black is supposed to be 4...Kg8 5.Qd5+ e6 6.Qxe4 d5, which seems quite playable for White to any Jerome Gambit player.







analysis diagram





5.Qg4+ Kd5

The program foolishly holds onto its material. Certainly 5...Kf7 was an option.

6.Qf5+

Going for the quick knockout.

Later, Rybka 3 recommended: 6.Nf3 d6 7.c4+ Kc6 8.Qxe4+ Kd7 9.0-0 Qe8 10.d4 Kd8 11.Qe3 g6 12.Nc3 Bg7 13.Bd2 Rf8 with a White advantage.

There was also the dangerous (for Black) line 6.d3 Kc6 7.Qxe4+ d5 (7...Kc5 8.Be3+ Kd6 (8...Kb5 9.Nc3+ Ka6 10.Qa4#) 9.Bf4+ e5 (9...Kc5 10.Qc4+ Kb6 11.Nc3 a5 12.Be3+ c5 13.Qxc5+ Ka6 14.Qb5#) 10.Bxe5+ Ke7 11.Bxc7+ Kf7 12.Bxd8 +- ) 8.Qa4+ b5 9.Qa5 e6 10.a4 b4 11.Qb5+ Kd6 12.Nf3 Qf6 13.Qxb4+.

6...Kd4

Stubborn to the very end. Less painful was either 6...e5 7.Nf3 d6 8.c4+ Kc6 9.Qxe4+ Kd7 or 6...Kc6 7.Qxe4+ but both involved surrendering the Knight.

7.Nf3+ Kc4 8.Na3+ Kb4 9.Qb5 checkmate








































graphic by Jeff Bucchino, the Wizard of Draws