Go On, Take The Money And Run

Black does well defending against the Jerome Gambit in the following game, until he becomes careless, and all of his gains disappear quickly.

Wall, Bill - Guest2905635
PlayChess.com, 2015

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit, a transition from 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nc3 Nf6.

6.d3 Re8

Or:

6...Ng4 7.Ng5+ Ke8 (7...Kg8 as in Wall,B - Richard123, Chess.com, 2010 [1-0, 10]) 8.Qxg4 h6 9.Qh5+ Ke7 10.Qf7+ Kd6 11.Nb5 checkmate, Wall,B - 321, InstantChess, 2015; or

6...Bb4 7.O-O Bxc3 8.Ng5+ Kg8 9.bxc3 h6 10.Nf3 d5 11.exd5 Qxd5 12.Be3 Bg4 13.c4 Qd8 14.h3 Be6 15.Rb1 b6 16.Re1 e4 17.dxe4 Bxc4 18.e5 Nd7 19.Qd2 Bxa2 20.Rbd1 Be6 21.Qc3
Ne7 22.Nd4 Bd5 23.Nf5 Nxf5 24.Rxd5 Ne7 25.Rd4 c5 26.Qc4+ Kh7 27.Qd3+Kg8 28.Rxd7 Qf8 29.Ra1 Nf5 30.Qd5+ Kh7 31.Rf7 Qg8 32.e6 Black resigned, Wall,B - Boris, SparkChess.com, 2012; or

6... Bxf2+ as in Wall,B - Igidius, PlayChess.com, 2015 (1-0, 15); or

6... Rf8 as in Wall,B - BarAbbas, PlayChess.com, 2012 (1-0, 45) 

7.O-O g6

Instead, 7...Nd4 was seen in Wall,B - Albulus, PlayChess.com, 2015 (1-0, 44).

8.Nd5 Nxd5 9.exd5 Ne7 10.Nxe5+ Kg8 11.Bg5 d6 12.Nf3 Qd7

Black has unpinned his Knight and plans to grab the advanced d-pawn. It looks like a simple idea.

13.d4 Bb6 14.Re1 Nxd5 15.c4 Ne7

There.

16.c5 dxc5 17.Qb3+ Kf8 18.Bh6 checkmate

Don't Try to Out-Think Me Redux

There is plenty of room in chess, at all levels, for a dash of "psychology", but it should only replace "good moves" in dire (or controlled) circumstances. Otherwise the outcome is likely to be something like the following.

(Here we have another example of the aphorism: in the Jerome Gambit, when White has equalized, he has the advantage.)

Wall,B - Igidius

PlayChess.com, 2015

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nc3 

This time Bill chooses to develop his Knight over castling in this "modern" Jerome Gambit - for alternatives, see "Winning With the Jerome Gambit: A Game Full of Lessons".

6...Bxf2+

There was nothing wrong with 6...d6.

In other games opponents have tried 6...Ng4 (Wall,B - Richard123, Chess.com, 2010 [1-0, 10]); and 6...Rf8 (Wall,B - BarAbbas, PlayChess.com, 2012 [1-0, 45]).

With the text Black returns the "favor" of a sacrificed piece to create a displaced (and possibly vulnerable) King. Of course, he also moves from an "objectively" won game to an even game, which is generous of him. Such "psychology" appears regularly in Jerome Gambit games, and White can always say "thank you".

As I have cautioned the defender before: Don't try to out-think me, just play the refutation. 

7.Kxf2 Ng4+ 8.Kf1

Black's attack goes nowhere, but it is fun to include a game to show how it might have gone - with a good bit of luck and cooperation - 8.Kg3 d6 9.Ng5+ Kg6 10.h3 h6 11.hxg4 hxg5 12.Rxh8 Qxh8 13.Nd5 Qh4+ 14.Kf3 Bxg4+ 15.Ke3 Bxd1 16.Bd2 Qg3 checkmate, RomanDurdis - varsa, FICS, 2005. 

8...Rf8 9.Bg5 Qe8

Bill suggests, instead, 9...Nf6 10.Nd5 Nxd5 11.exd5 Ne7 with a roughly equal game. 

10.h3 h6 11.hxg4 hxg5 12.Qd2 Kg8 

Black gives up a pawn, perhaps thinking that it leaves White only a doubled, isolated pawn ahead; and, in the meantime, he safeguards his King. He puts his faith in his counter-attacking Knight.

13.Qxg5 Nd4

The piece hits the Knight at f3 and the pawn at c2. Surely this is compensation?!

14.Nd5 Nxf3 15.gxf3 Rxf3+ 

See, Black now has his pawn back.

Alas, White now has checkmate.

How did this happen??

16.Kg2 Qf7 17.Ne7+ Black resigned

The First Thing

It sounds a bit obvious, but the first thing to do on the way to winning a chess game is to try very hard not to lose. The following game illustrates this point – play along, it is not a "gamelet", but the end is well worth waiting for.

Wall,B - BarAbbas
Playchess.com, 2012


1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.d3

Sang froid. White is down a piece for a pawn, but he will simply develop his game and see what happens.

6...Rf8 7.Bg5 Kg8 8.Nd5 Be7 9.Nxe7+ Qxe7 10.0-0 d6

11.c3 Bg4 12.h3 Bxf3 13.Qxf3 Qe8 14.Qd1 Nh5 15.Qb3+ Kh8 16.Qxb7 Qd7

In ten moves White has created no new weaknesses and has grabbed a second pawn as compensation for his sacrificed piece.

17.Qa6 Nf4 18.Rae1 Ne7 19.d4 Neg6 20.d5 h6 21.Bxf4 Nxf4 22.Re3 Nh5 23.Qe2 Qf7

Black is attacking, White is defending. The first player has not made things any more difficult for himself. He can play on a bit more.

24.Qg4 Nf6 25.Qh4 Qh5 26.Qxh5 Nxh5

All according to Black's plan: exchange pieces and play a favorable endgame.

27.b4 a5 28.a3 axb4 29.cxb4 Ra4

Black hastens to deal with the enemy passed pawn. Why not? It allows him to exchange more.

30.Rc1 Rfa8 31.Rxc7 Rxa3 32.Rxa3 Rxa3 33.b5 Rb3

Objectively, Black is still better, but he has to have begun wondering (this was a 10 minute game) if White's two pawns were beginning to measure up to his piece.

34.Rb7 Nf4 35.Rb6 Kh7 36.Kh2 Rb2 37.Kg3 g5 38.Rxd6 Rxb5

Each time White gives up a passer, he quickly gains another.

39.Rd7+ Kg6 40.Rd6+ Kh5

Black declines the draw that might have been available after 40...Kh7.

41.Kh2 Ng6

In club level blitz play, it was difficult to find what computers suggest later: 41...g4 42.hxg4+ Kg5. The win, if there were one, would still be a very long ways off, however.

Now, Black has stumbled into a forced checkmate.

42.g4+ Kh4 43.Rxg6 h5

This reminds me of the animated Roadrunner's eternal enemy, Wile E. Coyote, when he suddenly discovers that the boulder he has launched is going to land –  on himself.

44.Rh6 Rxd5 45.Rxh5 checkmate

Like I suggested: if you can avoid losing long enough, you just might win...