The Jerome Gambit: Pandora's Box

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Pandora's Box

I've been digging through my database since I wrote "What Have YOU created lately?" trying to find any kind of creativity in my own play in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). My games are more likely to follow "book" lines (such as there are), waiting for my opponents to get creative.

In the process, I turned up another of my games that I don't think has appeared on this blog. Here we go...

perrypawnpusher - whitepandora
blitz 3 10, FICS, 2008

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6

A defense as old as A.W. Jerome - O.A. Brownson, Iowa, USA, 1875 (1-0, 25)

7.Qd5+

The infamous "nudge".

7...Kf6

This is new.

8.d4

Attacking the enemy Bishop with the pawn and threatening an attack on the d8-h4 diagonal, winning the Queen. Annoyingly, my computers tell me that a) Black is still better and b) the thematic 8.f4 is probably better than the text move.

8...Bb4+ 9.c3 c6

Wow!

Essential was 9...Ke7 10.cxb4 Nf6, keeping the advantage.

Whitepandora was lucky to be playing against me, and not any other member of the Jerome Gambit Gemeinde.

10.Qg5+

Or 10.Bg5 checkmate, take your pick.

Ow!!!

White is still winning with the text move, but a 10-move Jerome Gambit checkmate would have been something to smile about.

10...Ke6 11.Qxd8

With a Queen and two pawns for two pieces, there is no way that this game should last – how many? – 41 moves. I suppose that it is a tribute to my creativity that I find a way.

11...Nf6 12.Qc7 Bd6 13.Qa5

Her Majesty escapes unharmed.

13...Kf7

Instead, 13...Nxe4 grabbed a pawn. Might not help. Couldn't hurt.

14.e5 Re8 15.0-0 Nxe5 16.dxe5 Rxe5

Black has some dangerous-looking development... and it keeps growing.

17.Qa4 b5 18.Qd4

More to the point was 18.Qb3+ Re6 19.Re1, when White will be able to trade off one of the attackers.

18...Rd5 19.Qe3 Bb7

This is getting creepy. One indication of how quickly Black's development has grown was in the line 19...Bxh2+ 20.Kh1 (if 20.Kxh2, 20...Ng4+ winning the Queen) Rh5 21.g3 Bf5 22.Re1 Bxg3+ 23.Kg2 Rh2+ 24.Kxg3 (24.Kg1 Bxf2+) Rh3+ 25.Kf4 Rxe3 26.Rxe3 when the second player has cut the deficit to a Rook for two pawns.

20.Nd2

Planning to get the Knight to its defensive post at f3, but, oddly enough, the best move was to put the Queen there.Now Black has some more hair-raising tactics, such as: 20...Bxh2+ 21.Kh1 Rh5 22. g3 c5+ 23.f3 Bxg3+ 24.Kg2 Nd5 25.Qxc5 (what else?) Nf4+ 26.Kxg3 Ne2+ 27. Kf2 Rxc5 28.Kxe2 Re8+. White has a piece for a (passed) pawn – and is still way behind in development.

analysis diagram

20...c5 21.Nf3

Whew!

21...Ng4

Black should have taken his opportunity to develop his last piece with 21...Re8.

22.Qe1 Re8 23.Be3 Rh5