Jerome Gambit: No More Usual

The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) creates a lot of unusual positions. Playing a "reversed" Jerome Gambit is no more usual.

GrimmauldPlace - croc_master
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bc5 

 This is known as the Busch-Gass Gambit. It resembles a reversed Jerome Gambit. See "Worth A Second Look" Part 1, 2, & 3 and "Danke!"

3.Bc4 Bxf2+ 

Here we go.

4.Kxf2 Nf6 5.Re1 

Two alternatives:

5.d3 Ng4+ 6.Ke1 c6 7.h3 Nf6 8.Nc3 O-O 9.Nxe5 d5 10.Bb3
dxe4 11.Nxe4 Qe8 12.Bf4 Nh5 13.Qxh5 g6 14.Qh6 Be6 15.Ng5 Black resigned, jhovannycano - mérida máx, rapid, Chesstempo.com 2020 

5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke7 7.Qf3 d6 8.Ng4 Bxg4 9.Qxg4 Nxg4+ 10.Kg3 Ne5 11.d4 Nc4 12.Bg5+ Kd7 13.Bxd8 Rxd8 14.Rf1 Kc6 15.d5+ Kb6 16.a4 Nxb2 17.Ra2 Nc4 18.a5+ Kc5 Black won on time, rollingthunder -  guest_7605, lichess.org, 2020 

5...O-O 6.c3 d5 7.exd5 e4 8.Nd4 

8...Ng4+ 9.Kg1 Qh4 10.h3 Nf2 11.Qe2 Nxh3+ 12.gxh3 Bxh3 13.Qf2 Qg5+ 14.Kh2 f5 15.Kxh3 Rf6 

16.Rg1 Rh6+ 17.Qh4 Rxh4 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Familiar, Unfamiliar

Part of the humor of the following game is that it starts out in a line that White has plenty of experience with, but, in an eyeblink (at move 8) it moves into uncharted territory. The player who is more familiar with the opening is the one who survives. 

Wall, Bill - Guevad
ChessTempo.com, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4  Bd6 

Bill is 23 - 0 from this position. This reflects his experience, of course, but also suggests that the game move is not best. The simple 6...Bxd4 was fine.

7.dxe5 Be7 8.Qf3+ 

Despite Bill's familiarity with this Jerome Gambit variation, the text is a novelty. Creativity, even in routine situations.

8...Ke8 9.O-O Bg5 

Black wants to swap off his troubled Bishop, activating his Queen in the recapture. What could be wrong with that? What typical Jerome Gambit tactic has the defender overlooked?

10.Qh5+ g6 11.Qxg5 Qxg5 12.Bxg5 h6 13.Be3 b6 14.c4 Bb7 15.Nc3 Ne7 16.f4 Nc6 

White has recovered his sacrificed piece, and is ahead 2 pawns. He is in no hurry, but eventually his "Jerome pawns" will become restless, after his pieces have moved into position. 

17.b3 Nb4 18.Rf2 c5 19.Rd1 Rf8 20.Nb5 Kd8 21.f5 Bxe4 22.f6 
g5 23.e6 Black resigned

Oh, dear. Stockfish 10 suggests here that the only move to avoid falling into checkmate would be 23...d5, which would, of course, lead to 24.cxd5, and White's 3, connected, passed "Jerome pawns" would be a nightmare. (As if the alternative, 24.e7+, would not be enough to cause Black to turn over his King.)

Jerome Gambit: Giving the Piece Back Only Begrudgingly

In some Jerome Gambit games, Black returns a sacrificed piece forthwith, as part of his "scientific" defense. In other games, he resists and resists, giving the piece back only very begrudgingly.

Witness the following game. 

Wall, Bill - Piedras
ChessTempo.com, 2019

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 Be6

This move, combined with the placement of the Knight on g6, calls out the advance of White's f-pawn. It is interesting to watch Black wriggle and jiggle and try to have his pieces escape.

10.f4 d5 11.f5 d4 12.Qd3 Nf4 13.Qf1 Qh4+ 14.g3 Qh3 15.gxf4 Qxf1+ 16.Kxf1 

Black has returned the sacrificed piece, and is down a pawn.

16...Bc4+ 17.d3 Ba6 

Calmness returns - but only briefly. 

