Here is the latest Jerome Gambit from Vlasta Fejfar, featuring two wandering Queens. White's Queen successfully attacks, while Black's Queen is a few steps slow in defending. In a surprise twist, the player who loses his Queen, wins the game!
vlastous - Marwan 86
internet, 2018
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4
This move is at least as old as D'Aumiller - AP, Livorno, 1878 (1-0, 19), appeared in 2 of the Jerome - Charles correspondence games in their 1881 match (both games incomplete), and appeared in 6 of the games in the legendary (to Jerome Gambit players, anyhow) Fisher-Kirshner - KnightStalker match of 1993.
4...Qf6 8. Rf1 g6
We have seen a couple of Vlasta's opponents try other ideas:
8...Nd3+ "creatively returning a piece" in Vlastous - Kombe, internet, 2017, (1-0, 22); and
8...Nc6 "cold-blooded, but playable" in Fejfar,V - Vins, corr Czech Republic, 2015, (1-0, 23).
9.Qh3+ Ke7 10.fxe5 Qxe5 11.Qf3 Qf6
A common criticism of the Jerome Gambit is that White moves his Queen too early and too often. So far in this game, however, Black has kept pace with White.
Vlastous 2344 -Daboa 1799, Chessmaniac.com, 2016, (1-0, 42) saw the alternative, 11...Nf6.
12.Qe2 Qa6
You can almost hear Black sigh "Enough, already!". The threat to exchange Queens is easily parried, though, and Her Majesty soon finds that she needs to get back in the fray.
13.d3 Ke8 14.Nc3 Ne7 15.Nd5 Qc6
To protect against the threatened Knight fork at c7.
Black's best defense was 15...Kd8, when a typical messy game can continue with 16.Bg5 c6 17.b4 cxd5 18.bxc5 dxe4 19.Rf7 Re8 20.Qxe4 Qe6 21.Qxe6 dxe6 22.Rxh7 when White clearly has compensation for his sacrificed material, although the game is about even. (Who is more comfortable, though?)
16.Qf3 Nxd5
Opening the e-file with the enemy Queen facing the King is pretty risky, but the best move, 16...Nf5, still loses. (And it turns out that White doesn't need the e-file after all.)
17.Qf7+ Kd8 18.Bg5+ Be7
Black does not want to give up his Queen with 18...Qf6.
White decides to give up his.
19.Qf8+ Rxf8 20.Rxf8 checkmate
Very nice.
I was wandering the internet the other day, looking for some Jerome Gambit references that were new to me, when I decided to visit the ChessBase Live Database.
There I found the game Fejfar, Vlastimil - Chvojka, Jaroslav, CZE-Cup32 final email ICCF, 2015 which did not appear in The Database.
Success!
Not really, as you will see.
Of course, Vlastimil Fejfar is familiar to readers of this blog - see "Correspondence Play Parts 1, 2, and 3", "Climbing Sněžka" and "A Fierce Jerome Gambit Battle" for starters.
But I think there is something mixed up in the ChessBase Live Database...
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Ke7
The first clue that something might be amiss. The Database has 44 games with this position, out of 13,090 games starting 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+. That turns out to be about 1/3 of 1% - a very rare move, indeed!
Of course, Black might be "experimenting", too, but it seems unlikely that he would turn his "won" game after White's move to a slightly worse game after his own move.
5.Nxe5
Suspicious. White would have a comfortable "pull" after either 5.Bxg8 or 5.Bb3. I could see this move in a lightning game... maybe. In a serious correspondence game? No.
5...Nxe5 6.Qh5
Again, raising eyebrows. Why not the straight-forward 6.Bxg8 Qxg8 7.d4 when 7...Qc4 8.dxc5 Qxe4+ 9.Qe2 Qxe2+ 10.Kxe2 is clearly good.
Feeling adventurous? Then 6.Bb3 was the move, and after 6...Nc6 or 6...Bd4 or 6...Bb6 White could test Stockfish 9's contention that the first player has an edge.
6...d6
Strangeness from the other side of the board. Black is rated at 2295, and should have seen 6...Bxf2+ 7.Kxf2 Nxf7, with a better game, easily.
7.Qh3
No, I don't think so.
7...Kxf7
Missing something.
More likely, the "game" is bogus.
