The Jerome Gambit is a strange opening. White gets what he wants by giving Black a winning game. Black often fights to reach an even game, by giving up his advantage. The winner is the one who makes sense of this, and wins in the end.
Wall,B - Guest75785
PlayChess.com, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d4 Nxd4
I have to say that I am not very familiar with this "modern" (no 5.Nxe5) Jerome Gambit variation, even though I discovered that there are over 530 games in The Database with this position, including games by Jerome Gambit regulars like Darrenshome, DragonTail, drumme, ItsAllBullCheck, and yorgos.
Of course, Bill Wall is willing to experiment just about any game.
6.Nxe5+ Kf8 7.Be3 Ne6 8.Qh5 Qe7
Bill notes 8...Qf6 9.Nxd7+ Bxd7 10.Bxc5+ Ne7 11.Nc3 Nxc5 12.Qxc5 Qb6; not 8...g6? 9.Nxg6+.
9.Nc3 c6
White has equalized. It is important to remember the old adage: In the Jerome Gambit, when White has equalized, he has the advantage.
10.Ng6+ hxg6 11.Qxh8 Bxe3 12.fxe3 Ng5
Bill prefers 12...Nd8.
13.Rf1+ Nf7 14.h4 Qe5
As is frequently the case, 14...d5! is the move.
15.0-0-0 Qh5 16.Rxf7+ Kxf7
Not 16...Ke8?? 17.Qxg8#
17.Rf1+ Nf6 18.Qxh5 gxh5 19.e5 d5 20.exf6 gxf6
Black - or is it White? - has made it through the opening and the middle game and now has a roughly even endgame.
21.e4 d4
Or 21...Be6 22.exd5 cxd5 23.Nb5
22.Ne2 c5 23.e5 f5 24.Nf4 Be6 25.Nxh5 Rh8 26.g4
26...Kg6
Better 26...Rh6 or 26...b5.
27.Nf4+ Kf7 28.gxf5 Bxf5 29.h5 Re8
This is a mistake that turns a position with a lot of drawing potential into a loss. The "Jerome pawns" can no longer be contained.
30.Nd3
Threatening 31.Rxf5+.
30...Ke6 31.Nxc5+ Kd5
Not 31...Kxe5? 32.Re1+
32.Rxf5 Kxc5 33.Rf7 Rxe5 34.h6 Rh5 35.h7 Kc6
36.Kd2 Rh3 37.Ke2 a5 38.Kf2 b5 39.Kg2 Rh5 40.Kg3 b4 41.Kg4 Rh2 42.Kg5 Black resigned
One benefit of Jerome-izing the Blackburne Shilling Gambit is that the game becomes transformed, and ideas that were playable in the original opening become sketchy in the "modified" version. That was true when we looked at the opening variation in the following game, four years ago, and it remains true today.
Oak - sealse
blitz, FICS, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4
The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.
4.Bxf7+
The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3 Qg5
A thematic move for the plain Blackburne Shilling Gambit, as covered in "Reeling Sequel", but not as strong here as taking the Knight.
7.cxd4 Qxg2
Still leading to mate. It is worth knowing these things.
8.Qb3+ Kf6
Black holds out a move longer with 8...d5, i.e. 9.Qxd5+ Kf6 10.Qf7+ Kg5 11.h4+ Kh6 12.d3+ g5 13.hxg5#
9.Qf7+ Kg5 10.d3+
Or 10.h4+ Kh6 11.d3+ g5 12.hxg5#
10...Kh4 11.Nf3+ Kg4
Black holds out longest, not that it means a lot, with 11...Qxf3 12.Qxf3 Bb4+ 13.Kf1 Be7 14.Qg3+ Kh5 15.Qh3+ Bh4 16.Qf3+ Kg6 17.Qf5#
12.Qf5 checkmate
Shades of "Jerome's Double Gamble", the following game is the only one in the current Italian Game Thematic Tournament at Chess.com where I was able to play a Jerome Gambit - and it has the same feel as Bill Wall's last game: the wrong opponent at the wrong time...
perrypawnpusher (1747) - Buddy_Thompson (2051)
Italian Game Thematic Tournament, Chess.com, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6
7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+ 9.g3 Qf6 10.fxe5+ Qxe5
11.Qf3 Nf6 12.d3 Ke7 13.Nc3 d5
14.Bf4 dxe4 15.dxe4 Qh5 16.Qxh5 Nxh5 17.Nd5+ Kd7 18.Nxc7
In retrospect, 18.Bxc7 was better, although White's game would remain difficult.