18.Rg1 Kf7 19.Nd2 Nf6 20.b4 b6 21.Bb2 c5 22.bxc5 bxc5 23.e5 Nd5 

The "Jerome pawns" are on the march. When the Rooks join in, it will be the end of Black's King.

24.e6+ Kf6 25.Ne4+ Ke7 26.Rxg7+ Kf8 27.Rf7+ Kg8 28.Kf2 Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Success At Last (Sort of)

For some players, a draw is equivalent to losing a half point. To others, it is the same as winning a half point. In the following game, Bill was probably slightly disappointed, but his opponent had every reason to be glad - unless, of course, you think that drawing against a "refuted" opening is underperforming.

Wall, Bill - NN
Florida, 2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8

Black is either happy with accepting only one sacrificed piece, or he is trying to throw White off of his game, by playing something "different". This latter strategy needs to be examined, as the main lines of the offbeat Jerome Gambit are often stronger for Black than the backroads.

The Database has 269 games with 5...Kf8; White scores 55%. More importantly, before the current game Bill was 15-0 against the move.

6.O-O

Bill has also played 6.Nxc6 in Wall,B - WMXW, FICS, 2012 (1-0, 31), and Wall,B - Guest709079, PlayChess.com, 2017 (1-0, 30).

He has tried the interesting 6.d4 in Wall,B - Tim93612, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 36), Wall, B. - Guest757851, PlayChess.com, 2014, (1-0, 42), and Wall,B - Guest6399506, PlayChess.com, 2015 (1-0, 24).

6...Nf6

Or 6...Nxe5 Wall,B - Mazanbaku, lichess.org, 2017, (1-0, 15); Wall,B - Guest1442, chesstempo.com, 2017, (1-0, 21); billwall - DeDrijver, Chess.com, 2012, (1-0, 20); Wall,B - Guest423598, PlayChess.com, 2017, (1-0, 19); and Wall,B - Guest5244307, PlayChess.com, 2019 (1-0, 16).

Or 6...Qf6 as in Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016, (1-0, 13); Wall,B - Computer-level 6, chess.com 2017 (by transposition), (1-0, 47);  and Wall,B -Guest4658155, PlayChess.com, 2019, (1-0, 29).

Or 6... d6 as in Wall,B - Anonymous, lichess, 2016, (1-0, 26) and Wall,B - Guest399227, PlayChess.com, 2016,(1-0, 17).

7.Nd3 

This is a novelty, according to The Database.

7...Bb6 8.e5 Ne8 

It is not immediately clear, but 8...Ng8 was stronger. The text move gives White chances that he is not particularly interested in.

9.Qf3+ Kg8 10.Nc3 

Bill refrains from repeated checks that would leade to a draw, i.e. 10.Qd5+ Kf8 11.Qf3+ Kg8 12.Qd5+, etc. Black could respond, of course, by interposing the Knight - 11...Nf6 - but after 12.exf6 Qxf6 13.Qxf6+ gxf6 he would simply be a pawn down, with no compensation.

10...a6 

This move gave me a chuckle. "Objectively", it is an error, as it allows White to pursue the draw, mentioned above, when clearly Black is still better. On the other hand, perhaps Black was okay with a draw, or sensed that his opponent would not be interested in splitting the point so early in the game.

11.Qd5+ Kf8

Just checking.

12.Na4 

Avoiding the draw.

12...Ba7

See the earlier comments. He could have taken the draw off of the table with 12...Qe7

13.b3

ibid.

13...d6 

op. cit.

14.Ba3 Qe7

There you have it: no draw. (For now.)

White is happy to continue his focus on the enemy King.

Black is happy to continue to do "a whole lot of nothing". Note the impact of his dark square Bishop.

15.exd6 cxd6 16.Rae1 Nf6 17.Qf3 Qd8 18.Nc3 h6

19.Nf4

An interesting, if complicated, alternative was 19.Ne4!? Kg8 20.Nxd6, although both 20...Bg4 and 20...Nd4 would keep the game in flux.

Instead, Bill goes with the concrete threat, and his opponent misses the idea that giving up the exchange might well be an effective sacrifice.  

19...Kg8 20.Ng6 Rh7 

Saving the Rook by burying it. There was something to be said for 20...Kh7!? 21.Nxh8 Kxh8, when White would have a Rook and two pawns for a couple of pieces - and Black might still have an edge.