8.Qh4
No. Not even blindfolded.
8...Qe7
Consistent, but absurd.
9.Qxe7+ Nxe7
And Black went on to win - in whatever alternate universe the battle was fought.
10.h3 Be6 11.d3 Rhf8 12.Ke2 Kg8 13.Be3 Nc4 14.d4 Rae8 15.e5 b5 16.dxc5 b4 17.Kd3 Rb8
Very strange, indeed.
I went to ICCF website, looked up the event, and studied the crosstable: Fejfar came in 2nd to Chvojka, with 20.5 points to his opponent's 21.5. When I downloaded the PGN file of what appeared to be the game, however, it had only the outcome, not the moves.
I checked my copy of ChessBase's Big Database and could not find the game.
Another blow to the argument "But I saw it on the internet!"
(Years ago, when chess game databases began to proliferate, publishers were known to "seed" their databases with imaginary games, the better to use them as markers to show if others - publishers, players - later copied their work. I suppose that is one possibility, here.)
The second Jerome Gambit game recently sent by Vlasta Fejfar looks so incredibly "normal" (by Jerome standards, anyhow) it was hard to believe that it became completly "unusual" before a dozen moves.
What was "normal", however, was Black's increasing uncertainty or confusion on defense, followed by increasing pressure by White's "Jerome pawns" - followed by a win by the attacker in under 30 moves.
vlastous - mostafa-salman
internet, 2017
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6
7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Qf6 10.O-O N8e7
And, just like that, we have reached a position that seems familiar, but appears in only 2 other games in The Database.
I could make this sound quite incredible by pointing out that The Database has 55,650 games - but that would be a bit unfair; so let me say that, of the 12,823 games in The Database that start with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ - well, there still are only 2 other examples.
11.f4 Nc6
What's not to like about this move - which is a novelty?
It improves upon a couple of earlier games:
11...Kf7 12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Nc4?! 14.Qb3?! (14.Qd3!?) 14...b5 (14...Qxd4+!?) 15.Nd2?! Qxd4+ 16.Kh1 Ke8? 17.c3? (17.Qxb5+!?) 17...Nxd2 White resigned, shugart - douthy, lightning, FICS, 2014; and
11...Bd7 12.f5 (12.d4!?) 12...Ne5 13.d4 Ng4?! 14.Qd3 a6 15.h3 Bb5? 16.Qc3? Bxf1 17.hxg4 Bb5 18.g5 Qf7 19.Qxc7 Rc8?! 20.Qxd6 Qc4 21.f6 Qf1+ (21...gxf6 22.gxf6 Ng6) 22.Kh2 gxf6 23.gxf6 Ng6 24.Qe6+ (24.Nc3!?) 24...Kf8? 25.Bh6 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - LeiCar, blitz, FICS, 2010.
12.c3 Bd7 13.d4 Kd8
Understandably, Black's King wants to get off of the soon-to-be-opened e-file.
14.d5 Nce7 15.c4 Rf8 16.Bd2 Qf7
Likewise, Black's Queen - which has been helping hold back White's e-pawn - decides to get off of the a1-h8 diagonal, where White's dark-squared Bishop appears to be heading.
White's central "Jerome pawns" are threatening to advance and cause problems, and it is not surprising that Stockfish 8 already sees the first player as having the advantage.
17.Nc3 Qf6
Back on the diagonal - but it is also on the file! White strikes.
18.e5 dxe5 19.fxe5 Qb6
Black's Queen could not capture the e5 pawn because of 20.Rxf8+.
20.c5 Rxf1+ 21.Rxf1 Qxb2
Slipping behind enemy lines (pawns) to grab a pawn. Very dangerous!
22.e6 Be8 23.d6 cxd6 24.cxd6 Qb6
25.dxe7+ Nxe7 26.Qxb6+ axb6 27.Bg5 Rc8 28.Nd5 Black resigned
White's pieces are tied up and tied down, and material will be lost.
I received a couple of Jerome Gambit games from chessfriend Vlasta Fejfar. The first involves a complicated, frustrating, and, ultimately, philosophical defense. The second is almost off-the-road adventuring.