18...Nxf4 19.Nxa8 Ng2+ 20.Ke2 Kc6 21.Kf3 Ne3 22.b4 Rf8+ 23.Ke2 Bg4+ 24.Kd3 Rd8+ 25.Kc3 Bd4+ 26.Kd3 Bxa1+ 27.Kxe3 Be5 White resigned
Here we continue from our previous post, "Updating the Blackburne Defense (Part 1)", a look at the Blackburne Defense and what is new (or newer).
For earlier efforts, see also "Update: Old Dog Can Still Bite","Junk Openings", "A Closer Look (Part V)", "Update: Blackburne Defense" and "Traps and Zaps".
perrypawnpusher - lfcanales
blitz, FICS, 2014
9...Nf6 10.Qd8 Qxe4
Black's move allows White's Queen to escape and counter-attack. There are a number of alternative moves for Black, two of which bear attention.
Not 10...a6?, as in piratebopper - MiloBot, FICS, 2010, (1-0, 24).
Nor 10...a5? as in perrypawnpusher - MiloBot, blitz, FICS, 2010, (1-0, 24).
Played, if in a stumbling manner, is 10...Bd7?. The core game continued 11.Qxc7 (instead, 11.Qxa8? Nxe4? [Black should finish Blackburne-style: 11...Ng4 12.h3 Bxf2+ 13.Kh1 Qg3 14.Rxf2+ Nxf2+ 15.Kg1 Nxh3+ 16.Kh1 Nf4 17.Qf8+ Kxf8 18.d3 Qxg2#] 12.d4 Bxd4 13.Be3 Bxb2 14.Qxb7 Bxa1 15.Qxc7 Nf6 16.Qxd6 Kg7 17.Qc5 Ne4 18.Bd4+ Bxd4 19.Qxd4+ Kh6 20.f3 Black resigned, UNPREDICTABLE - choron, FICS, 2009) 11...Bb6? (instead, 11...Rc8 12.Qxb7 Ke7 is "gloriously obscure" according to Dr. Andrew Walker, University of Nottingham, personal communication, 2001. Probably 13.Qb3 with the idea of Qg3 is White's answer - not 13.Nc3? Ng4 when Black mates) 12.g3?! (12.Qxd6) 12...Qh3 13.Qxd6? Bc6 14.g4 Qxg4+ White resigned, Harris,S - Quayle,E, Los Angeles, CA, 1944.
Certainly solid, and Rybka's recommendation, is 10...Bb6. White should spring his Queen with 11.e5 dxe5 12.Qd3. The earliest reference that I have seen to this line is from The Art of the Checkmate by Renaud and Kahn (1953), which says White has the advantage. This proved true in Wall,B - Foo,N, Palm Bay, FL, 2010 (1-0, 33).
The most exciting move in the position is Chandler's 10...Bh3!?, when White has to temporarily forego the Rook at a8 and focus on checking Black: 11.Qxc7+ (11.g3? Qxe4 12.Qxc7+ Kf8 White resigned, Siggus -toe, FICS, 2007; 11.Qxa8? Qg4 12.Qe8+ Nxe8 13.g3 Qf3 14.Re1 Qg2#) 11...Kf8! (11...Kg8 lost in Chandler,G - Dimitrov, T/5 minute special game 2004; in Hiarcs 8 - RevvedUp, blitz 2 12, 2006 [1-0, 17]; and AsceticKingK9 - blackburne, ChessWorld JG6, 2011 [1-0, 22] ) and analysis by Geoff Chandler and, later, Dennis Monokroussos (see the two posts on his blog) show that the outcome is a draw, as it is too dangerous for either player to look for more.
11.Qxc7+
This is an improvement over 11.Nc3 Qe7 (11...Qxc2 12.Qxc7+ Nd7 13.Nd5 Qe4 14.Nc3 Qe5 15.d3 Qd4 16.Re1 Qxf2+ White resigned, ionman - GriffyJr, FICS, 2005 (0-1,16); Interested readers should check out "Ionman vs The Bots" ) 12.Qxe7+ Kxe7 as in RevvedUp - Shredder 8, blitz 2 12, 2006 (0-1, 25).
11...Kg8
radicalmove played over a dozen games against LuigiBot on FICS in 2012, testing the somewhat weaker 11...Bd7 (see "Poor, Poor Computer" for a couple of examples). The games are in The Database.
Likewise, ionman took on the computer GriffyJr a couple of times at FICS in 2005, over the somewhat weaker 11...Qe7 (the games are also in The Database). White triumphed in Shredder 8 - RevvedUp, blitz 2 12, 2006 (1-0, 28).