21.Nd5

A move with poison. Of course, not now 21...Nxd5, as 22.Qxd5+ Be6 23.Qxd6 checkmate. Ouch. In the meantime, e7 seems to beckon to the Knights.

21...Bc5 

22.Bxc5 

Could be time pressure, otherwise Bill might have settled for simply stoking his attack with 22.Bb2. Stockfish 10 recommends 22.b4, which seems to over-complicate things. Instead, the attack seems to lag. 

22...dxc5 23.c4 Qd6 24.Qd3 Nd4 

Black's Rooks are still parked in their respective garages, but the advantage in material threatens to become a factor.

25.Nxf6+ 

Another way was 25.Nge7+ Kh8 26.Ng6+ Kg8 27.Nge7+, etc.

25...gxf6 26.Re8+ Kf7 27.Re7+ Kg8 28.Re8+ Kf7 29.Re7+ Kg8 Draw

Jerome Gambit: Lost In The Weeds

The following Jerome Gambit game is another example of a defender doing well, objectively, until he gets lost in the weeds, off the beaten path...

Wall, Bill - Guest4241
ChessTempo, 2019

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

4...Kxf7 5. Nxe5+ Nxe5 6. d4 Bxd4 

Simple and straight forward.

7.Qxd4 Qf6 

Funny: the threat is 8...Nf3+, winning White's Queen. It is as old as Jerome - Norton, correspondence, 1876 (unfinished). The move is no surprise, though, to Bill: he has faced it 20 times.

8.Nd2 d6 9.O-O Ne7 10.f4 N5c6 

Black is doing well. He needs a plan. The plan should be based on the needs of the position. White should mess with all that assessment and calculation.

11.Qc4+ 

This is something new, according to The Database. Sometimes, Bill likes to take the game even further off the beaten path.

11...Be6 12.Qb5 Qd4+ 13.Rf2 b6 

Just the kind of thing that White has been looking for.

Of course, Black could have played 13...Qb6, protecting his b-pawn and offering to exchange Queens, but he probably skipped that line because he saw himself as being on the attack, so having his Queen would be valuable. (Besides, White would have responded with 14.Qe2.)

The thing is, Black's b-pawn is not really in danger, as 13...a6 14.Qxb7? Ra7 would show. A more measured response by White would still show that Black is better: 14.Qe2 Kg8 15.Nf3 Qf6.

14.Nf3 Qxe4 

Throwing the game away. It is humorous to see that Stockfish 10 recommends as best, instead, the Queen swap 14...Qc4 15.Qxc4 Bxc4 - something Black has been avoiding.

15.Ng5+ Kg6 16.Nxe4 Black resigned

Jerome Gambit: Choices

I suspect that one of the reasons that Bill Wall opts for a main line in the Jerome Gambit - 6.d4 - that gives Black a lot of choices is specifically because it gives Black a lot of choices. Choice can mean "taking up clock time to calculate". It also can mean "making the wrong choice". Why force Black to make the right choice?

Wall, Bill - Guest_5402
chesstempo.com, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 

8.Qd5+ 

Black has too many choices. To block the check, or not? To move the King, or not? To protect the b-pawn or not? 

"Objectively", Black is fine after any choice, but it hasn't worked out that way in "real life". The Database has 13 games with this position. White scores 69%.

8...Ke8 

The Database has 5 games with this position. White scores 80%.

The alternative was to let go of the b-pawn: 8...Be6 9.Qxb7 Nf6. 

9.Nc3 Nf6 10.Qb3 b6 

11.O-O Bb7 12.f4 Nc6

13.e5 dxe5 14.fxe5 Qd4+ 15.Kh1 Nxe5 

Black's idea, but not a good one.

16.Qe6+ Kd8 

Not 16...Kf8 17.Rxf6+ gxf6 18.Bh6 checkmate 

17.Rd1 Qxd1+ 18.Nxd1 Re8 19.Qh3 

Black has a piece and a Rook for his Queen.

19...Neg4 20.Qg3 Nh5  

This slip ends the game.

21.Bg5+ Kc8 22.Qxg4+ Kb8 23.Nc3 Black resigned

White's material advantage is too great.