Let's dive into the tough stuff first. After a theoretical opening "discussion" and "scientific" middle game, there follows a textbook attack and a pleasant checkmate.
vlastous - franciscoribeiro
internet, 2017
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 d6
The annoying "annoying defense" (see 1 and 2 for starters). Computers love it. Vlasta has a lot of experience facing it.
Black offers to return one of the two sacrificed pieces. Although his King appears a bit precarious, much of the dynamism in the game is drained off.
White need to go into the line with a plan - and a decision about what kind of outcome he is looking for.
8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Qh3+ Kd6 10.Qd3+ Ke7 11.Qg3
Here the game Fejfar,V - Pressl, corr Czech Republic, 2015 was drawn.
Is a draw acceptable to White, who started the game with a Bashi-Bazouk attack, sacrificing two pieces? Is a draw acceptable to Black, who, only a few moves ago, had an "objectively" won game?
It is a typical Jerome Gambit irony that could be expressed in the idea: Both sides stand better (or worse).
11...Kf8
A little bit better is 11...Kf7, although Vlasta has experience with that line, too: 12.Qxe5 Bd7 (12...Bd4 13.Rf1+ Nf6 14.Qh5+
Kg8 15.Qe2 Be6 16.c3 Be5 17.g3 c5 18.d3 Qd6 19.Bf4 Bg4 20.Qe3 Bh3 21.Rf3
Bg4 22.Rf1 Re8 23.Nd2 Bxf4 24.gxf4 b5 25.e5 Nd5 26.Qg3 Qg6 27.Ne4 c4 28.Kd2 Bf5 29.Nd6 Rd8 30.dxc4 bxc4 31.Rae1 Qxg3 32.hxg3 Ne7 33.Ke3 Bd3 34.Rg1 Nf5+ 35.Nxf5 Bxf5 36.Rd1 Kf7 37.Rd4 h5 38.Rgd1 Rc8 39.Rh1 g6 40.Rh2
Ke7 41.a4 Rc6 42.Rd5 Be6 43.Rb5 Rc7 44.Rd2 h4 45.gxh4 Rxh4 46.Rd4 Rh3+
47.Kf2 Rd3 48.a5 Rxd4 49.cxd4 Bd7 50.Rb8 Ke6 51.Ke3 Kd5 52.a6 c3 53.bxc3
Rxc3+ 54.Kf2 Bc8 55.Ra8 Rc7 56.Ke3 Rc3+ 57.Kf2 Kxd4 58.Rxa7 Ke4 59.Rg7
Kf5 60.a7 Ra3 61.Rf7+ Kg4 62.Rf8 Bb7 63.e6 Rxa7 64.e7 Bc6 65.e8=Q Bxe8
66.Rxe8 Kxf4 67.Rf8+ Kg4 68.Rc8 g5 69.Rc3 Kh4 70.Kg1 Ra2 71.Rb3 g4 draw, Fejfar,V - Goc,P) 13.Qh5+ g6 14.Qxc5 Qh4+ 15.Qf2+ Qxf2+ 16.Kxf2 Nf6
17.d3 Rhf8 18.Nc3 Kg7 19.Ke2 Bg4+ 20.Ke3 Be6 21.h3 Nh5 22.Ne2 Rae8 23.b3
Nf6 24.Ba3 Rf7 25.c4 Rd8 26.Raf1 Rfd7 27.Nf4 Bg8 28.Bb2 Rf8 29.e5 Re7 30.Kd2 Ne8 31.e6+ Black resigned, Fejfar,V - Svoboda, corr Czech Cup, 2016
He has also seen 11...Ke8 12.Nc3 Bd4 13.Rf1 Qd7 14.Nd5 c6 15.Ne3 Nf6 16.d3 Qc7 17.c3 Bxe3 18.Bxe3 Qe7 19.O-O-O
Rf8 20.Rf3 Bd7 21.Rdf1 c5 22.Bxc5 draw, Fejfar - Kyzlink, corr Czech
Republic, 2015.
You may have noticed in some of these games Vlasta was testing the Jerome Gambit in correspondence play - like Alonzo Wheeler Jerome did with his gambit over a century ago. A draw is a reasonable outcome.