12.Nc3
Maybe a little better was 12.Qd8+ Kf7 13.d3 Qe5 14.Bh6 Qe8 15.Qxe8+ Nxe8.
12...Qxc2
The pawn is poison.
13.Qd8+
After the game Houdini preferred 13.d4!? Bb6 (13...Bxd4 14.Bh6 Bd7 15.Qc4+ d5 16.Qxd4) 14.Qe7 when White steals the Knight in broad daylight.
13...Kg7 14.Qe7+ Kh6 15.Qxf6 Black resigned
When I play through Jerome Gambit games by Bill Wall or Philidor 1792, I imagine a hero emerging, unscathed, from the center of whirling, churning chaos...
When I play the Jerome Gambit, though, it is a lot more like riding in a car that is careening out of control, heading for a cliff - and, if I am lucky, I can jump out in time...
Something like the following game.
perrypawnpusher - OudeKwakkelaar
blitz, FICS, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+
My opponent has faced this opening a few times earlier, and may not have been impressed:
6.0-0 Rf8 7.Nd5 Kg8 8.d3 h6 9.Nh4 Nxd5 10.Nf5 Nde7 11.Nxh6+ gxh6 12.Bxh6 Rf6 13.Bg5 Rg6 14.Qh5 Qf8 15.Bxe7 Nxe7 16.Qxe5 Bd6 17.Qb5 Qh6 18.h3 b6 19.Rae1 Qg5 20.g3 Qxb5 White resigned, maharishi - OudeKwakkelaar, FICS, 2006; and
6.Ng5+ Ke8 7.d3 d6 8.0-0 Rf8 9.Nd5 Nxd5 10.exd5 Nd4 11.c3 Nf5 12.Nxh7 Rh8 13.Qh5+ Ke7 14.Bg5+ Kd7 15.Bxd8 Rxd8 16.Qf7+ Black resigned, BurtForFun - OudeKwakkelaar, FICS, 2012.
6...Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4
This is a slight improvement over our earlier game, which continued with 7...d6, in perrypawnpusher - OudeKwakkelaar, blitz, FICS, 2011 (½-½ , 62).
8.Qxd4 Qe7 9.0-0
This is a little bit better than 9.f4 as in perrypawnpusher - HGBoone, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 27); but 9.Bg5, which I played next move, is probably best.
9...Re8 10.Bg5 Qd6
The prudent 10...Kg8 was seen in perrypawnpusher - BigKalamar, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 49).
11.Qe3
I just knew that after the game Houdini was going to scold me for not playing 11.Qxd6 and it did, suggesting 11...cxd6 12.Nb5 and Black has an edge, which he keeps, of course, after 12...Rg8 13.f4 Nc4 14.b3 Nd2 15.Nxd6+ Ke6 16.Rfe1 Kxd6 17.Rad1 h6 18.Rxd2+ Ke7 19.Bh4 g5 20.fxg5 hxg5 21.Bg3 b6.
Now my game is headed for a cliff...
11...Neg4 12.Qh3 h6 13.Bh4 Qc5 14.Qd3 Qh5
Black would have done better with 14...d6, but Houdini still says that White has very little for his sacrificed piece.
15.Bg3 d6 16.f4
Here, however, Black forfeited on time.
Once again, White is saved by the Jerome Gambit's "secret weapon".
Today's post's title plays on an early name for our opening, once referred to as "Jerome's Double Gambit."
As far back as the post "Jerome Gambit Tournament: Chapter IV" I mentioned that Unorthodox Openings Newsletter editor Gary K. Gifford had rightly classified our opening - "Jerome Gambit, or Jerome Gamble?" (UON #17).
Even earlier, in "But - is this stuff playable?" Part I and Part II, I had given an unqualified "no" and a qualified "yes" as answers to my question.
Maybe a more useful question would be -- "Under what conditions might the Jerome Gambit be playable?" ...[A]t the right time (and time control), with the right opponent, playing in the right mood – perhaps the Jerome Gambit is a bit playable...
In the following game, Bill Wall gives it his best shot, but seems to be facing the wrong opponent at the wrong time...
Bill has included a few suggestions.
Wall,B - Guest874250
PlayChess.com, 2014
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qg3
Instead, 8.Qf4+ would be met by 8...Qf6.
8...Nf6
Possibly a bit stronger than the alternatives, 8...d5, which was seen in Wall,B - GoldCoinCollector, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 17); Wall,B - Thieveyen, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 61); Wall,B - GuestZCLK, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 15); and Wall,B - bfcace, Chess.com, 2012 (1-0, 25); and 8...Qe7 from Banks,P - Dunne,D, Worcestershire v Derbyshire, 2010 (1-0, 35).