Jerome Gambit: Dangerously Messy

When facing a surprise or unusual attack - such as the Jerome Gambit - one defensive strategy is to turn the game into a "mess", and hope for the best. In the following game, Black tries this, and things become so mixed up that he has greater chances than if he had stayed along "peaceful" lines - but, eventually the game becomes less "dangerously messy" and White triumphs.

Wall, Bill -Guest3440
chesstempo.com, 2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Bb4+ 

A clever alternative to 6...Bxd4.

7.c3 Bxc3+

Black also had the bold alternative 7...Qh4!?

8.Nxc3 Nc4 

Black probably wanted to avoid the kick-the-Knight variation 8...Nc6 9.d5 Ne5 10.f4 Ng6 but should have opted for 8...Ng6 directly.

9.Qh5+ Kf8 

Or 9...g6 10.Qd5+ Kf8 11.Qxc4 Ne7 12.Bh6+ Ke8 13.Nb5 c6 14.Nd6 checkmate, Wall,B - Minaevm, lichess.org, 2017. 

10.Qc5+ Nd6 11.e5 b6 12.Qa3 Qe8 

Black struggles with his pinned Knight. He probably should have surrendered it with 12...c5 13.exd6 Qe8+ 14.Ne2 Bb7 15.dxc5 Nf6 16.Be3 Bxg2 17.Rg1 Be4 18.O-O-O bxc5 and a very messy position. 

13.Nb5 Qg6

This does not work.

14.Qf3+ Nf5 15.Qxa8 Nge7 16.Nxa7 Kf7 17.Qf3 Kg8 

The position is a mess, but one that favors White, who is an exchange and a couple of pawns ahead.

18.Nxc8 Nxc8 19.Qd5+ Qe6 20.Qxe6+ dxe6 21.Be3 Black resigned

Things have settled down, which means Black's chances have been reduced.

Jerome Gambit: The Best "Explanation"

The previous post suggested that

Often the best way to learn an opening is to play over the games of an experienced practitioner 

True, that, but sometimes a game becomes very complicated, and the best "explanation" of what is happening is the series of moves that the winner plays. There is a way out of the maze, but sometimes it is not easy for the reader to discover it without help.

Wall, Bill - Guest423598
PlayChess.com, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8 

Here we have another Sorensen variation where Black is satisfied with accepting one sacrificed piece. It remains an important defense - see "Critical Line: 5...Kf8 (1, 2 and 3)".

6.O-O Nxe5

This time Bill tempos with 6.0-0, and his opponent changes his mind and grabs the second piece.

Alternately Bill has faced:

6...Qf6 7.Nxc6 (White goes back to the main idea) Qxc6 (7...dxc6 8.Nc3 Bd6 9.d4 h6 10.e5 Bxe5 11.dxe5 Qxe5 12.Re1 Qg5 13.Bxg5 Black resigned, Wall,B - NN, lichess.org, 2016) 8.d4 Bb6 9.Nc3 d6 10.Bg5 Qe8 11.f4 Qg6 12.h4 Qe8 13.f5 Ba5 14.f6 gxf6 15.Qf3 Qf7 16.Nd5 h5 17.Bxf6 Nxf6 18.Nxf6 Be6 19.Qg3 Ke7 20.Nd5+ Bxd5 21.Rxf7+ Bxf7 22.Qg5+ Kd7 23.Qxa5 b6 24.Qb5+ c6 25.Qf5+ Be6 26.Qf6 Rh7 27.d5 cxd5 28.exd5 Bg4 29.Re1 Rg8 30.Re3 Rc8 31.a4 Rc7 32.a5 bxa5 33.Re6 Rc5 34.Rxd6+ Kc7 35.Rc6+ Rxc6 36.Qxc6+ Kd8 37.d6 a4 38.Qa8+ Bc8 39.c4 Rb7 40.c5 Rg7 41.Qf3 Rg6 42.Qf7 Re6 43.c6 Ba6 44.Qd7 checkmate, Wall,B - Computer-level 6, Chess.com, 2017 and

6...d6 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.d4 (8.Nc3 Nf6 9.d4 Bb4 10.Qf3 Bg4 11.Qf4 Kg8 12.e5 Bxc3 13.exf6 Qd7 14.bxc3 Bf5 15.Qg3 Bxc2 16.Bh6 g6 17.Rfe1 Qf5 18.Re7 Qxf6 19.Rae1 Bf5 20.Rxc7 Rb8 21.h3 Rc8 22.Qe3 Rf8 23.Qe7 Qf7 24.Qxf7+ Rxf7 25.Re8+ Rf8 26.Rxf8 checkmate, Wall,B - Anonymous, lichess.org, 2016) 8...Bb6 9.Nc3 Ba6 10.Re1 Qf6 11.e5 Qh4 12.Re4 Qe7 13.Qf3+ Qf7 14.Rf4 Qxf4 15.Bxf4 d5 16.Bh6+ Ke7 17.Bxg7 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest399227, PlayChess.com, 2016. 