12.Qxe5
For comparison, a couple of other games:
12. Rf1+ Nf6 13. Qxe5 Bd6 14. Qg5 Bxh2 15. Nc3 Be6 $2 16. e5 h6 17. Qe3 Qe7
18. exf6 gxf6 19. d3 c5 $6 20. Bd2 Rd8 21. O-O-O b6 $6 22. g3 Kg7 23. Rh1 Rd4
24. Rxh2 h5 25. Re1 Kf7 26. Rhe2 Rd6 27. Ne4 Rc6 28. Qf3 Kg6 29. Ng5 fxg5 30.
Qxc6 Kh7 31. Rxe6 Black resigned, Wall,B - Shah,V, chess-db, 2015; and
12.d3 Nf6 13.Rf1 Qe7 14.Nc3 c6 15.Bg5 Kf7 16.O-O-O Rf8 17.h3 Kg8 18.Rf3 Qe6
19.Rdf1 Be7 20.Kb1 Bd7 21.Nd1 Rae8 22.Qh4 b5 23.Ne3 Qd6 24.Qf2 Be6 25.g4
c5 26.Nf5 Bxf5 27.gxf5 Nh5 28.Bc1 Nf4 29.h4 c4 30.d4 Nh5 31.d5 b4 32.Qe2
c3 33.b3 a5 34.a4 bxa3 35.Rxc3 Black resigned, Wall,B - ubluk, Chess.com, 2012.
12...Qh4+
The alternative, 12...Bd6, was seen in a number of games in the legendary Fisher-Kirshner - KnightStalker match in 1993. When people send me Jerome Gambit games, they usually start with Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1884, and then follow with the Fisher-Kirshner - KnightStalker games.
The text is sharp and relatively unexplored. The only other game with it in The Database is the computer game WB Nimzo 2000b - La Dame Blanche 2.0c, Jerome Gambit thematic tournament, 2009 - which was a 109 move draw!
13.g3 Qe7 14.Qxe7+ Kxe7
The game has left the path of the computers (which contained 14...Nxe7) and has transposed to 3 games played by Philidor1792 in 2012.
15.Nc3
Alternately, d2-d3 was seen in Philidor1792 - NN, 5 0 blitz, 2012 (1-0, 30) and c2-c3 was seen in Philidor1792 - NN, 5 0 blitz, 2012 (1-0, 22) and Philidor1792 - NN, no time control, 2012 (0-1, 27).
15...c6
Played to keep White's Knight off of d5. Probably better was 15...Nf6, but Black seems to have been nervous about a possible Bishop pin at g5 (see move 17).
16.Na4 Bd6 17.d4 h6 18.O-O
Bh3 19.Rf3 Nf6
A puzzling move. Black gives back his extra piece and secures what should be an even position. Stockfish 8, instead, suggests castling-by-hand on the Queenside, 19...Rf8 20.Bf4 Kd8 21.Nc5 Kc8, with advantage.
It must be said that Black is employing the "scientific" idea (as he did on move 7) of accepting the sacrificed material, and then giving it back some time later.
20.e5 Bxe5 21.dxe5 Nd7
Vlasta suggested that 21...Ng4 would have led to an even game.
22.b3
Nxe5
Black is in too much of a hurry to capture the pawn. It will cost him another piece.
23.Re3 Kd6 24.Ba3+ Ke6 25.Rae1 b5 26.Rxe5+ Kf6 27.Bb2 Kg6 28. Nc5 Rad8
White is winning now - he has an advantage in material and a developing attack on the enemy King.
29.Re7 Rhg8 30.Ne6 Bxe6 31.R1xe6+ Kh7 32.
Rxc6 Rd1+
One last Hurrah. White's pressure on g7 is deadly.
33.Kg2 Rb1 34.Bf6 a5 35.Rcc7 Kg6 36.Bxg7 Rd1
37.Rc6+ Kg5 38.Re5+ Kg4 39.h3 checkmate
Chessfriend Vlasta faces the "annoying defense" and shows that while White does not have have a lot to work with, neither does Black. The game is an extended battle, after which the point is split. It is not clear who was satisfied with the result, the defender who nicked his half point against a refuted opening, or the attacker who "survived" playing a refuted opening.
Vlastous - NEWMAN 1982
Internet, 2017
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 d6
So annoying. Black gives back the piece and drains a lot of dynamism out of the position.