9.Nc3
Likewise, Bill has played 9.d3, as in Wall,B - Badbeat994, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 48); and Wall,B - Milsrilion, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 50).
9...Kf7
Black tried 9...Nh5 in Wall,B - Ahmadi,S, Chess.com, 2010 (0-1, 59), but that move, alone (about equal to the text) was not responsible for the game's outcome.
10.0-0
Or 10.d3.
10...Rf8 11.d3
Another idea was 11.Qh4 Kg8.
11...Be6
Or 11...Kg8 as in perrypawnpusher - truuf, blitz, FICS, 2011 (0-1, 32).
12.Be3
Possibly 12.Kh1 Kg8 13.f4; or 12.Ne2 Nh5 13.Qf3+ Kg6 14.Nf4+ Nxf4 15.Bxf4 Qf6.
12...Nh5
If 12...Bxe3 then 13.Qxe3.
13.Qf3+
Or 13.Qg5 Qxg5 14.Bxg5 Kg8.
13...Kg6 14.Qe2
Possibly 14.Qd1 Bxe3 15.fxe3 Qg5.
14...Nf4 15.Bxf4
If 15.Qd2, then 15...Qg5; but not 15.Qf3? because of 15...Nh3+.
15...Rxf4
16.g3
Ideas: 16.Qd2 Qf6; or 16.e5 Bg4; or 16.Na4 Qg5.
16...Rf7 17.e5
Or 17.Nd5 Bxd5 18.exd5 Qf6; or 17.h4 Bh3 18.Rfe1? Rxf2.
17...dxe5 18.Qxe5
Attacking both bishops.
18...Qd6
19.Qe4+
More attractive than trading Queens with either 19.Qxd6 cxd6 20.Kg2 Bd4; or 19.Rae1 Bf5.
19...Bf5
Better for White was either 19...Kh6 20.Rae1 or 19...Kf6 20.Qxb7
20.Qxb7
Or 20.Qg2 Re8
20...Re8 21.Qg2
White's choices are becoming limited, e.g. 21.Qb5 Re5 22.Qb7 c6; or 21.g4 Bxg4 22.Qg2 h5; or 21.Na4 Bh3 22.Nxc5 Qxc5.
21...Bg4 22.Ne4
Or 22.h3 Bf3 23.Qh2 Bc6.
22...Qe5
23.Rae1
Alternatives: 23.Rab1 Qh5 24.Nxc5 Bf3; 23.c3 Qh5; 23.Nxc5 Qxc5 24.c3 Bf3 25.Qh3 Be2.
23...Bb6
Or 23...Bf3 24.Qh3 Bb6.
24.b4
If 24.c3 Qe6 25.d4 Bh3; if 24.b3 Qf5; not 24.Nc3? Qxe1! 25.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 26.Qf1 Rxf2 27.Qxe1 Rxc2+; if 24.c4 h5 25.b4 Bf3 26.Qh3 Bd4.
24...Qe7 25.a3
More solid than 25.h4 Qxb4; or 25.b5 Qd7 26.h4 Bh3; or 25.Rb1 Qd7.
25...Qd7 26.h4
Instead, 26.Nc5 Bxc5 27.bxc5 Bf3 loses the Queen.
26...Bh3 27.Qh1
If 27.Qh2, then 27...Qg4.
27...Ref8
Or 27...Bxf1 28.Kxf1 h6.
28.Rc1
If 28.Re2 then 28...Qg4 29.Rd2 Be3
28...Qg4 29.Qh2 h6 30.c4 Bd4 31.Rcd1 Rf3 32.Rd2 R8f4 White resigned.
In the following three minute game, Black contrives a maneuver to strengthen his Kingside and drive away the enemy Queen. Much to his surprise, it allows White to sacrifice Her Majesty and deliver checkmate!
Philidor 1792 - guest681
3-minutes blitz www.bereg.ru, 20.12.2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Bb3 Bc5 5.Nxe5
White bypasses a possible Delayed Jerome Gambit (5.Bxf7+) and sacrifices his Knight without sacrificing the Bishop.
5...Nxe5 6.d4 Qe7
Houdini suggests that after 6...Nxe4 7.0-0 0-0 8.dxe5 Qe7 the game would be even.
7.0-0 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 h6 9.Nc3 d6 10.f4 Nc6 11.Qd3 0-0
12.Bd2 Bg4 13.Rae1 Bh5 14.e5 dxe5 15.fxe5 Nh7 16.Nd5 Qh4
17.Re3 Bg6 18.Qxg6 fxg6 19.Ne7+ Kh8 20.Nxg6 checkmate