7.d4 Bb6 

It is sometimes useful to search for understanding in a line by looking at and comparing transpositions.

For example, suppose instead of playing 5...Kf8, Guest423598 had tried 5...Nxe5 and after 6.d4 had played 6...Bb6, with White following up with 7.O-O as in the current game - well, there are actually 3 games by jfhumphrey (he has 278 games in The Database) with that line, and it is significant that two continue with 7...Ng6 and one continues with 7...Nc6; in none of the cases did Black feel the need to play ...Kf8, which would transpose to the current game.

Does that leave Black in our current game a tempo behind the jfhumphrey games, or is his King safer on f8 versus f7?

Of course, experience and analysis suggest that the more critical misstep for Black was withdrawing the Bishop, rather than giving it up in exchange for White's d-pawn, i.e. 7...Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Qf6 9. Qe3 Ne7 10. Nc3 d6 11. f4 N5c6 12. Nb5 Ng6 13. Nxc7 Rb8 14. Nb5 a6 15. e5 Qe6 16. f5 Qxe5 17. fxg6+ Kg8 18. Nxd6 hxg6 19.Qxe5 Nxe5 20.Bf4 Rh5 21.Rae1 Black resigned, Wall,B - Guest1442, chesstempo.com, 2017.

Black would also have done better giving up the Knight, e.g. 7...Bd6 8.dxe5 Bxe5 9.f4 Bd4+ 10.Qxd4 Qf6 11.e5 Qb6 12.Qxb6 axb6 13.Nc3 Ne7 14.Nb5 c6 15.Nd6 g6 16.f5 gxf5 17.Bh6+ Kg8 18.Nxf5 Nxf5 19.Rxf5 d5 20.Rf8 checkmate, billwall - DeDrijver, Chess.com, 2012. 

8.dxe5 Qe8 9.Qf3+ Qf7 10.Qa3+ Ne7 11.Nc3 c6 

Black's Bishop plans to retreat and protect the pinned Knight.

12.Bg5 

Applying pressure. Oddly, Stockfish 8 suggests 12.Be3 Bc7 13.f4 Qc4 14.Rad1 b5 15.Rd4 Qf7 16.Rd2 Qc4 17.Rd4 etc. with a draw by repetition. I can't see either human player being satisfied with that.

12...Bd8 13.f4 h6 14.Bh4 Ke8  

Defending in Steinitz-like fashion, Black now anticipates trouble along the f-file, and moves his King off of it. Stockfish 8 suggests that the King belongs at h7, instead, in a rather turgid, if balanced, position.

Jerome Gambit players should decide: how should White continue?

15.f5 g5 

Not fearing 16.fxg6 ep Qxg6 with an open line against the White King, although the attack would develop slowly.

16.Bg3 b5  

Black wants to work around the central "Jerome pawns" by advancing on the wings. It is an interesting idea, but also a dangerous one, as his King is stuck in the center and vulnerable to a pawn break through.

I have to say that Black's psychology would have me raving with impatience with the White pieces - but Bill Wall is a cool character, and he decides to occupy a "hole" in his opponent's position.

17.Qd6 Bb7 

And, just like that, Black's position blows up.

Upon reflection, 16...b5 was a mistake. Should he have gone all in with 16...h5, and pushed the Kingside attack?

Should he have avoided the g-pawn push on move 15 and noodled around with something like 15...Bc7, instead? 

Was 14...Kg8, headed toward h7, the way to go after all?

The best that Stockfish 8 can come up for him now is 17...Qf8 18.e6 Nxf5 19.exd7+ Bxd7 20.Qg6+ Qf7 21.exf5 Qxg6 22.fxg6  with a very exposed King. 

18.e6 dxe6 19.fxe6 Black resigned

Black will have to give up his Queen to avoid checkmate.