8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Qh3+ Ke7 10.Qg3 Ke8
Vlasta has faced 10...Kf7 as well, in Fejfar,V - Goc,P (1/2-1/2, 70); Fejfar,V - Chvojka (0-1, 32); Vlastous 2456 - irinat 2597, ChessManiac.com, 2016 (0-1, 38); and Fejfar,V - Svoboda/corr Czech Cup, 2016 (1-0, 30).
11.Qxe5+
A small improvement over his earlier 11.Nc3 in Fejfar,V - Kyzlink, corr Czech Republic, 2015 (1-0, 20).
11...Qe7 12.Qxe7+ Nxe7
Now we have a battle between the extra two pawns and the extra piece in a Queenless middlegame. White cannot claim an advantage - but how is Black to win?
13.c3 Ng6 14.d4 Be7 15.Be3 Rf8 16.Rf1 Rxf1+ 17.Kxf1 b6 18.g3 Ba6+ 19.Kf2 Bd3 20.Nd2 Kd7
21.Bf4 Rf8 22.Ke3 Ba6 23.Nf3 Bb7 24.h4 h5 25.c4 Rd8 26.Rf1
Re8 27.b3 Bf6
Black's Bishop pair is focused on White's pawn center which has a protected passed pawn.
28.e5 Be7 29.Ng5 Rf8 30.Rf2 Ba3 31.e6+ Kc8 32.Kd3 Nxf4+ 33.gxf4 Kd8 34.f5 Ke7 35.Rf1 Bd6
Black seems unsure what to do. One idea, suggested by Stockfish 8, is to undermine the support of White's advanced passer, while exchanging Rooks, i.e. 35...g6 36.fxg6 Rxf1 37.g7 Rf8 38.gxf8=Q+ Kxf8.
36.Nh7 Rh8 37.Ng5 Rg8 38.Ke3 Bg3 39.d5 Bxh4 40.Kf4 c6
Interestingly enough, this attempt at undermining support is not successful, in that it opens a line for White's Rook. The piece activity allows White to give up a second pawn.
41.d6+ Kxd6 42.Rd1+ Kc5 43.Ne4+ Kb4 44.Rd7 Bc8 45.Rxa7 b5 46.cxb5 cxb5 47.Rc7 Ba6 48.Rf7 Ka5 49.Ke5 Kb6
50.e7 Re8 51.f6 gxf6+ 52.Nxf6 Bxf6+ 53.Rxf6+ Kc5
Black decides to surrender his Bishop for the advanced passed pawn, submitting to the draw.
54.Rxa6 Rxe7+ 55.Kf4 Kb4 56.a4 Rb7 57.axb5 Rxb5 58.Kg3 Kxb3 59.Kh4 Kb4 60.Rh6 Rc5 61.Rxh5 Draw
Chessfriend Vlasta Fejfar of the Czech Republic has faced the "annoying defense" to the Jerome Gambit a number of times. In the following game, his most recent, he comes away with the whole point.
Vlastous - Idalgit
Internet, 2017
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.f4 d6
This is also called the "silicon defense" because it is the choice of many computer chess programs. Black returns a piece and takes a lot of the action out of the position.
8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Qh3+ Kf7
The text is about equal to 9...Ke7 which was seen in Fejfar,V -Goc,P, 2015 (1/2 - 1/2, 70), Fejfar,V - Chvojka, correspondence, 2016 (0-1, 32) and Vlastous - irinat, Chessmaniac, 2016 (0-1, 38).
10.Qh5+ Ke6 11.Qe2
Stockfish 8 gives the practical suggestion 11.Qh3+ hoping for a draw by repetition.
11...Qd6
Instead, 11...Ke7 was successful for Black in Wall,B - Alfil engine, Palm Bay, FL 2015 (0-1, 23); while 11...Nf6 was seen in Shredder 8 - RevvedUp, blitz 2 12, 2006 (1-0, 25) and RevvedUp - Yace Paderborn, blitz2 12, 2006 (0-1, 14).
12.Nc3
c6 13.Na4 Nf6
A tactical slip that drops a piece. Black may have unconsciously decided that his opponent has finished moving his Queen.
14.Qc4+ Ke7 15.Nxc5 b6 16.Nd3 a5 17.Qc3 Ke6
18.Qb3+ Black resigned
Perhaps a bit soon, but Black sees he will lose the b-pawn, and White's Queen will escape any danger, so the game may have lost its interest.
